He is our grandson.

We have one week to go till our Baby J is due to be born! I am excited. I am scared. And then I am excited again. As we near this date, I continue to read and connect with other people who share similar experiences. This morning I read an incredibly moving blog. Those words prompted these words:

We have a grandson.
He has Down syndrome.
He is not Down syndrome.
He is our grandson.

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Expanding Our World

Last night after two long days of traveling, I connived my husband into watching "So You Think You Can Dance" with me. It's one of my guilty pleasures. If you've never seen it, there are some really spectacular dancers who show up to audition. Three judges decide whether the audition is worthy of a trip to Las Vegas for further auditioning. I find it to be fairly authentic and serious, as opposed to American Idol (which I still watch, BTW) which is often ridiculous and "fake." Anyway, one of the last dancers to take the stage was a young man named Cody. Cody has Down syndrome, according to his mom who was sitting in the audience. It's the first time I've seen a person with Down syndrome audition for any of these kinds of shows. Cody has some fairly serious speech difficulties, but was able to introduce himself and explain what he was there for--to audition with a hip-hop piece. He then said that the reason he came was that he was a f...

What's It Like?

"What's it like to have a grandchild with Down syndrome?" "Will he be able to go to 'regular' school?" "Will he ever talk?" "Does he know who you are?" And the first comment many people say when they first hear of Wes's diagnosis: "Oh. I"m sorry." These are all perfectly legitimate questions and comments that I've heard over the past two years. I take all of them as a way that people show they are interested and caring. But I'd like to clarify and explain some things about our little guy. First and foremost, the diagnosis of Down syndrome is not a curse or something to be sorry about. Honest. Wes has developmental delays - not developmental lack of abilities. There is a big difference. And just so you know...he is very, very smart. We were just there over the holidays and his communication skills blew me away. No, he's not talking audibly yet at two years four months. But he is commu...

I Cried

I cried twice today. I've written lots about what an amazing, beautiful child Wes is. I haven't written about some of the frustrations associated with Down syndrome. That's the first reason I cried. Let me back up. I've been taking care of Wes while his parents had to be away. It is exhausting to care for a toddler at my age, but it is also my greatest joy. So one of my tasks was to take Wes to his toddler music class. The thought of this was already causing me some anxiety. Wes hasn't had a lot of experience with other children except through these classes and trips to the library and park. He doesn't have siblings yet. And he tends to love very "exuberantly," a trait that is not always appreciated when it causes another child to cry. During a 45-minute class made up of about 12 toddlers, believe me when I say, there were ample opportunities for loving exuberantly. In plain talk...Wes made three children cry today....

Loving Baby J

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