100 % Guaranteed

Today, a coworker shared with me that his buddy’s son passed away over the weekend. He was 19 and had cerebral palsy.

How is it that a healthy baby boy ended up in a wheelchair and in deteriorating health… when he was “supposed” to have been born healthy in the first place?

Then I think about my husband’s coworker, who has a young son with MS. A little boy, who we’ve been privileged to have met a few years ago, when he was able to run around, acting just like boys do. And now, he doesn’t run around anymore….

There is my story as well, somebody who wanted to have just one more baby. Boy or girl, just healthy I asked God. Now my baby boy is 10 months old..  and yes, he does have Down syndrome. And in case our definitions vary on what healthy is, yes -he is very healthy.

I guess in my situation, I could have made a choice to abort my child, since there was  that suspicion that my baby boy might have Ds. I guess I could have “saved” my child from pain and suffering as those who know no better like to say.

What if my baby boy didn’t have Down syndrome? What if he was as “normal” and “perfect” as any other child within my womb? But who was going to guarantee me  that there wouldn’t be an injury during birth, or that later in life he wouldn’t acquire any illnesses or life threatening conditions that would have taken “my” little boy away from me.

But that is just life. You take chances, everyday. Nobody can’t predict our future… nobody can guarantee us what tomorrow will bring. No matter the condition that we were brought into this world, it can’t predict our quality of life.

I am thrilled to be the mother of Ethan. I have no idea what tomorrow will be like for him, or for me or our family, but I will deal with tomorrow when tomorrow comes.

One day at a time, one loving day at a time.

If there is anything that is guaranteed, is the love I have for my children.

I will love my children each day more than I did the day before.

I accept all of their differences, all of their little quirks, their imperfections that make them so unique and yes… perfect.

Especially Ethan.

As his 1st birthday gets closer and closer each day, his delays and differences become more apparent. But they are all part of him. I embrace those differences, just like I do his accomplishments.

That is what makes Ethan, Ethan.

  

100% guaranteed to be loved by me, unconditionally.