Where did my baby go?

Where has all the time gone?

New Chapter

I'm sitting here this morning marvelling at the path my life has taken over the last couple of years. This new chapter has only begun because of a sweet little boy who came to us with a tiny extra chromosome. I now have a whole new family within the Down Syndrome community and a new outlook on life and all it's possibilities.

When I was pregnant with my seven older children, the thing which scared me the most was the thought of having a child with Down Syndrome. I was petrified of the possibility. I'm ashamed to say that I even asked God to take my baby if it was going to have Down Syndrome. Looking back now that seems ridiculous. There are so many things which could go wrong during a pregnancy. I'm still not sure why Down Syndrome was the one thing which occupied my thoughts.

Getting tickled by Aaron

Nothing to fear

When my husband and I decided to try for another baby again my thoughts again turned to Down Syndrome, but this time it was different. We talked about Down Syndrome and decided we wanted a baby no matter what the outcome. I started reading up on my 'risk factors' as soon as I fell pregnant and read a lot about Down Syndrome. I even talked to people about it and told a few that we had opted to refuse any prenatal blood tests and screens. It's almost as if I knew, and for the first time I wasn't anxious about it.

He has the cutest faces

Here I am now, months later watching our precious son pulling DVD's off the shelf and scattering papers across the floor like a typical 18 month old. He is perfect. Yes, he has those distinctive almond shaped eyes and as he concentrates his tongue sticks out of his mouth a little bit. He has to crawl from one side of the room to the other at an age when his siblings would have walked; but that's just Felix. Yes, he has Down Syndrome; but the thing I once feared so much has now become a thing so beautiful I actually have tears rolling down my face as I type! I wish I could put into words how blessed I feel to have Felix in my life.

Today's Milestone

For weeks, we have been trying to teach Felix to climb down from things safely. We always say, "Feet first" and turn him around so that he can slide off the bed or his playground and land on his feet and not his head. This morning Felix had been having a play with me on our bed when he laid himself down onto his tummy, turned himself around and started to back himself off the bed feet first! He did it all by himself without me having to say anything! I am so proud of him!

You must make this face when pulling the dog's tail!

Felix is the funniest, most comical little character. I don't think I've ever seen a baby who can make so many hilarious faces. Our eldest daughter, Amy, sends photos of Felix to her friends if they are having a bad day. How could anyone be sad when they look at that face?