October: Down Syndrome Awareness Month

Okay, so for Down syndrome awareness month there is this button going around for people who have blogs to commit to blogging daily, preferably about something related to Down syndrome, to bring awareness to those around us, so I am going to try and do this! Here we go, day 1:

Sophia, Sophia, Sophia, where do I even start. Yes, Sophia has Down syndrome, but Down syndrome is only a small part of who Sophia is. It doesn't drfine her as a person, just like the color of your hair doesn't define you as a person. Sophia is beautiful and full of life. She loves to laugh and smile and giggle, especially at her big sister Jayden. She is growing and thriving and doing new things every day, and even though she may not do things at the same pace as a typically developing child, she is meeting her milestones, just at her own pace. See, the biggest thing about Sophia is that she is very stubborn and hard headed. She will not do anything just because we want her to, or we think it's time for her to be doing somthing specific. In fact I think she deliberatly does the opposite of what we want her to do just so SHE knows that WE know SHE is in charge :) She refuses to be rushed to do anything and is perfectly content with just hanging out and enjoying the scenery around her, and that is just her personality right now, the observer.

Down syndrome was something I knew very little, if anything, about before Sophia was born. And to be completely honest, I don't really feel like I know as much as I should today because our lives don't revolve completely around Down syndrome, but instead they revolve completely around Sophia. Of course I've learned about different things that are more common in kiddos with Down syndrome like, low muscle tone, distinct facial features, medical conditions and developmental delays. But while Down syndrome may have a single cause, an extra chromosome 21, no two people with Down syndrome are identical. Each person with Down syndrome has their own personality, strengths and weaknesses. Sophia is simply Sophia. Yes, she has Down syndrome and that is nothing that we are ashamed of. She is PERFECT and SPECIAL, and she is ALL OURS! We love her for who she is and for what she has brought into our lives, and all we want is for everyone else to see who she is on the inside, not what they think she may be just by looking at her from the outside.