As we come to the last days of Down Syndrome Awareness month and us getting closer to having our baby girl, I want to reflect on this amazing little boy and how lucky we are and how lucky his sister will be to have him in her life! Having a child with Down Syndrome softens my heart, and allows me to accept people as they are, regardless of their abilities. Raising a child with Down Syndrome is wonderful and amazing! It makes you realize that a mothers love is not based on a child's ability, but on your own ability to accept and give. Having a child with special needs can sometimes be hard, but sometimes it's not. And after you realize this, then you realize this is true for all children. You realize that children with special needs are not beings that walk around suffering from illness, but special people that learn and do things differently, just like all of usI love celebrating differences and my amazing little boy who will soon be the BEST BIG brother ever!!

 

Dylan Update:: 2 1/2 Years Old

Well its been awhile since I have given a little update on our little man. I thought I should get it out of the way before our new little princess gets here and our worlds become much busier with a family of 4!

Dylan is now 2 1/2  and so full of energy! He is in therapy 5 days a week and one of those days he is still in his special ED program on Tuesday mornings for a mommy and me class. This program is so amazing and we love every single one of his teachers. This school is so awesome and will help to prepare Dylan for preschool next year. He is receiving physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy at an amazing facility near our home. Dylan is working so hard on his walking and he is getting close. I for sure thought he would be walking by time his sister came, but now we have set a goal for Christmas time, and if not that is ok. Dylan will do things on his own time. He is doing great in speech. He still few little words, but is slowly starting to learn them and say them. He is great with his body parts and his eating. He loves all sorts of foods, but is still a little picky at trying new things. It's a texture thing, but we are working on that.

Last week we also took Dylan for his yearly check up for his heart and he passed with flying colors! The surgery was a great success with minor leakage from the holes they closed and that is what we want to hear!

Dylan loves playing with his toys, going on walks with daddy and playing with his sister (Baily the dog) they have such a great relationship and Bailey is so sweet with him and we love watching them play together. Dylan LOVES music so much he actually will sit and watch a whole episode of the voice with us. He has always loved music from the time he was a little baby. Maybe he will be a musician one day. Greg and I love watching Dylan grow everyday and seeing him learn new things gives us such joy. I have been home now for the past 3 weeks and I am loving every moment of it. I love being able to be with Dylan everyday and be apart of all of his daily routines. We are so proud of him and we will continue to help Dylan each and everyday with his goals and needs. Here are some pictures from the past few months....

Chloe Smith:: 7th Birthday

This past weekend our beautiful niece Chloe turned 7 years old! Where does the time go? This year Chloe wanted to have a special baking party for her and her closet friends from school as well as the girls in her family. Well if you know my sister she always goes above and beyond for the kids birthday parties and of course this one I think happened to be my favorite! Everything was pink and she did such an amazing job decorating and putting together a beautiful party for a very special little girl!

Showered With Love-Baby Girl

This past weekend my mom, sister and step mom through me a beautiful baby shower for our beautiful baby girl! It was held at one of my favorite restaurants by our house and I had my family and closets friends there to help me celebrate. We are getting so excited for the arrival of Haylee and we cannot wait to meet her. Thank you to everyone for making it such an amazing day...Haylee sure did get spoiled!

Maternity Pictures-Mommy, Dylan & Baby Sister:: 36 Weeks

This pregnancy I really wanted to get some pictures done of just Dylan, myself and baby sister. I love my husband, but I just felt that these were the type of pictures I wanted for our maternity pictures. I am very lucky to have such a special friend and neighbor that came to our house to take some photos of us. I have been lagging on these for so long and I am so glad that I got them in before our little girls arrival! I am looking forward to our growing family and our new bundle of joy to come into this world. I am now 36 weeks and so ready for her to come!

Happy World Down Syndrome Month-Celebrating Differences

Today marks the first day of Down Syndrome Awareness month. During the month of October, we celebrate people with Down syndrome and make people aware of their abilities and accomplishments, and I am so proud to celebrate this month with my son!

  If I have learned one thing in the last 2 ½ years about my son is that every year I find it less important for me as a mom to talk and tell others about the nitty gritty facts about Down syndrome. I think what I really want for people to understand and see is that Dylan is a little boy first and he is just like any of us. I know most people probably see “Down Syndrome” as soon as they see him, but if you open your eyes to the beauty of the world that you will see he is just a little boy that is learning and growing just like any of your children are.

 I want people to realize that what he was born with does not limit what he can do! I want others to know that we simply want acceptance for our son and the world he lives in today, and if people would just open there hearts to these amazing children, they would see past the differences and would welcome a whole new world of joy into their life! If you are a parent with a child with DS-you have been given a gift from god, if you know someone with DS then give them lots of love and hugs, if you have never met someone with DS I hope you will as your life will forever be touched because of these wonderful and beautiful people. This month we celebrate the joy, the happiness and the uniqueness of these beautiful children! The National Down Syndrome Society has been dedicated in making a remarkable difference for people with Down syndrome since 1979. NDSS envisions a world in which all people with Down syndrome have the opportunity to enhance their quality of life, realize their life aspirations, and become valued members of the welcoming communities!