Guess Who's Turning 5?

How in the World has it been 5 Years?

Lucas's official birthday is August 30th, but who are we kidding, the celebration has already started?!

Five years ago I had a brand new baby and way more questions than I had answers. I remember thinking that if I could only fast forward a few years and get confirmation that we were on the right path I could relax...just a little. 

Today I feel like we have indeed fast-forwarded, of course not in a straight path...more of a winding maze that has taken us through many traditional and "alternative" approaches in areas of health, development, and education.

We've embraced people across the globe that have inspired us and become our family, indeed this journey has brought people into our lives that we certainly could never live without. 

Today, I no longer worry about the "if's" I concern myself with the "how's." I know my son will achieve great things - it began 5 years ago, and we're just getting started! 

"Ooooh Daddy! Boat!!" was Lucas's comment when Sean bought our wave runner. Of course I couldn't help myself, I responded "Yes Lucas, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" 

Because you know, it's reasonable for a 5 year old to think they got a "boat" for their birthday. 

So, three and a half years ago when we started making hundreds of reading cards to stimulate the visual pathway for word recognition, I admittedly wondered if it was an exercise in futility. As Lucas got older and could read the sight words, I worried that it was his exceptional visual memory and that it wouldn't necessarily translate to "real reading." Somewhere in the past few months, Lucas has begun to "sound out" unfamiliar words even though I had never taught phonetics. I guess IAHP was right, give enough exposure to words and kids will intuit the rules. Lucas loves to read, and I love to listen to him!

Children with Down Syndrome have low tolerance to activity, poor cross-pattern integration, postural insecurity, decreased strength, decreased endurance, and are averse to risk taking. 

Truth be told, this is the biggest problem we have right now, Lucas loves to risk-take, including running, climbing, jumping - A LOT, anywhere...grocery store, in the water, in the street, etc. Working on judgement is definitely a task for this year.

I used to worry about the fact that Noah was 6 years older than Lucas, what kind of a relationship would they have? Would Noah resent having a brother with DS? Would having a child with DS burden our family and his brothers?

How would our family be changed by this child? Is it going to be a hard road? A burden?

What will our "new normal" (as the "special needs" literature likes to call it) look like?

We have spent countless hours contemplating all of this over the past 5 years.

But it was all for naught. Quite simply, Lucas completed us, not because he brings some super "special" quality to us, or because having a child with DS changed us, but rather because he is Lucas...one of the three most extraordinary 5 year olds I have ever known and I can't imagine my life without him!

Happy Birthday Lucas!

All My Love,

Mom