Roadmap to Holland

I am reading a book at that a fellow blogger, Jennifer wrote about her first two years raising her son with Down Syndrome. This book is EXCELLENT and I highly recommend it to all parents, no matter where they are on their journey, to read. I have a 9 year old and this book is helping me remember all the feelings I experienced when I was a new mom. While I didn't experience great sorrow at Kallie's diagnosis, I remember how I felt when people first started finding out about it. I was embarrassed and wondered if people thought of me as 'damaged'. I remember when we were out in public and I wondered, just like Jennifer, if people noticed, I questioned their responses and wondered what they were thinking. I remember how badly I wanted Kallie to keep her tongue in her mouth that I would tap her tongue all the time to make her pull it in! I like when she talked about the visit with her mom and the pictures her mother took and how she ripped up one of them that was not flattering. I wanted all Kallie's pictures to be perfect and for people to think she was beautiful and that Down Syndrome wasn't that bad. I wanted people to accept her. And lastly, like Jennifer, I get offended about all the talk of prenatal testing and the goal of people not having 'a child like mine'. Jennifer is a great writer and has really brought me into her journey. These days those feelings are few and far between. I truly enjoy being Kallie's mom. Now it's not about her tongue hanging out, it's about her growling at me when she gets upset and can't express her feelings accurately. I don't look for people's acceptance as much anymore. What matters most, is that me and those I love, accept her and treat her fairly, and that we help her reach her potential.