One year ago today, we got the call from our pediatrician telling us that our three month old son tested positive for Trisomy 21. It's a day I will never forget and a day that will always hold a special place in my heart. It's the day my life changed forever. What a difference a year makes. One year has passed and the fear of the unknown is gone. The misconceptions have been replaced with stories of hope. The beauty of imperfection has been embraced. We truly feel blessed with the gift of our son.
Today, Joaquin also woke up with his two front teeth. They have broken the surface. It's been at least 9 months since he got his first two teeth on the bottom, now these two will join the others to make a total of 4 teeth! Thank goodness they have broken the surface. He has had some sleepless nights due to the pain. For weeks his top gum was swollen and red. Soon his smile will change. That infectious, joyful smile will be filled with his pearly whites. Stay tuned for pictures!
Living life one day at a time as a family of six...3 busy and bouncy boys and 1 Ukrainian princess. Our third son Joaquin was our unexpected blessing who came to us with a little something extra called Down syndrome and inspired us to adopt Sofia an orphan we fell in love with through Reece's Rainbow. We hope that our story will help open people's eyes to the beauty and gift that ALL children are. We are all more alike than different!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
May Day
Happy May Day! Spring has sprung. I have a feeling this season will be full of new beginnings.
Here is our gang on Easter at my brother Zach's apartment. Diego (6), Mateo (4) and Joaquin (1) love to hang out and play with their cousins Jolie (1) and Jillian (2 1/2).
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
New Kids on the Block
Meet Sheridan, Gabby, John Michael, and of course Joaquin. These are the new kids on the block....or at least the newest members in Sacramento with a little genetic enhancement as Sheridan's mom, Lisa, calls it.
We met last month for a playdate and had a wonderful time. I can't wait to watch these kids grow up together and I look forward to forming a lasting bond with the moms as well. It feels good to have our own little community of families on the same journey.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Picked Apart
Wowza!
I am shocked at how my baby was handled just the other day. I have to leave out some of the details out of privacy for the person involved but I had to literally hold my jaw closed when I saw how Joaquin was treated the other day.
So, how do I explain this without giving away too many details? We met someone for the first time who works in the field of special needs and academia. I've been looking forward to meeting this person based on reputation. I had really high hopes and expectations. We had an opportunity to meet the other day.
This person held out their arms to hold (I thought) Joaquin when we first met. Instead of holding or hugging or talking with Joaquin, this person proceeded to inspect my child. First his feet were grabbed, looking for the sandal gap. Then his hands, literally turning both hands upside down to see if there was a simian crease. Then his shirt was lifted up to look for I don't know what. Then this person tried to get the baby to stand up on the table facing out and mentioned something about the fact that Joaquin had pretty good tone. All this time, Joaquin is trying to make eye contact with this person and arching his back to try and face this person. Joaquin is extremely curious, social and loves to look and hold people's faces but there was no opportunity for him to do this as he was being inspected. At this point, Joaquin was reaching for me so I grabbed him and this person proceeded to tell me that Joaquin had a mild strabismus but it "looked good" and that his facial features were mild. Then this person asked me if Joaquin had trouble with his cervical spine. Oh. My. Gosh. I had no idea my baby was going to be this persons next guinea pig or anatomical model. Joaquin is a baby for goodness sake. A baby....first. A baby who is darn cute....second. A baby who has Down Syndrome....third. We weren't at the doctor's office, we weren't at a clinic. We were at a youth sports event with other children and families that were all hanging out. It was so surreal.
After this really crazy, unusual, uncomfortable few minutes of interacting, this person then proceeded to tell me that Joaquin was a real cutie. Thanks.
I was really quite shocked by the whole interaction and a little confused and puzzled. I can understand that this person was probably just curious and wanted to see the "markers" up close and in the flesh. Maybe this person was "showing off" a bit and wanted me and those around to know just how smart this person could be. I don't know. What I do know is that my hopes and expectations were met with a big dose of disappointment. I guess not everyone is blessed with the sensitivity chip.
I am shocked at how my baby was handled just the other day. I have to leave out some of the details out of privacy for the person involved but I had to literally hold my jaw closed when I saw how Joaquin was treated the other day.
So, how do I explain this without giving away too many details? We met someone for the first time who works in the field of special needs and academia. I've been looking forward to meeting this person based on reputation. I had really high hopes and expectations. We had an opportunity to meet the other day.
This person held out their arms to hold (I thought) Joaquin when we first met. Instead of holding or hugging or talking with Joaquin, this person proceeded to inspect my child. First his feet were grabbed, looking for the sandal gap. Then his hands, literally turning both hands upside down to see if there was a simian crease. Then his shirt was lifted up to look for I don't know what. Then this person tried to get the baby to stand up on the table facing out and mentioned something about the fact that Joaquin had pretty good tone. All this time, Joaquin is trying to make eye contact with this person and arching his back to try and face this person. Joaquin is extremely curious, social and loves to look and hold people's faces but there was no opportunity for him to do this as he was being inspected. At this point, Joaquin was reaching for me so I grabbed him and this person proceeded to tell me that Joaquin had a mild strabismus but it "looked good" and that his facial features were mild. Then this person asked me if Joaquin had trouble with his cervical spine. Oh. My. Gosh. I had no idea my baby was going to be this persons next guinea pig or anatomical model. Joaquin is a baby for goodness sake. A baby....first. A baby who is darn cute....second. A baby who has Down Syndrome....third. We weren't at the doctor's office, we weren't at a clinic. We were at a youth sports event with other children and families that were all hanging out. It was so surreal.
After this really crazy, unusual, uncomfortable few minutes of interacting, this person then proceeded to tell me that Joaquin was a real cutie. Thanks.
I was really quite shocked by the whole interaction and a little confused and puzzled. I can understand that this person was probably just curious and wanted to see the "markers" up close and in the flesh. Maybe this person was "showing off" a bit and wanted me and those around to know just how smart this person could be. I don't know. What I do know is that my hopes and expectations were met with a big dose of disappointment. I guess not everyone is blessed with the sensitivity chip.
Friday, April 24, 2009
My First Step
I took my first step to educate a friend about the "R" word yesterday.
I had to do it. There have been too many times I have let it go (not with this one particular person but with friends or family) and I decided that I HAVE to take a step towards educating my circle of friends when the opportunity is there. In the interest of privacy, I will omit the details of this specific interaction, but I will say that I did speak up and feel that I did it in a way that was non confrontational and hopefully effective.
Now it helped that this all happened on Facebook so I was able to do it with typed words. When I have to say something live and in person it will most definitely be more challenging. But, I took my first step and it feels good.
I had to do it. There have been too many times I have let it go (not with this one particular person but with friends or family) and I decided that I HAVE to take a step towards educating my circle of friends when the opportunity is there. In the interest of privacy, I will omit the details of this specific interaction, but I will say that I did speak up and feel that I did it in a way that was non confrontational and hopefully effective.
Now it helped that this all happened on Facebook so I was able to do it with typed words. When I have to say something live and in person it will most definitely be more challenging. But, I took my first step and it feels good.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Angel Face
I could stare at this face for eternity. His long dark lashes. His gorgeous skin color. His perfectly shaped head. His adorable button nose. His soft kissable cheeks. He's so beautiful to me.
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