Beginning again

Hello. I am writing this blog about my lovely children, Max and Charlie. I feel compelled to share our story and highlight the life and times of my two boys.

Our Story

Max was born in 2008 --he's a 2 and 1/2 year old, beautiful, sweet blond boy with a big heart. He and his doe eyes melt my heart every single day. He's my little man, my heart. I couldn't be prouder. The things he says; the stories he tells, the little comments he makes, the things he remembers is astounding. I'm convinced he's almost 5 in his development. He memorizes books and he knows so many nursery rhymes already...he sings his ABC's and is VERY polite --always says "please and thank you."

Charlie was born in 2010--6 months old. He too is my heart--each boy has one half. He is a beautiful, lively, energetic, baby boy with the most amazing smile in the whole wide world. He also melts my heart every day when I see his sweet little eyes and open mouth smile. He's very observant--he will look you in the eyes and hold a peaceful gaze; he's playful and laughing, "talkative" (almost singing!), and just so wonderfully "snuggly". Charlie is eating heartily and growing bigger every day. But there's something magical about Charlie. He has something most of us do not have. He has an extra chromosome in his number 21 set of chromosomes --giving him 47 total rather than the 46 most of us have. So in number 21 he has three instead of two. They call this "birth defect" Down's syndrome. Specifically, Down's syndrome, trisomy 21. I don't like to think of it as a birth defect at all, I like to say he was "genetically enhanced with Down's syndrome" --as another mommy of a child with Down's syndrome has put it. So, Charlie's growth and milestones will be under a microscope due to his condition. He will endure a life of testing, monitoring, coaching, therapies, and already one major surgery--fixing a hole in his tiny heart. Having been through the heart surgery already and coming out of it with flying colors, I just know he'll handle everything with stride, confidence, strength and resilience. And I will be holding his hand every step of the way.

Something tells me that Max and Charlie will be close one day. Not only are they kindred spirits, they are kin, only 2 years apart. Max is the kind of kid who seems very compassionate and loyal. To me, he lights up a room when he enters it. He has exhibited these qualities since he was very young --15 months or so. Once he took a toy ( a baby toy ) that he had in his toy box and offered it to a neighbor mommy for her new baby. He could barely talk but said, "for the baby." Max was born to be a friend and now a big brother.

Baby Charlie has very similar qualities. I can see it already. Incredibly, moms have a sense of her child, even as an infant. Heck, even before they're born, mothers have a sense of who is inside us. Charlie has a magnetic personality and absolutely beams when surrounded by others. But he and Mommy have a very, very special bond. He's survived a rather difficult pregnancy...my dear mother battled, and lost, to cancer during his entire 9 month gestation--she fought and beat Leukemia, then the doctors' discovered she had another stage 4 cancer in her body (esophageal cancer); she passed away only 2 weeks prior to Charlie's birth; in addition, I had a tear in my placenta and asked to slow down, so I rested for 2 weeks; I had a severe cold during that involved several weeks of a relentless cough....and lastly, my doctor expressed concerns about Charlie --whether he might have Down's syndrome or not, so they sent me to a high risk ob-gyn for testing. So needless to say, I was worn out and felt sorry for my unborn baby who I felt had a less than perfect situation to be born into. My heart ached that he couldn't hear his mother singing and laughing; but rather heard her crying and coughing. But that was how it was. I miss my mother and felt devastated in losing her. So, my baby experienced that with me.