I Love Beverly Beckham

For those of you who do not know her, Ms. Beckham is an award-winning columnist for the Boston Globe. But most specifically, she is grandma to Lucy, who happens to have that extra chromosome like Sofia.

Honestly, I've never read any of her columns that were not about Lucy, but boy, are the ones about Lucy TERRIFIC. Here's the latest.

Today I actually finished my Hebrew 3 Final Exam! I actually did most of it last night, including writing an essay about my life in 10 years (at least I hope that's what the directions said!). So to celebrate, I took the 3 kids off to the Ecotarium, a really fun little science center in Worcester. They have a real polar bear, a nice nature walk, and a choo choo train. We all had a lot of fun. The only "funky" moment was when Micah touched the peeled-off skin of the snake during the demonstration, and Sam practically exploded with nerves - "We have to go wash his hands NOW Mommy!" Nothing like a little OCD to add to the fun.

I took Sam to Tae Kwan Do after dropping Micah and Sofia back home with the babysitter, and then tonight I got to go to a Pampered Chef party. Nice to relax for a moment. But on the way to TKD, I was talking to Sammy about my friend and her new baby, and how they are still upset about the baby having DS. I had to explain to my son about how life with DS used to be so different, and that even now, people still have old ideas about what to expect. Sam was very curious, and I made sure to emphasize the positive changes that have happened in time for Sofia, but I did let him know that when I was a baby, kids with DS were regularly put in institutions, and even today, most people who find out ahead of time choose not to have the baby. Sammy, being the incredibly sweet soul he is, ended the conversation by asking about people who adopt kids with DS, so we were able to celebrate the many people on the DS waiting lists. (Then he asked me why WE don't adopt a kid with DS, and I had to get into the whole "I'm already outnumbered by you guys" conversation!).

On the way to the party tonight, I was thinking again about all the positive things that Sofia's extra chromosome have brought to our lives. The ability to celebrate every little milestone. The ability to meet so many other people in the extended DS family around the world. The ability to move slower, and to appreciate just how each of my kids thinks and learns in his or her own special way. I had talked with Sam about his dyslexia, and told him that, instead of being sad about it, I make sure to give him the tools he needs and then I love to just watch the different way his brain works. He can come up with so many unusual ideas, questions, creations, and comments. It's fascinating to watch his brain in action.

And every kid is fascinating. They are all different. And all so wonderful!

(Mmmmm, I'm getting a shoulder-rub from David now. That's really wonderful!)