I was fortunate to spend 5 days of mother-daughter time at a cute little cottage in Michigan last week...just me, Jaime, and Baby J.! It was wonderful! I felt the baby kick for the first time, got to feel his little hiccups, and generally just relished our time together. While we were there, though, I noticed something that I can't stop thinking about. It was her hands. The first time I saw her hands, they were tiny little fists flailing about uncontrollably seconds after her birth. Later, they became the hands of a little gymnast--calloused, peeling, sometimes bleeding. Later still, when she was quite a bit older, her hands were those of a dancer...graceful and soft. But now...I watched her over and over as she rubbed her baby belly, soothing our little guy. Sometimes it seemed to be done consciously. Other times it seemed to be instinctual. Her hands are now the hands of a mother. It brought tears to my eyes.
"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 also noticed this belly rubbing :) . I think when it really hit me was when we were at Ryan's parents house at the baby shower and she was sitting in one of the comfy chairs on the deck chatting and occasionally rubbing her belly. She was beautiful and glowing. Even though I still think of her as a 9 year old sometimes it was that moment when she went from woman to mother in my eyes.
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