I Know How You Feel!

Dear Mom,

I know how you feel!

I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was holding my new baby boy, wrapped in my arms when I found out. He was all snug in a blanket, looking up at me as I cried, listening to the doctors and staff tell me, only minutes after he was born that he had Down Syndrome and what that meant. And in those first few days , after hearing the statistics, talking to doctors and researching online I thought I had it all figured out. I thought I knew what it meant to have a child with Down Syndrome, but quite frankly I was devastated and scared.

But as I sit here today, from one mama to the other-those facts are not what it means to have a child with Down Syndrome. What those facts did not tell me about Dylan was that-along with those beautiful almond shape eyes, and that squishy low muscle tone-that he would have dark black hair, that his smile would light up a room from a mile away, that he would absolutely loves his pancakes and waffles. That he would love to read books, and play outside with all the neighborhood kids, and most of all, love to steal his sisters toys and hide them just so she could not find them. Those facts did not tell me how much he would love to swim, how much he would love to play the guitar with his daddy, and have hugs better then anyone I know. But most of all is those facts did not tell me how much I would adore him and how much he would mean to our family and friends, and that his love would be greater then I could have ever imagined.

So because of his life, I have had the pleasure of not only seeing the beauty of life through him, but most of all the beauty in everyone around me. The journey in the unexpected can be scary, but sometimes the unexpected will end up being the most beautiful sunrise you will ever see!

So I leave you with this…..
This life is amazing, and the best part is we get to share it along side so many amazing moms just like yourself. Find peace in this journey, and your heart will forever be full!

-Michelle Lopez