Banana Splits

For you Ryan x x x

Last night for dinner, our whole family ate banana splits!! Ice cream, bananas, chocolate, sprinkles, berries and whipped cream all with a cherry on the top! Felix thought it was the greatest dinner ever and didn't leave a single thing on his plate. It was a fun family night together; but behind all the smiles and the laughs was some sadness. 

The reason we had banana splits last night was for Ryan, the little boy I wrote about in my last blog. As part of Ryan's Mum's 'bucket list' of things to do to create some unforgettable memories of Ryan, she asked that all of her friends around the world eat a banana split for dinner. She knows that Ryan will not have the opportunity to ever enjoy a banana split so she wanted everyone to do it for him. There are hundreds of people from all over the world eating a banana split for Ryan, taking photos and posting them on Facebook. A friend of his Mum is compiling all of the photos as a very unique memory for Ryan's family. Our family were proud to be part of this special gift. 

Felix and his buddy Emmerson

Today, Felix had a little friend over to play. He doesn't know Emmerson that well yet, so he sat for a little while and just watched him. When Emmerson got too close to him, Felix tried to push him away a couple of times but it didn't take long until he was happy to sit and play together with him. They both spent the afternoon climbing up the steps to the top of Felix's slide; and climbing or sliding back down again. It was beautiful to watch two gorgeous little boys playing together, completely unaware that one has a disability and the other doesn't.

I'm so thankful to Emmerson's Mum for bringing him over to play. There are people who no longer come to visit at our house because they don't want their 'typical' children playing with Felix. Although these people are in the minority, it still feels hurtful and also makes me feel angry because Felix is just a little boy who loves to play with other children. Down Syndrome is not contagious and spending time with someone who has Down Syndrome is not going to lower other children's intelligence! I think the opposite is true; 'typical' children who grow up with an awareness and love for people with Down Syndrome are going to be much more accepting and tolerant of others than those who don't. 

Felix learnt to go feet first down the slide without any

help from anyone today!

I'm thankful every day for the wonderful people in Felix's life who treat him the way he deserves to be treated; like a 20 month old boy! To those who bring their children over to play or welcome Felix into their home, thank you. To those who invite Felix to their 'typical' kid's birthday parties, thank you. Thanks for seeing Felix as the funny, happy little person he is and for including him as much as any other kids. It means the world to us x x x