Baby Ruby

Most contacts I made online after Ruby was born told me that I would cherish each and every milestone Ruby reaches, even more than I would expect. They were right, as watching that little girl works so hard so much already at PT has been at least as exciting for me as watching Eli grow through baseball or Maddux learn to ride a bike. There is something about intentionally watching your child's every move that makes you so aware of the amount of work and learning they are doing every second of every day. No wonder they take a few naps each day!

It has become so obvious to me even just six months how incredibly blessed our family is, and what a blessing it is to be a part of this amazing new community that we've barely scratched the surface of. How awesome it has been to see through group therapy, and online through news stories and Facebook so many cool, cool things coming out of the Down syndrome family. What a gift it has been to have our eyes open to the world in a very different way.

I feel our family is so incredibly lucky to have Ruby and to be a part of her world, and I am so thankful that we are blessed in this way. It's almost to the point where I wish more of our friends and family were able to experience this in their houses as well. That is not to say that I wish a diagnosis that brings health problems or sorrow or sadness for anyone, but most parents of children with down syndrome would agree that this diagnosis is a bigger blessing than they could've ever imagined.

Outside of the milestones that we're constantly celebrating with Ruby, the best thing that I've experienced in the last seven months is Ruby's slower growth. My girl was born little. L.I.T.T.L.E. She wasn't even 10 pounds until she was over two months old! And while she is amazing with how much she is able to do, there has been some physical delays here and there, even if only for a few weeks or a month. Those two combined have allowed me to cherish Ruby's baby stage longer than usual. I feel like I blinked and Maddux was crawling, probably because I was dealing with two babies at the time. So this extended baby phase has been a welcomed gift.