Our Five Ring Circus: Since That Post...

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Since That Post...

I just wanted to give a warm welcome to all the new visitors and followers!

Back in October 2013, a post I wrote about Liam's birth appeared on What To Expect.  Shortly after, AOL featured it on their homepage.  I woke up to so many emails about him, and eventually found out about the feature.

I remember that day so vividly.  Why?  That was the day my tiny boy was hospitalized.  Just two days shy of turning 2 months old, he still wasn't up to birth weight, and the doctor wanted to make sure there wasn't anything else going on.  It was such a scary time for us.

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After a multitude of tests, including one scary procedure that required him to go under general anesthesia, the doctors discovered...nothing.  Liam was just small, and gained weight very slowly!

This morning, I woke up to a bunch of emails.  I assumed they were from my Spread The Word to End The Word post last week.  I later found out that Liam's story was once again featured on AOL's homepage today.

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I was surprised that it was featured almost 17 months after it was written, but I was thankful for another chance to read all those sweet emails and messages!  Many of those messages were so powerful that they made me cry.  Sometimes, I question why I keep blogging, but the answer is simple: the amazing community!

That post was written almost a year and a half ago, so I figured I would share a quick update!

Over the past 17 months, we fell even more in love with our sweet boy.  I'm not quite sure we could love him any more than we already do!   He is pure love, and he radiates joy with every single smile.  He graces us with that incredible smile all day long.  He doesn't say more than a few words, but that smile says more than words could ever convey!

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Liam is happy.  Liam is healthy.  Liam is thriving.

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Liam doesn't have any health issues, other than a yearly respiratory illness.  His eyesight is perfect, he doesn't get frequent ear infections, his heart is healthy, he's a very enthusiastic eater, he's verbal, and he is only mildly delayed.  I know we are blessed by his good health, and we are so thankful!

The only big difference is his size.  At almost 19 months, he's about the same size as an average 8 month old boy.  He's small, but he's mighty!

Other than weekly Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Speech Therapy sessions in our home, Liam's life is typical.  He has a lot of friends, attends weekly playdates, plays at the library, and plays at the park.  He goes everywhere we go, and does everything we do.  He fits in with our family and friends PERFECTLY.

He is loved.  Oh, our sweet boy is loved. He is loved by SO many, near and far.  We never met many of his strongest supporters in real life, but we are so thankful for their love and support!

Liam is surrounded by love.  He has a large family and large group of friends who love him unconditionally.  He has 3 siblings who adore him.  They are so proud of him, and believe his extra chromosome makes him extra special. He has two parents who will do absolutely everything in their power to give him the life he deserves.  We do not resent him, and we do not think he's a burden.  He's our son, we are so proud of him, and we love him fiercely.  We ALWAYS will. 

He's a lucky boy, but in reality, we are the lucky ones.

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His birth diagnosis was the most difficult thing we've ever gone through, but it turned out to be the biggest blessing for our family.  I thank God every single day for putting him into our lives. I stand by every word I wrote in that post, and I will stand by those words for the remainder of our journey. 

I will continue to share our story, share our pictures, and share his beautiful smile with the world.  I want people to see that Down Syndrome is nothing to fear!  I hope I can show just how "ordinary" our lives are and how much love is present in our family.  I wouldn't change a single thing. This life is full of love!

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Welcome to our journey!

6 comments:

  1. He is such a blessing! Thank you again for sharing your family's story.

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  2. You are blessed and he is sooo extremely blessed to have such amazing people as parents!

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  3. I just love him and i had never had the pleasure to meet him. He makes me smile EVERY time i see a picture of him :) thank you for sharing your lives with us xoxo

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    1. Bronwyn, you are one of those supporters that I was talking about! XOXO I wish I knew you in real life!

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