Raising a Toddler with Down Syndrome

As you all know I rarely blog anymore, but today I knew I needed to write this blog, pretty sure it's a God thing.

When I was pregnant I tried to envision my future.  I always knew without a shadow of a doubt that I would love my child no matter what.  But I didn't always know if I would love living a life with Down Syndrome.  That's a harsh, honest truth that hurts me to honestly put out there, but it's true and I know I'm not alone in that fear - there are other Moms like me.  I think we all have it in some shape or form but we don't let fear consume us anymore.

Now that Ollie is here.  Now that she is 2 years old, almost 2 1/2 - living with Down Syndrome is like raising any other child.  Yes, she has things we have to overcome.  She has delays.  Delays suck.  But she's working on them with such a fierceness - I know she will whatever the heck she wants to do in her lifetime.

Some days it hurts more than others.  Seeing kids younger than her talking in sentences, saying Mama, doing all the things she hasn't yet...yep it's hard.  I dislike that it bothers me.  I wish she would (notice I didn't say could b/c she says lots of words she's stubborn mostly) say Mama and I'd be a liar if I said I didn't wish she was close to potty training.  

But then I look at my sweet girl, the girl God blessed me with and she smiles.  And I know that everything she accomplishes means so much more to us because she worked her tail off for it.  She loves everyone and I seriously mean everyone!  She hugs strangers, she laughs with her soul, she's stubborn, and ornery as the dickens.  She loves to dig through the garbage, watch Dora, dump dog food, empty all the toilet paper on the floor, climb things she shouldn't, play in the toilet, wrestle her siblings, and the list goes on and on and on of things she does like every other child.  And discipline - OYE - girlfriend has a pout lip like no other, thankfully she's rarely naughty!  But she's not like other kids her age.  She's special.  Not because she has DS, but because the personality that God blessed her with.  That he blessed us with.  I wouldn't change her for the world - I'd keep that extra chromosome!

So if you asked me, what's it like to raise a toddler with Down Syndrome, I could honestly say, it's like raising any two year old.  Terrible twos some days yes, some days it's Terrific twos.