Raising Reid

LUKE AND REID

I have been blessed with two boys, Luke and Reid. Luke just turned 7 and is the best big brother Reid could ask for. He is hysterically funny, smart, and oh so sensitive. Just recently, he started to cry out of the blue stating, “I was just thinking, sigh, in 12 years I am going to be 19….more sighs…and I am sad because I don’t want to leave our house!”. Yes, we may not have girls, but we definitely do not lack drama around here!

And then we have our sweet Reid. Reid was born on December 28, 2006, making him 19 months as I write this. Reid’s birth and all that has come with it has changed us as a family forever…and I am forever grateful for the lessons his life has taught me. It was in the delivery room that we heard the words no parent wants to hear, “Your son is showing signs of Down syndrome…we need to run some tests”. The room spun and a thousand thoughts, fears, and worries flooded us. Neither my husband nor I knew anything about Down syndrome , but I remember having this strong feeling that I did not want either of us to do any research yet, I didn’t want a bunch of facts and statistics…

I didn’t want to know Down syndrome, I just wanted to know our son.

Weeks went by before we started our homework beyond what we immediately needed to know. We’ve since learned quite a lot but at the same time we are realizing this will be a lifetime of learning for us, with Reid doing most of the teaching.

As our family continues on this new journey we have met so many incredible families along the way…some in person and some through formats such as this. I cannot tell you how many photo montages and blogs I have scoured over in the wee hours of the night with tears streaming down my face, connected to strangers across the country by one extra chromosome and yet somehow not feeling like strangers at all. I am grateful to be on this journey with you all and to learn from one another while Raising Reid and his big brother Luke.

Sincerely,