Today 3/21/12 is World Down Syndrome Day and I can say with complete honesty I am more than proud to celebrate it. If I think back to exactly one year ago today...wow! So much has happened since then. We were gearing up for our first IVF cycle, meeting with a contractor to start a room addition, and didn't have a thought in the world about Down syndrome. This year we have a baby as a result of that cycle (!), the room is done (thank God!), and Ds has rocked our world (but not so much in a bad way). In case you hadn't figured it out, the date 3/21 is significant because Ds most commonly occurs when there are 3 of the 21st chromosome. Anyway, if you had asked me a year ago what my feelings were on the subject, it would have been a short conversation. The truth is, I hadn't thought about it...like, not at all. Never dreamed it would become apart of my daily life, never dreamed I'd be the mother of a child with special needs. Heck, at that point, I wasn't even sure if I'd ever become the mother of any child. But a year later, here he is. When I look at Cooper, I see beauty and innocence. I see soft baby cheeks, big blue eyes, and perfect little lips. When I listen to Cooper, I hear soft regular breathing, the occasional, "I goo!", and often contented sighs while he takes his bottle. When I think about Cooper, I think about how he makes me grin like an idiot with just a look, how he manages to fill my heart so full it just might burst, but mostly how he is everything I could have ever wanted and everything I never even knew I wanted. I think about how already, in a matter of months, he has begun work to make me a better person. A more patient person, a more tolerant person, and a more appreciative person. I look at the world with a new appreciation and overall, a new view. When I see people with disabilities, I no longer pity them; I want to cheer them on! When things seem to be taking just a bit too long, I find patience I didn't have before. And when things aren't going my way, I'm starting to stand back and look at the big picture a little more. Today, I celebrate my beautiful boy and all the other gorgeous kids all over the world who have made me apart of the best club I never knew I wanted to be apart of. Another momma said it best, "I never knew I wanted a child with Ds until I got one!" I hope you will all celebrate with us! Let's work together to blow the lid off of this, to banish the stigma, and crush stereotypes. I certainly can't do it alone...will you help? Will you take the knowledge you gain from 'knowing' my Cooper and pass it along to others? Let them know that there is no room for pity or intolerance. Let them know that it is not just okay...that, in fact, it is beautiful!
Cooper is counting on us!
So sweet, and thanks for linking up!
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading =)
ReplyDeleteHe is SO handsome!!! Aww I miss those little baby days...Kinda
ReplyDeleteThanks Jaime! You've got one gorgeous boy yourself too! :)
ReplyDelete