Reid's Vote for President...

Reid and his friends will vote someday... not just as a privilege but as a right

 

About 16 years from now... on the eve of the election of 2028 I fully anticipate sitting in our living room having a good discussion with Reid about the candidates before us and the policies and laws he will have a hand in casting a vote for. It will be his first of many elections he will be able to take part in. There isn't any reason why he will not be able to vote, or any reason he will not be able to understand the principles and agenda each candidate stands for. I also anticipate proudly driving him to the voting booth if he isn't able to drive himself... and standing outside waiting for him extremely proud of him. I anticipate Reid getting a kick out of this experience and being fully passionate about whoever his candidate of choice is...

But for now.... my smarty pants is only 5 and on the eve of this election 2012 he tells me he is the best candidacy choice and that if he was elected president he would... well, play with his buddy Daniel A.!

 

Unfortunately tomorrow there are going to be some friends with intellectual disabilities that may be given a hard time when they show up to vote... I hope not, but if they do I hope they are armed with the information below:

 

.................................

 

You do have the right to vote! If you are a person with a mental disability and understand what it means to vote, federal law protects your right to vote. The laws that protect that right: The Constitution and the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. § 12132; Doe v. Rowe, 156 F.Supp.2d 35 (D.Me.2001).

You have the right to get help from a person you choose. If you can’t read or need help voting because of your disability, you can have someone help you vote. You can bring a friend, family member or someone else you trust to help you. You can ask the poll worker to help you if you didn’t bring anyone with you. The law that gives you that right: The Voting Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. §§1973aa-6; The Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. § 12132 

If you have a problem, you can get help by calling 1-866-OUR-VOTE Lawyers are available to give voters with disabilities and other voters advice and help with voting problems, so call 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683). The law says everyone gets to cast a ballot, so don’t leave without voting!

Even if someone says you cannot vote, the law says the poll worker must allow you to vote a special ballot called a Provisional Ballot. Later, an election worker will decide whether you are allowed to vote in the election. If you are, your vote will be counted. The law that gives you that right: The Help America Vote Act, 42 U.S.C. § 15482

For more information about the rights of voters with disabilities visit http://www.ndrn.org/

Dear Target... Thank You, Love Reid

Oh dear, there is so much dust on this little blog of mine.... but I am attempting to post, but posting I must do with one hand wrapped over my eyes so as to shield me from the sight that my blog is still stuck in, gulp, Christmas mode.... and that I have not posted since January. But, good news is that anyone reading this post... who may also feel crazy busy... maybe even frenzied at times in their life can pat themselves on the back and feel good in the fact that at least their blog does not scream CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY CHEER at the end of May! So... you are welcome!


So, why after all this time roll up your sleeves and set your fingers back on the keyboard you might ask? Well, it has to do with a picture, and as the saying goes a picture is worth a thousand words... this one can illicit about that many from me... whether I get them all out is another thing.


That picture is this one... 

I actually don't physically have it in my hands yet but my friend, Sharon, on the east coast alerted me to it as she received her new summer Target catalog in the mail yesterday and this shot is featured on the back. The little blonde haired, blue glasses wearing, baseball uniform sportin guy is Reid. I love, LOVE when companies feature children with special needs in their print ads... it is amazingly sad how under represented our children are in this field... but I think there is a new growing awareness and more and more companies are recognizing this and making sure our children are included, and Target is definitely leading the way. 
Honestly, had it not been Reid in this ad but another one of his friends with Down syndrome I would have still done the same internal standing ovation for Target and still re-vowed my ferocious allegiance to them because it is just that special to see kids being kids... no matter the number of chromosomes or special need.
But, since it is Reid .... I get to share details or parts from the shoot that are not visible to anyone else and are stored in my heart. 
This opportunity came quite out of the blue.... Back in January we got a call from Infantino, (who ran the Everybody Plays Campaign that Reid was fortunate to be a part of in the fall).... and told us that an agent was looking for a little boy with Down syndrome for a Target ad that was to be shot soon there after and wanted to know if we were interested... and then one thing led to another...
Which led me to driving Reid out to Malibu for the shoot. As I started to get closer to the location a frog settled in my throat and tears began to fall as I traveled down Pacific Coast Highway, taking in the beauty of where I was and the beauty of the opportunity before us. I kept looking back at him in the rear view mirror and I kept thinking... "Good for you little guy. Good. For. You.... that you get this neat opportunity to be visible in a world when so many times our kids are not". They just aren't sadly. The tears continued to welp up, it's a wonder we made it there in one piece as I traveled with tear blurred vision... I was just really happy for him and humbled yet again as to where his little extra chromosome has taken us as a family.
I finally found composure as we parked and walked in. I had no idea what to expect but as we were greeted one of the gals asked Reid if he would like to dress up in a baseball uniform... He smiled huge and said "Yes!!!" Seriously, seriously?... that could not have been any more perfect for Reid's baseball fanatic personality. His little cleats even lit up for heaven's sake... he. was. on. cloud. nine.
When I look at this picture there are things that make me just giggle...  like the silver trophy he is holding, well.... that was actually the 2nd trophy because the first one which was actually gold, well, umm.... it kinda slipped out of my guy's hand and was no longer functional. Whoopsie ;). 2nd, the grass stains on the boys' pants.... that is actually grass stain spray paint (who knew there was such a thing??). The patch of grass the kids are on.... not too easy to tell but just beyond are stairs that take you down to the beach and cozy little beach front cottages. I don't know this for sure but it reminded me a lot of the summer beach house scenes from the movie Spanglish. 
It was on that patch of grass the kids took a break in between shooting and hit a few baseballs. When it was Reid's turn I remember watching the kids all inch closer to him thinking he would not be able to hit the ball very far... the competitive mom in me secretly hoped he would just wallop the heck out of the ball and show 'em... and I laughed out loud when he did! Wallop he did and the kids cheered and hollered as they ran to retrieve the ball that inched ever so close to the crest above the beach below. Perhaps it was this moment for Reid that helped him feel like one of the guys but during that break I walked over to him to try and brush his hair, and in embarrassed teenager fashion he told me.... "Stop mom, my hair not cwwazzy!!". 

When I look at that picture I think of all those moments above and of how amazingly clear Reid's speech was that day in that setting and of the incredible "Baby Wrangler" Mark (pictured here with Reid) who was positioned just outside the scope of the shot.... who rallied the kid troops to relax, smile, giggle and just do their thing....
But, it is my heart that looks at that picture and thinks back to the "me" when he was born and I think had someone been able to have fast forwarded 5 years for me on the day Reid was born and been able to show me this picture I know I would have grabbed it, clutched it between my fingers and squinted close trying to imagine that that would one day be my guy... it would have given me a much needed giggle and smile through my tears as I laid there in that hospital bed... how soothing to my soul that would have been on one of the best yet hardest days of my life as it was also the day we learned of his diagnosis. ...a day that I worried about his future and worried that life as I knew it was over.... little did I know that not only was it NOT over it was about to expand in a multitude of ways and become even more beautiful....


Those are the parts... the parts you wouldn't be able to see unless I shared...

To end this post I think I'll simply leave it with my son's words as I imagine he would say them....

Dear Target, 

Thank you, thank you that you give my friends and I an opportunity to be seen as the "typical" children that we are in your advertising. My Poppa said he'll always shop at your store because he likes what you stand for... personally I like your awesome  cleats that light up when I round the bases! Because of you one of my classmates at preschool brought this ad in and asked if I would sign it, that's kinda cool for a kid my age! I plan to ask my favorite mailman when he finally delivers your summer catalog to my door to turn it around so I can show him who is on the back. I know he will like it because we are good pals!

Love,

Reid

A Beautiful New Life

A little girl's "life story" has been rewritten because of this incredible family featured in the ABC News clip below.... and from what I understand the Reece's Rainbow adoption website has been on overload since this aired.... I hope it stirs more hearts and ALL of these beautiful children will find their Forever Families.... The little girl Masha they show wondering if the news reporter was her Momma? Tears poured down as I watched that, no one should be without a mom or dad... I pray this news story helps her find her very soon!! 
Click here for the ABC News clip  Then, to read more of Kareen's journey to her new life,  go here. 
A few thoughts..... Once given the diagnosis of Down syndrome from health professionals many of us walking this road were encouraged to abort, told that our child would be a burden to society, to their families, their siblings would suffer.... you scour the internet and you will find outdated and biased information pertaining to the life of a person with this extra chromosome, BUT...... you ask a family walking this road and you will get a much different answer. Of the over 500 children adopted through Reece's Rainbow, I would venture to guess that most of the adopting families either already had a child of their own with Down syndrome or an extended family member.... that says A LOT of this road, and the falsehood of the statements above.  Parenting is tough..... with or without extra chromosomes, but the most beautiful tough I have ever experienced and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat!

"Daddy and Mommy Welcome You................. To Life"

The tiny TEN POUND... 9 year old little girl I mentioned here... Her name is Katerina and I read today that she is finally with her Forever Family.... finally she is coming home to start her life. She finally has a family of her own to love her and care for her and tell her how precious she is... 
Actually her mom's words which put a frog in my throat read as..."Tiny daughter, come with us.... Daddy and Mommy welcome you to life". 
Today is a good, good day!
Katerina, we celebrate with you and your family today!
To read her story go here.

Please Consider Sponsoring an Orphan...

A few days ago when I wrote this post, ONE Thing I Would Want to Share, I had some people email me to see if I wanted help with raising awareness and funds for 1 orphan in particular?... and this is my answer, in case you read it too and were wondering....


As a family when we first learned of Reece's Rainbow a few years ago we scanned the site and found a little one to sponsor...actually Luke was our official "picker-outer". So, if that is what you want to do as a family as well...to get your children involved, by all means please do!! I think it is meaningful and powerful for children to understand about compassion and how they can help.


AND....Just as a little clarification in case this is the first time you have heard of Reece's Rainbow, the money you donate whether at Christmas or anytime of the year does NOT go to feeding the orphans... or clothing them...or making their orphanages more livable........ the money LITERALLY goes to paying the children's "randsom" so to speak to getting them the heck out of there and into a family's arms. The money goes directly to the child's adoption fund.... which you can watch grow right on the site.

This year little Robert from Eastern Europe grabbed Luke's heart... a little boy who will be turning 2 this December who only has $133 at this moment towards his adoption fees, which run about $25,000. 


What's unique about donating at Christmas time is that when you donate $35 dollars or more you also receive a Christmas ornament with the child's picture on it...as a special reminder of the little one you have helped. 


If you would like to help us raise funds for Robert we would love it (click on his name and it will direct you to his donation page) ....I like the idea of a group of people banning together to make a difference... putting our $35 together to make a bigger impact

On face book I stated it this way,  "I have 344 friends on facebook, if we all sponsored 1 child we could raise over $12,000 (which is about 1/2 of the adoption fees needed) and I am sure we would never even miss that $35".


A little bit really does and can go a long way... ;)

"The Class List" ...What If A Child with Special Needs Is In Your Child's Class?....

This post is something that has been rattling around in my head for the last week....

For the last week I have been thinking about "The Class List...."
It is almost time for school to resume...all the back to school commercials are playing round the clock, new clothes and backpacks and folders are being bought...and the ever exciting day that the "class lists" will be posted up on the office windows are soon to arrive. I don't know about you but I LOVED that day...COULDN'T wait for that day. I'd roller skate up to the school to check out the lists and hope that at least one bestie was in the same class as me...then I'd dream of what the new school year would hold.
The class list held a lot of weight as to what kind of year it would be for a kid... Spot the school bully on your list? Well, you knew you'd have to watch your back.... Spot the booger picker? You made a mental note to sit on the far side of the room away from them... Spot the cute kid you'd had a secret crush on on the list? ...You went home to spiff up your wardrobe. Yes indeed, it held a lot of weight, that class list.
But, WHAT IF you were a parent standing there next to your child scanning the lists with them and you notice a name...and know it to be of a child with special needs. What would your initial thoughts be? ..I'm talking your true, honest, quiet thoughts in your head that you might not share out...

Would it be, "Good for them for "Fully Including" their child"?
Would it be, "I think this is good, my child will learn from this experience".
Would it be, "Oh yay, we love __insert child's name___!"

Or would it be......

"This is terrible, kids with special needs belong in special ed classes!"
"Having this child in class is going to rob my child of their education because the teacher is going to have to spend so much attention on them!"
"I'm going to complain, I don't want that kid in class with my kid!"

One if not all three of those last responses belong to an entire group of parents in the next county over from me. A few years ago there was a situation where a little girl with Down syndrome was going to be fully included into one of the kindergarten classes on campus. "Fully Included" means she would school the entire day in a "general education" class from beginning to end just like everyone else assigned to that class...whereas if someone were to be "Mainstreamed" that means that for part of their day they would mainstream into the general ed class setting say for art or science or some subject but the remainder of their day would be with a special ed class. At any rate....this little girl was going to be fully included into the kindergarten classroom... and she showed up on the "class list".
In response, the parents of the children who would also be in that classroom were upset....felt their child's education was going to be harmed and started a petition NOT to have her allowed in their child's class. This is seriously what happened, parent after parent signed their name to that petition... just down the road from me a hop and a skip and just a few years ago. The school got the petition, the school buckled under the pressure....and the parent had to fight for her to stay on that class list. Her parents had to take it to the district level, argue their case, and remind them that their daughter had a legal right to school in that class. Their point was made and the little girl was allowed to remain in that class.
As I type... I can just imagine that confrontation this family had to face with essentially their own "neighbors" in the neighborhood who were rejecting their child.... I would feel so kicked in the gut by my community. I am proud of the little girl's parents for holding their head high and fighting for what was right for their daughter. In the end, the family did not start her in that particular kindergarten...where her parents would need to stand shoulder to shoulder at drop off and pick up each day with all the parents who signed the petition not to allow their child in class... They fought their fight, made their point, and then enrolled their child at a different school where she was embraced. I can't say I blame them under the circumstance.
Grown adults can be cruel, we can be uninformed, we can hold onto harmful biases, we can be arrogant and seclusive and insensitive. ....and sometimes we don't even realize we are being this way.

For those of you thinking... maybe those "petition" parents were right...maybe she would of robbed the other kids of their education". My response would be.... "Where is the evidence of that?"...they never gave the little girl the chance to prove her abilities...she was shot down because of unfounded parental fears before she even got to start her first day of school. In many cases children who are Fully Included are given full time aides beginning in kindergarten, so had she needed extra assistance she would have had her aide. This little girl would not have robbed anyone's child of their education. The thing however that most certainly was robbed was for the opportunity for "their" children to learn about acceptance and compassion and differences in a very real way..lessons that cannot be taught from a text book the way loving and accepting a peer would.
What about the response... "Kids with special needs belong in special ed classes?" My response would be, "Not necessarily, depends on the child and the child's needs...". To say they should ONLY be in special ed classes would be putting a child in a box and dare I make the comparison would be like me telling you your tall, skinny kid belongs only on the basketball team. What if baseball was actually a better fit for him, far be it from me to deny him that....nor the room to allow him to grow in that sport. There are beautiful special education classes and there are beautiful general education classes with teachers who welcome working with a child with special needs. Each special needs child has different needs and believe me, parents think long and hard about the choices for their child's education..... and those decisions are best placed in the hands of the parents who know their child best and the team of specialists and school administrators who form his/her team....not insensitive petition signing parents, that's for sure.
Why do parents choose to Fully Include? ....Sometimes it is because they feel their child would benefit from the role models their "typically developing peers" would be for them, sometimes it is because they feel their child can learn right along with the other children (and they can), sometimes it is because they feel that the high expectations that would be held for that child would motivate them to reach beyond their limitations, sometimes it is because their typically developing peers would be hugely beneficial for them in regards to speech modeling or perhaps even social modeling.

So, we take that step for our child and hope that we are not met with parents who respond as the group I had mentioned above. And as we stand there shoulder to shoulder at pick up and drop off and we see parents smile lovingly at our child... or they comment about how glad they are that our child is in class with their child... or comment on how well they did something.... or reassure you when a naughty incident happens that all kids have naughty moments.... I cannot even begin to tell you how much those words mean, truly....... they. mean. so. much!
So IF a child with special needs does indeed end up on your child's class list and you have reservations about it.... please watch and see, you just may be surprised, your pre-conceived ideas just might change.... and the words of encouragement you might even find yourself sharing with the child's parent... will make you both feel great. And... if all those things just mentioned do occur, well then I hope your child ends up on MY child's "class list"!


** Disclaimer: Sometimes, we as parents feel that mainstreaming might be better for our child, or it might be better for our child to school solely in a special ed class..... all those options are beautiful options if and when it is the right fit for our child, and we'll know when it is. I don't want anyone to get the impression that I am saying we as special needs parents are failing if we choose not to "Fully Include", that is not what I am saying or how I feel at all.

A Verbal Throw Up Session

So, I went to have my hair cut and highlighted today....as a mom that is one of the most luxurious escapes. A few hours of pampering and reading gossip magazines and as luck would have it this salon was handing out mimosas today..."Why thank you I believe I will have one...and another..." and before you know it you are a little tipsy and you say "yes" to every "a la carte treatment" and your bill goes through the roof ;). Hmnnn, the alcohol was probably a pretty ingenious marketing scheme now that I think about it... oh well, made for a great day. Except....after 4 hours of being gone I came home and Luke's first words were, "You look exactly the same as when you left". Note to self: educate Luke on words to say to a woman when she comes home from a day at the salon. ;)

Okay...so why all this talk about the salon? Well, this was a new gal I went to today and so there is always the "get to know you" banter.... and when the question came up about whether I had children I conscientiously said I had 2 boys who are 9 and 4 and left it at that. Usually I verbally throw up and explain that Reid has Down syndrome and a conversation ensues about it. But, I conscientiously decided that I was not required to say it so I left it at that. But, you know what I found that I wasn't settled with that... I wanted to share it and later in the conversation it did come up and she did ask questions and somehow that felt better. I don't know why that is... is it that I am just a chronic "verbal throw up-er" or is it that I wanted her to know because she was young and not married and I remember being oblivious to anything other than my "fairytale" life dreams at her age and I liked the idea of her having exposure to knowing someone who has a child with special needs because who knows what is in her future or her friends futures, it is likely one of them will have a child with special needs and I like the idea of her having some point of reference of someone who is in that place and they are not shattered...but madly in love with their children and their life.

I remember when Reid was born I thought about a woman who had children at the preschool I had worked at in college, nearly 20 years prior. Her youngest who was probably only about 9 months at that time had Down syndrome. I never talked to her, her kids were in a different class but I remember watching her... I watched her love on that little guy and she seemed so peaceful. Not sure why she stuck out to me at that time but she did. I remember seeing her at the grocery store once too, just she and that little guy in the cart with his little almond shaped eyes. I remember thinking about how put together she was and I admired the quiet strength I guess I saw in her....she had no idea who I was and would have absolutely no way of knowing that on the day my son was born I had images in my mind of her and drew strength from what I saw in her.

So there it was today...a gal, a mimosa, a little trim, a few bright highlights....and a verbal barf session. Sounds about right to start a long weekend with! ;)

...and as for the children I'm madly in love with.... here ya have it.

31 for T21: A Down Syndrome Family Photo...and Elvis is in the HOUSE!

The 30th day of October is quickly coming to a close, in fact if I don't type my little heart out it will soon be midnight...leaving one day left for blogging for Down syndrome Awareness. My attempt at 31 posts over the course of the month came very short this time around but I attempted...and I had fun reading everyone's posts and meeting new friends along the way!

....In fact, "meeting friends along the way" is what I want to end my 31 for T21 attempt with. In the last 3 1/2 years I have met some really truly amazing families....families I would have never have met had Reid not shown me. Families near and far.... down the street, the next county over, across the US, and internationally. I love knowing these families, I love seeing their little almond eye shaped beauties and knowing immediately that we share an unspoken bond that comes from a very deep emotional place within us because of our children who share that extra chromosome. It is extremely encouraging to me.

However, as I am walking deeper into this journey I am realizing that it is not just encouraging to have each other to go to and to glean from but it is vital. Without going into detail in this post we had an issue arise a week ago where a parent had/has concerns about Reid being in the "typical" preschool class with her daughter. As we have been sorting through this big ugly bump I was able to call upon so many of those "friends I've met along the way" for support, advice, and resources. It was vital...especially those first few days where this became a very emotional issue for me. Those friends helped equip me with resources, and tools, and special needs laws to help me navigate this appropriately.

I call that friendship...but my friend Kele calls that family. She wrote about that here. She even went on to create a "Down syndrome family photo" shown below. Can you see little Reid in there? ...he is next to one of his best gal pals! I love that as I scan her picture I can name so many of these kiddos...had you told me that I 'd be able to do that on the day he was born I'd have told you you were bonkers.

Your family photo might look a little bit different, maybe you've connected and clicked with different people...or maybe you haven't connected yet with others...and if that is the case I would really encourage you to reach out and to find a network of other families who also have a child with Down syndrome because I truly believe we are each other's best resources. There is a huge resource here on the internet of Down syndrome parent bloggers but I would also encourage you to find and connect with people in your immediate area because it is also good to connect in the flesh...and to begin to develop friendships for your child with other extra chromosomally kissed kiddos as well as their other friends.

...When things have calmed down and we know how things are going to play out with preschool I will blog about it because we are learning some really important lessons through it that I'd love to share. Until then....check out the king himself!

_____________________________________________

Elvis.....................is in the HOUSE!!!!

a sneak peek into Reid's Halloween costume

This was Reid's big finale pose!

31 for T21: More Alike Than Different

A CHOCOHOLIC!!!!!!!!

I have read in many books and been told on more than one occasion to, "Remember that your child with Down syndrome will be more like you, and your family, than different"...How is this for "Like me"??? A chocolate addict after my own heart. Reid, you and Mommy are going to have lots of fun!
The entry above was from my "archives" and was actually the 3rd post I ever wrote...back in August of 2008. Awww, he's changed so much. He can even say chocolate now though it sounds more like chockitts.
In the vain of more alike than different I wanted to share our last year's entry in the National Down Syndrome Congress' More Alike Than Different campaign... I had actually forgotten we had even submitted it until we recently received our poster.

Hmnn, I'm having a hard time getting the image bigger but the poster says...

Who Loves to Read More, You or Me?

My name is Reid and I love..... to read! I love big books, little books, train books, truck books, pop up books, and especially.......giggle until you fall over books!

Yup, that's pretty much him!

Kids with Down syndrome are indeed more alike than different...

31 for T21: Will Reid get married?.... maybe

Okay...so I'm totally stinking at blogging all 31 days...but I'm still going for as many posts as I can.
But...real quick...almost forgot this is on tonight..actually right now 8:00 HBO

31 for T21: Our Children are Gifts....no matter how they're packaged

**Please note that you should pause the music at the bottom of my blog before viewing the Gifts video below......and it just may be necessary to have tissue near by!! ;)
I love the beauty and sweetness that oozes from this video...and the song, oh my goodness it gets me every time!! I first saw this about 3 years ago...and as I just re-watched it it made me smile to myself because as I saw these beautiful faces again I realized that I KNOW so many of these kiddos now.... thanks to their beautiful moms and dads who I have had the privilege of meeting through our blogs!

31 for T21: Will He Look Like Us?

Neither Toby nor I knew much about Down syndrome before Reid was born. I actually made him promise he would not start any research until we were both ready. I felt really strongly that I did not want to know Down syndrome.... I wanted to know my son.
Probably the only piece I really knew previously was that there were facial characteristics associated with Ds and this lead me to wonder if Reid would look like us... would Luke and Reid resemble each other?
Well, a few months back one of my brothers commented on this picture of me at 3 that was sitting on my moms bookcase and how much it looked like Reid. Well....I declare he was right. Perhaps it is the longer hairstyle but I do believe he looks a lot like me. That makes me happy, I love how genetics leaves a footprint of who we belong to!
And what about these two?..... look at this side profile and tell me you can't tell they are brothers?Have a said lately how much I love these two??
In an effort to aid in Down syndrome awareness below is a list of facial characteristics commonly found in individuals with Ds.... though an individual may have only a few or all of these.
Almond-shaped eyesSmall noseSlightly flattened bridge across the noseSmallish ears, positioned slightly lower on the head, with a small fold at the top of the earMouth may be smallSlightly protruding tongue, due to low muscle tone and or shallow roof of the mouthTeeth may be smaller Flattened back of the head
** I have to put a little input in here though because I don't know why but I had a hard time typing those above. One in particular...the slightly protruding tongue. As I have scoured blogs and spent time with Reid's buddies I have not seen kids with protruding tongues unless they are really tired...heck I'm sure I even do that when tired! ;) But, I point it out because our children are born with low muscle tone which contributes to the tongue finding its way out onto the bottom lip on occasion BUT.... our children receive early intervention via occupational, physical, and speech therapy that those 10, 20, 30 years ago did not receive so you do not see this characteristic like we once did.

31 for T21: I Would Choose My Son a 100 Times Over

In my last few posts I shared our story of finding out about Reid's diagnosis of Down syndrome...and though beginning this journey was indeed scary and it was indeed emotional and it was indeed not what I had anticipated for my son .............I would choose him over and over and over again extra chromosome and all! I would, I would absolutely choose this journey! I would choose to know this life that he has opened my eyes to. I would absolutely unequivocally choose him.
It is startling to me though that my choice is not statistically in the norm. Over 93% of these babies are aborted. 93%....wow, that is a staggering number. That is a number that tells me there are a lot of misconceptions about these amazing little people who grow into amazing adults who have much to offer to this world.
Absolutely, I would choose this precious gift of mine.....all. over. again.