A year with Ian

You can read my monthly post over at 5minutesforspecialneeds today:

Ian will be a year old in a couple of weeks.

I’ve been asked to write once a month about raising a son with Down syndrome. To be perfectly honest, this is going to be difficult for me. If I had been asked to write about my thoughts and experiences just a few months ago, I would have had a lot of things to say. If you visit my blog and scroll back through the first few months of Ian’s life, you can read about many of my struggles and feelings.

Ian’s Down syndrome was a surprise, completely unanticipated. More shocking than jumping into a cold river in springtime. I wrote and blogged and talked about Down syndrome, so much so that I just ran out of things to say on the subject.

But I can tell you lots about Ian. He’s started giggling every day when I get home. He laughs easily and heartily. He won’t stop squealing with delight when we go for walks in the evening, so loudly and continuously that it’s kind of embarrassing. He loves the pool and goes into a trance as he floats in his little blue tube, when he’s not splashing and laughing. He can’t crawl yet, but is somehow able to quickly roll across the living room floor in order to pull our cat’s tail. And he loves his big sister, even though she swipes his pacifier.

I could talk about how this past year has been a huge adjustment for our family, but if you’re visiting this website, you already know that. I could tell you about Ian’s health, his heart surgery, his hearing challenges, numerous visits to the countless doctors, but again, you know all that too.

So what can I say about raising a son with Down syndrome?

Ian, I’m glad you’re here. I count it my greatest privilege to be your dad.