What was your most positive reaction?

[Sammy]

My sister to whom I am very close found out she was pregnant after a 13 year span since her first two children. Shortly after her surprising news I found out I was expecting again also. Her baby boy was born healthy and happy and 5 weeks latter Christopher was born with DS. She siad to me I didn't understand why God had chose to send me another child after so many years, but now it is so clear He knew Christopher, would need a life long friend. God is so good!

[Mary_L.]

Wow~what a great thread~I am crying after reading these stories! My most positive reaction was the day I got out of the hospital,(Patrick was still in) Bernie and I went to the bookstore to get some books on Ds. We were so disappointed because they only had one and it seemed pretty outdated. So we went back home and my parents came over a little later. They said they had been to Barnes & Noble earlier(the same one we had gone to) and had bought all the books they had on Ds and gave them to us. My family has always been so accepting of Patrick~I truly feel blessed to have them.

Mary L.

[didmyheartgood]

I received a package in the mail one day.
Inside was a book titled "Sometimes Miracles Hide" it also came with a CD of a song with the same title.

On the inside cover, was the sweetest letter I have ever read. It was from a mom that also has a child with DS. It said "you don't know me, but..." she wanted me to know that I was not alone. She understood my feelings and if I ever wanted to talk to her, she was available anytime. She also glued pictures of her daughter on the inside cover.

She worked with my aunt and this is how she found out about Brace having DS. She reached out to me when I was just overwhelmed. I was very touched that she would go so far as to mail me a gift, not even knowing me.

Teena and I became friends after that. We have things in common besides our children and I am blessed to have her as my friend.

[Debi]

I too, love this thread and hope lots more will post up. It's funny how often it's just some very small thng that someone did~~but it reveals the depth of their humanity and caring.
Gabe was not DX'd at birth but it took about 3 weeks to get the blood tests in. I of course climbed walls for three weeks. His regualr ped finally got his tests in and called me and asked me to come in the next day. I was all prepared to go alone, but a good friend said NO WAY are you going to go by yourself and she took off work to go with me.
I held Gabe and stroked his head the entire time as this MARVELOUS ped sat there and told me how wonderful this child was.. how he would walk and talk and be a great kid. Tears streaming down my face the whole time but his concern and absoulte faith in Gabe's value stayed with me more than any other thing that he told me. And I will be eternally grateful to my friend that day for being there for us.

[alisonzmom]

I think my most positive reaction was before Alison was born ( we knew at 19 weeks), I had plans to go out to dinner with my best friend and her sister. It happened to be the weekend after I had gotton the results of the amnio so I told them both on our drive home. My friend pulled the car over, said we're going up to Niagara Falls ( about 20 minutes from us) for a walk. When we got there and started walking, one of them on each side of me, she said to me "Barb, you see how we're walking together here now? Well, this is the same way we'll walk with you along the path that Alison will take us! We'll be there every step of the way, ready to reach out if you guys stumble!" I have to say they have been the biggest blessing to me, my friend tried to be in the delivery room when Alison was born ( Now, that's a whole 'nother story!!!) and was in there as soon as they would let her..... she was there with five minutes of us learning that Alison would have to be transfered to another hospital to have surgery. Her sister has been there for us in so many ways too..... watching the older girls while we were at the hospital many days with Alison... the little phone calls just to say she was there if I needed her for anything! They have been my life preserver on so many stormy days!!!

After the thread about less than pleasant experiences I am glad that Yoshsmom had the wonderful idea to start us sharing our good stories! Thanks!!!

Barb

[Emilysmom]

Barb~ I have to say this is by far the BEST thing I've ever heard...........now those are some wonderful, supportive friends!!! What a blessing to have friends like that!!!!
Susan

[Chris]

I love this thread! ;D I have had almost all positive reactions and can't think of one that really stands out right now. I guess I am most grateful to my husband. He has never even shed a tear about Sarah having Ds. She is PERFECT in his eyes. ;D

Chris

[Jackie]

I still think the MOST POSITIVE thing that happened to me....happened for a REASON.

It was the WAY we were told about Emily having DS.

Emily was born on a Saturday in a Military Hospital (Fitzsimons in Denver) so the regular staff was not on duty and her peditrician was a guy doing a neonatology fellowship...same point in his training as my Eddie who was doing his in Endocrinology (this is a fully trained doc doing some subspecialty work).

His field was maternal nutrition (breast feeding studies) so he took call on weekends to keep his clinical skills sharpened. His name was Leonard Weisman.

I am sure now looking back he knew...but he said later to us she was missing some of the usual signs such as the crease in the palm...and her tone was good....plus she weighed over 8 lbs...and he didnt want to tell us until he was pretty sure and had a second opinion.

Anyhow this let us enjoy Emily the first 24 hrs....have our three older kids come up and hold her and vote on her name...etc....great bonding in a military hospital without rules...LOL....even the janitor had his turn holding her.

The next morning I knew something was amiss, however, when Lenny came in and asked when Ed was coming up....I said later in the day and he said could I please call him to come up.....the sweat broke out on me...but I couldnt bring myself to ask WHY...so called him.

When Ed got there....my OB and Lenny both came into the room with EM....handed her to me...then proceeded to ask us if we knew about DS. Let me tell you the ....bottom dropped out of my world for a few moments...and I didnt hear much else.

However I soon tuned back in....and Lenny and the OB ...think his name was Gordon Park.....began to tell us every POSITIVE thing in the book about DS. They went on for over an hour...about the wonderful infant programs (which 25 yrs ago had just begun)....about what kids with DS COULD do...about kids who played the piano....read....every positive fact they could come up with all those years ago.

They never ever told us what she WOULDNT be able to do or that her life might be limited. They told us to take her home and integrate her right into our family and treat her just the same as we treated our other kids. At this time they didnt even go into the heart problem they had detected. They just told us to celebrate her birth...same as we had done three times before.

And you know what....thats just WHAT we did. I am not saying there werent some down moments....she ended up having three surgeries before we left finally 10 days later....but never once did Lenny ever tell us we had anything less than a perfect human being.

He generously offered to follow Emily for the two years both guys had remaining at the Med Center in Denver. Ed said he often encountered Lenny in the library reading about DS too. She was his only patient...now...how great was that!!!!!!!!!

And...as I have told most of you...years later we caught up with Lenny Weisman via CNN ....where it was announced he was head of the Neonatology team for the Houston Octuplets!!!! If I ever meet up again with this wonderful man...I will hug him nonstop for giving me what I think was a jumpstart into acceptance.

NOW....isnt that POSITIVE.....LOL.....

Jackie mom to Emily 24 in Texas

[shellk]

I know that the most positive thing that stick out in my mind came from my oldest daughters father..
I called him the evening after I had Kourtney to fill him in on things and about the DS..He was hanging out at our house when I went into labor the night before. Ed and I were high school sweethearts dated from age 15 till 23 and had our daughter Kaylyn together and things didn't work out, and at this point Kourtney's father (Mike) and I had only been together about 14 months. I called him and as soon as he answered the phone I started to BAWL!!! He thought I had lost the baby or something and kept saying "What happened?" I calmed down and told him about Kourtney and he says to me.."Look up until now you have raised Kaylyn all alone for 5 years..I could not of asked for a better person to care for my child. This little girl that you just gave birth to doesn't have a clue that she was born to one of the best mothers in the world and a women with the biggest heart I have ever met. You can do this and I know you can congratulations on having her and thing will work out for the best..." He told me that G_d must really trust me a lot to have given me such a special baby. I thought that this man would never grow up and he has told me since then that he always knew when we split up that I had other inportant things in life to do then deal with his imature butt, he just never knew that is was being a GREAT mom...I appreciated him talking to me on the phone that night for nearly 2 hours , he helped me get through one of the toughest days of my life. That was special to me and always will be..Now we all get along like peas in a pod.

Michele

[momofrussell]

I have been trying to think of something that has stuck out in my mind more so than anything else, when Russell was born. Everyone around us was VERY accepting while I was pregnant (when I found out) and after the birth but we all treated my pregnancy and birth of Russell just like any birth. So I can't think of one person or event that over shadowed positively.

But I will say that since the birth of Russell, years later, I have had TONS of positive experiences with people I JUST meet! Most have been since I worked at Famous Barr, a department store owned by May Co. I use to work in the Children's Dept then went into Handbags. When people, mostly women, would ask about my family I would tell them about my kids and Russell having DS. I have had TONS of wonderful stories come from this. I met our realitor that way, her granddaughter has DS. I met a lady who's son uses the SAME visual itinerant as we do and her son is the ONLY child in high school that is visually impaired. I have met TONS of people who have touched my life by just me sharing about Russell.

The best one is that I met a nun who was in town from LA. She was SOOOO excited that I had a son w/DS. For she worked at a school for the disabled, mostly with children W/DS. She then told me that Emeril Lagasse donated the money he won from "Who Wants To Be A Millionare" to there school. We talked quite a bit.. and I had tears of joy talking to this nun. It really was wonderful.

So I'd have to say just the meeting of new people has been a positive event. I have had SO much info and kindness thrown my way, that it has been a big blessing.

A.

[YoshsMom]

I'm so glad to read so many heart warming stories. We are all blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives.

I started this thread talking about my sister, but my whole family has been terrific. My parents are helping to support us so that I can be a stay at home mom and my MIL babysits whenever we need her.

The cutest is my 3 yr old nephew, Jason. Every time my sister calls he has to get on the phone to ask about Yosh. Sometimes he asks to call us on his own. Yesterday he called to ask me if "Jason " was Yosh's first word.

Thanks to everyone for sharing.

[Jackie]

Thank you Kerri for starting this thread...I have enjoyed each story.

Say Adrienne...remember me telling you how Emily never misses Emeril on tv....and has tried several of his recipes?...guess there might really be a reason for her connection...LOL.

Jackie Mom to Emily 24 working near Houston