Down Syndrome

Down Syndrome

When you hear those two words, you immediately have an emotional reaction. Unless you've experienced life with a person with Down Syndrome, I would venture to guess that your first reaction would be sadness. I think that when we told our family and friends that Colton had Down Syndrome, they were sad and heartbroken for our family. That was my first reaction. I was sad. MY baby boy was born with Down Syndrome. Whether you find out your baby has Down Syndrome at birth or as a prenatal diagnosis, it still makes you sad. But I wish I could change that initial reaction. Because Down Syndrome is not sad. Down Syndrome is beautiful. I never knew how happy Colton would make our lives. He is just the sweetest, funniest, happiest most easy-going baby I've ever had the privilege of knowing. Sure, he has off days where he's fussy and doesn't feel well...but 99% of the time he's an absolute joy to be around.

I recently saw a t-shirt that said, "Dinosaurs are scary. Down Syndrome isn't." One of the many reasons I started this blog is because I want people to see what our life is like with a child with Down Syndrome. And to be honest, our life is very normal. Colton is just like any other baby. He eats, sleeps, plays, cries, laughs, and makes dirty diapers. He gets into trouble for touching the fireplace or throwing food or putting inappropriate things into his mouth. I treat him just like I treat Weston. The only difference is that he's delayed. It takes him longer to learn to walk and talk and potty train, etc... But he will get there. He does have a few more doctor's appointments than Weston did and he does have to go to therapy, but even typical kids have to go to the doctor a lot or need therapy for one reason or another. Aside from the health complications, Down Syndrome isn't scary. Down syndrome is a blessing. Colton has changed my life for the better. I've learned to slow down and enjoy milestones as they come. I've learned to accept people for who they are. I've learned to cut parents some slack...we all are just doing the best we can for our children. I've learned that I'm strong. I've learned that life isn't so bad when you're forced out of our comfort zone. I've learned to make new friends.

I'm not going to say that having a child with Down Syndrome is easy. It's not easy. But whose life is easy? In the past few years, I watched people I love go through so many different things. Losing a parent, losing a baby, losing a job, losing a home, losing a spouse for various reasons, losing their health.... Life is just hard. We all have things we struggle with. I was reading a daily inspiration the other day that said, "Glory moments in difficult times are not dependent on our circumstances, but on our focus. Focus on the difficulty and God is difficult to see. Focus on God and glory seeps through the broken places."

When I focus on milestones and the future, I can get really sad about Colton having Down Syndrome. When will he walk? When will he talk? Will he have articulation issues? Will he get bullied? Will he struggle in school? Will he have friends? Will he ever drive a car? Will he live on his own? Will he have heart surgery? Will he feel loved and accepted? Will people treat him differently? And I become overwhelmed and just plain sad. But then I tell myself that I need to shift my focus. Let's not worry about the milestones and the future. Let's focus on how far Colton has come. Colton has head control. Colton can sit up. Colton can clap. Colton can say "Bye Bye." Colton can walk with his walker. Colton can army crawl and boot scoot. Colton can self feed. Colton can drink from a straw. Colton can say "MaMa." Colton is a high-fiving champ (and can now give me Knuckles). Colton can play with toys and destroy a room. Colton has come a LONG way since the day that he was born. No, it's not as fast as a typical kid, but he's making progress. He's learning and growing. And that is what matters. Focus on the good. Focus on what we know instead of what we don't know. I wanted to share some statistics.

Termination Rates for Down Syndrome:

US- 67% (1995-2011)
France- 77% (2015)
Denmark- 98% (2015)
Iceland- nearly 100% (currently trying to eliminate DS completely)

There are a lot of people out there that are given a DS diagnosis and they terminate the pregnancy. And that is heartbreaking. Most of the world does not want a "Colton" in their life. Boy are they missing out. Life without the "Colton's" of the world would be very sad. I hope and pray that my blog has changed your view of Down Syndrome. I hope that if you know someone that is given a Down Syndrome diagnosis, you will encourage them to give that baby a chance. Because that just might be the best thing that has ever happened to them.

My little boy simply has one extra chromosome. God made him extra special. He is so wanted and so loved. Down Syndrome isn't scary. Down Syndrome is beautiful. Life is better with Colton.