Closeups

Super Close up
Eating his Corn Puff (Super Healthy and Good)
Showing Mommy his Teeth
Smiling


Well, Since Jaden LOVEs posing for the camera, and I mean he stops everything the minute he sees the camera, I decided to take some good close-ups of him. The only problem is, he kept crawling toward me when I was taking the pictures and they are REALLY close up! I was trying to get a good picture of his teeth to show how straight they have come in, however I couldn't get him to show me.

We got some great news yesterday from his Speech Therapist. She said that he is doing everything right at age level, and we are now working on skills from 2 years to 3 years old. This is so exciting and encouraging. Especially since he just turned 2! Of course if he wasn't doing this well, we would still love him the same and be just as excited for everything he is doing, but everytime I get this sort of encouragement from a "Professional", I get this warm and fuzzy feeling that everything is going to be ok with him. That he won't be this helpless creature when he starts Pre-school, and that he won't need constant help and aid throughout the school years. I want the same thing every parent wants, for him to be self-reliant, self-sufficient and independent in as many ways as possible.

It's interesting because I've said this so many times, but My husband and I don't consider ourselves to have a "Disabled" or "special Needs" kid in any way. The reason is, because he is so easy, so "typical", so "present", "with-it", plays independently, talks etc. When we go to his therapists 3 times a week, we see all sorts of kids coming and going. Some are in wheel chairs, some, you have no idea why they are even in therapy. Some kids will never walk, some will never talk, hear, see, etc. What I have learned from having Jaden is, all these kids have a purpose. It isn't for us to feel sorry for them or their parents, or to wonder why God is so cruel to some people. All things I have felt many times when I've seen kids who seem less fortunate than my own. What I realize is that all of these kids have personalities, souls, expressions, feelings, thoughts and PURPOSE on earth. The startling thing to remember is that Millions of Dollars is spent on Prenatal Testing Research, so that Dr's can better tell parents sooner in the pregnancy what might be "wrong" with their child. Imagine if all of this funding that goes to prenatal test developments, actualy went towards trying to help "cure" or "treat" the existing children that do make it here! Why is the abortion rate at 80-90% for Down Syndrome? Why aren't parents getting encouraging, up-to-date accurate information about what Down Syndrome really means today, instead of what it meant 60 years ago? Why aren't "Genetic Counselors" giving Positive, Uplifting stories that many parents of children try to pass on to expecting parents, instead of just passing on Archaic Information?

When you have the "perfect child" for your first child, and everything goes exactly according to plan, without any illnesses, set backs, errors, everything is meticulous, and by-the-book, it is almost a handicap in itself in a weird way. This is what I now see, what I've come to realize. What happens is, the world congratulates you on your perfect child, everyone is so happy for you, she crawls, eats, talks, walks, plays, interacts and on with your life you go. You brag about all of her accomplishments even though most people don't care, and you feel like you are so lucky to have the "perfect" child and then pity all of those "poor" parents out there who have "less than perfect" children.

You even wonder, if you're like me, how you got so lucky? How is possible after all the "bad" things you've done in your life that you can end up with such a "perfect child"? I know many, many parents who have "perfect children", some have 2, 3, 4 or even 5! How can one family have so many "perfect children"? What did they do to deserve such amazing gifts like this? Something right, i'm sure. Then you enter the "less than perfect" child, the one al the pregnancy magazines and books warn you about. The kid that is caused by not taking all your vitamins, eating all the wrong foods, exposure to the wrong substances, the one all the tests try to screen for, the reason "late term" abortions are legal, the reason parents do abort, give up for adoption. What if that is you? You are the one who gives birth to one of these so called "statistics", "warnings", "diagnoses", "labels", "freaks". Then what? You either have to change your perspective and outlook, or you're in BIG, BIG trouble!!!!!

I'll continue more about this tomorrow.