One More Sleep

Felix doing his crazy face as usual!

We had a bit of a family day yesterday. Our daughter, Bekah, came for a short visit which was great. She was able to join in the craziness of the preparations for Felix's 2nd birthday tomorrow. We chatted while the cupcakes baked, and we filled the pinata and the party bags. It was the crazy chaos I have always loved about our big family. Joel came over and spent some time with his brothers, and Mel and Noah hung out and had a play with Felix, which was pretty cute! There was a lot of noise and laughter; just the way I like it!

Felix has adjusted quite nicely to being an Uncle. He's not afraid of Noah anymore which is good. He has a bit of a bossy air about him when he sees Noah now. It's almost like he knows that he is the oldest and he has to take control of the situation. He puts things in front of Noah to play with (or takes them away, if he wants them), and watches him out of the corner of his eye to check that he's happy with what Noah is doing. He sat next to him yesterday and 'read' a book to him which was really sweet. Noah just watched Felix and smiled at him with his big, beautiful smile. When we took some photos of the kids, later in the day, Noah kept turning his head back to look up at Felix which was adorable.

Reading Noah a story

I can't believe that our gorgeous little man is two years old tomorrow, and what a wonderful two years it has been! Since that time, at 19 weeks pregnant, when we were told it was suspected that Felix had Down Syndrome, our lives changed forever. The way our lives changed was incredibly beautiful. It may seem strange, but we fell in love with the baby I was carrying even more deeply than we had before. We wanted him so desperately to fight to stay with us; and he did. He beat all the odds which had been stacked against him and made it safely into the world at 36 weeks exactly.

Since then we have made new friends who have become like family, and have met some of the most inspirational children and adults with Down Syndrome. Although a few relationships with friends and family have not survived the addition of a child with Down Syndrome to our family, others have blossomed and grown to be better than they ever were before. We feel like we have a wonderful network of support surrounding us all the time, and their genuine love for Felix is overwhelming.

Our messy little man

Felix has taught us so much in his two short years. He has shown us that anything is possible, for a person with Down Syndrome, if they are given a chance. He has taught us patience and unconditional love. He amazes us every day with how quickly he learns, and how willing he is to try anything. He has shown us that people with Down Syndrome can be stubborn and bad tempered (like the rest of us), but can also have a hilarious sense of humour and an intoxicating laugh. Felix is my inspiration and I am thankful for him every day.

I look forward to kissing our little man and wishing him a happy birthday when he wakes up in the morning. He is just so precious!