Happy Birthday Preston - Our Gift

Today my sweet Preston turns ONE!  It takes me back to a year ago.  My husband and I made the 2 hour drive to Buffalo, NY to have our boy.  We were told we had a 90% chance of him having Down Syndrome and knew that he would have an immediate need for surgery in his first 24 hours of life. 

 We were prepared, yet unprepared.  How does one prepare themselves for having your infant child swept away from you and then sending them off to a 3 hour long surgery exactly?  How does one deal with the possibility that the child you were carrying would not have the life you had been planning for him all along?  I am ashamed to say I wished it away.  I prayed to God to give me a healthy baby boy.  A boy who was “normal”.  I was afraid of what exactly Down Syndrome meant for him.  I was afraid of the extra work it would entail; I feared the hurdles we would face.   

Looking back just one year later I am ashamed of how that woman acted.  Why would she fear Down Syndrome?  He is perfect, he is normal, he is the child God meant for me to have and he is wonderful and amazing!  I would not change him.  He may require more doctors’ visits, more work, more love, more attention, but the gift he gives is so much greater than that.  He gives us love, appreciation for the small triumphs in life; he makes us happy, we are better off for having him in our lives.  Everyone he meets leaves with a smile on their face.  Even on his worst day, he shows us how strong and wonderful he is. 

God somehow looked down on us, who are so undeserving, and blessed our family with Preston.  Our fear has been replaced with such joy and love.  Our sorrow over the loss of the child we thought we were going to have has vanished.  We have an even greater gift.  We have a boy who is going to love us unconditionally.  We have a boy who is going to show us what life is really all about.  We are going to learn to live for today.  We will relish in the small victories and cherish every second of this amazing life!  

 He is going through life at his own pace.  He will sit up when he is good and ready to, he will crawl when he feels like it, he will take his first steps when we least expect it.  We will clap, we will rejoice and smother him with kisses!  He will be the best little brother, the sweetest most precious son, a cousin who you can always turn to, a nephew who will fill your heart with love, a grandson who makes your heart swell with happiness.  He will be a friend to many and an inspiration to all! 

We will enjoy life at Preston’s pace.  We will become better people.  We will learn so much from him.  Our hope is to help others who have the same fears that we once had.  Those fears for us have disappeared. 

Happy Birthday Preston!  It has been quite the first year and we are so excited for the many more years we get to spend loving you!

Happy World Down Syndrome Day!

Happy World Down Syndrome Day!!!  Today is not only about awareness for people with DS but also acceptance!  We are all more alike then we are different.  

Check out the sweet video Daddy made in Preston's honor for World Down Syndrome Day!

Life's Choices

Eric and I have had a lot of people tell us they admire how positive we have remained through all of Preston's health issues and finding out about him having Downs Syndrome.   My response is always this,"What other choice do I have?"

The way I look at it is this....I have two choices.  1. would be to curl up in a ball, feel sorry and have a little pity party for myself.  We could sit around and morn over the loss of the child we though we were going to have.  All this does not change a thing and I am going to miss out on so much.  Option 2.  Smile, make the best out of whatever is thrown my way and try to help other people who go through a similar situation.  In the process I get to enjoy the wonderful baby God blessed our family with and not miss a minute of his inspirational life!  

Option 2 makes me feel like I am in control.  I am not letting little things weigh me down.  We just take things one day at a time and if it does not go as planned we deal with it and move forward.

What good is wallowing in self pity going to do for Preston?  What good is it going to do for anyone really?  Preston is the hero here.  He goes through so much yet, you know he always has a smile on his face.  He deserves a smile back!  He deserves to be admired.  We are just along for his awesome ride!  

If we spend our whole life dwelling on the what could have been we miss the miraculous things happening right in front of us!

So next time your car breaks down or you have a bad day at work or things just don't go the way you planned think about this.....you have two choices, which one are you going to take?