First, a lovely thought from an exchange with an online friend of mine:
"I was talking to one of my very progressive thinking friends who told me that the rate of DS per population has increased significantly in the past several decades, and his idea was that with all of the ugliness in the world, God is trying to balance it out by adding more people with inherent beauty and grace, who cannot possibly add to the devastation and horror that those of us without disabilities do on a regular basis (war and pollution and corruption etc).
"It was a theory that I do not have any trouble tucking inside my folder of joyous thoughts."
"It was a theory that I do not have any trouble tucking inside my folder of joyous thoughts."
Indeed.
Secondly, this random notion came to me after our doctor said that E will probably always be a sleepier guy - not necessarily droopy during waking hours, but more ready and willing to take a nap and a better sleeper at night (which is already proving true): more time spent communing with the angels and recharging his soul batteries for the harsh reality that is life on this earth?
Thirdly, I'm reading the book Expecting Adam by Martha Beck. It was both recommended to me by Sara and sent to us as a gift by Jo's aunt. The writing and sense of humor of the author makes me laugh out loud, and I can relate to much in the book, also coming from a family where a great deal of emphasis is put on academic and intellectual achievement. At least that's how it has felt to me over the course of my life thus far. That being said, I also come from a family that has always used people first language and has always had a kind, accepting spot for those who are differently abled. Both parents worked with kids with special needs, my dad taught them. I often wonder how my dad would be reacting right now to having a grandson with Down syndrome. (Heidi, what do you think?)
Fourthly, now that a month has passed I find that I don't even see the physical DS characteristics my son has anymore. I was examining him tonight while he was falling asleep (examining, hm, sounds like a doctor... perhaps I should say "gazing admiringly" at him) and noticing that his mouth looks exactly like mine. And, as his Tante Heidi pointed out to him over the holidays, he's got that family nose.
Lastly, am I just surrounded by cool people who say the right things? I got an e-mail from my friend's dad today - he has to be in his late 60s or early 70s - telling me about a 50something-year-old neighbor of theirs who has DS and what a nice guy he is. Everywhere I look, someone knows someone with DS and has good things to say. I know that it simply cannot be true that every person with DS in the world is goodness and light, but everyone I know seems to have more favorable impressions than not.
Tomorrow I have a barrage of appointments to make (pediatric ophthalmologist for routine screening, ENT for hearing check-up because he only passed on one ear before leaving the hospital, which is normal for many babies and could be for a variety of reasons including wax or vernix in the ear right after birth, and pediatric cardiologist for a follow-up echocardiogram just to make sure that tiny newborn murmur - also standard for lots of children with and without DS - has gone away). Good fun. Let's hope we'll do better getting appointments with these folks than we did with trying to get a preliminary appointment with our local DS clinics, one of which has closed for good and one that refuses to return phone calls. Harumph.
