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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Inspiration and Inclusion

This is going to be a long post, so fair warning. In the past 24 hours two seemingly unrelated events came together for me to experience a “big enlightenment.” In fact, it was so big I had to share. It began in a meeting for a college organization that I have facilitated for the past two years - a wonderful group of master teachers who share strategies for engaging students in the learning process. We watched a TEDx talk by professor John Boyer from Virginia Tech. (If you can find 14.49 minutes in your busy day I strongly recommend you watch.) His delivery style made me uncomfortable. His words inspired me. The second event happened last night. My daughter shared some more pictures of Wes. I’m sharing one of those here. This set of pictures affected me like none before. And that’s when I had the big enlightenment. Bear with me please. John Boyer speaks of inspiration and how we have lost that ingredient of education through the constant focus on standardization of learning objectives...

Happiness versus Joy

October is Down syndrome awareness month , so like I do every single day, I am thinking about Wes. Specifically, I'm thinking about how amazingly supportive my face-to-face friends and my Facebook friends have been over Wes and Down syndrome in general. People always comment when I post pictures of Wes or when I talk about things that we've done with him. But one of the things that is said most frequently is either, "THEY are always so happy!" or "HE is always so happy." I'm not really offended by it, but it stirs up a little something in me that I think I need to put in words. And please, I get it! When someone says that about a person who has Down syndrome, I realize they are saying it with love and compassion...letting me know th at not only do they "see' me and "see" Wes, but that they acknowledge and support us. The intention is good and pure and positive. But let's talk just a minute about the truth...the truth abou...

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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