Skip to main content

I Am Who I Am

The insights just keep on coming!  Today I've been thinking about myself and who I am and how this impacts Baby J.  I am a woman, a wife, a mother.  I will soon be a Nana.  I am a college math professor.  I am a perfectionist and an introvert.  I process slowly.  I love to read.  I'm not good at any organized sports.  I'm completely at home in the water and love to swim.  I don't like crowds.  I like silence because it never really is.  I like to travel.  I have terrible spatial sense, and I get super frustrated when things change on the computer.  I hate discussing politics or religion.  I love to think about religion.  I hate to think about politics.  All of these things and many more make up who I am.  My conclusion?  Baby J. is and will be so much more than his Down syndrome.  That represents just one tiny little chromosome of his make-up and who he will become.  So today I am putting it all in perspective and really focusing on just one thing--I am going to be Nana to a very amazing little guy!  And I can't wait!!!

Comments

  1. so true. such a positive and real way of thinking of him as a whole person made of several different pieces. just like everyone!
    when i read your words or reflect upon them later the words positive and honest and lovely come to mind. you are going to be a wonderful nana! you already are. baby j is one lucky baby :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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...

Yes, He Has Down Syndrome AND Friends

In my last blog post, I made this statement concerning Wes's "exuberant" loving (i.e., grabbing and biting other children): "I realize that this is toddler behavior and that he will outgrow it, but because I already have a fear of his not being accepted by other children, this was difficult to witness."  The post was written on the day that I had taken Wes to his music class and witnessed him not only making some other children cry with his forceful hugging, but I had also witnessed the looks in some of those little kids' eyes.  It was a little bit devastating.  So when I made the statement that I realized it was just toddler behavior, blah, blah, blah, that was my head talking, not my heart.  My heart was screaming, "Please, other children and your parents, understand that he is a toddler and he just really loves you, and please don't avoid him and run away in terror because he bit your ear." So it was with delight and complete relief th...