apparently he doesn't like tile...

motivation: keeping knees off of the tile...maybe we should tile the entire house?

just a little somethin' somethin'...

note his leg movements in the background mirror...

time away...

we are leaving this cute mug behind for a week...and i have never been so torn in my entire life...billy and i are going on a much needed, mommy and daddy vacation...but leaving the little guy behind has me tied up in so many knots it is getting hard to count them. i am especially afraid of missing what he will do next...not being there for some fairly large milestone, being that he is hitting new ones on a regular basis now...this last week alone he took his first wobbly steps along the coffee table and the bath tub...he crawled up a whole flight of stairs with little to no help from me...he is pushing off of furniture for a second at a time, and starting to turn in transition from one piece of furniture to the next. and i know he won't be walking anytime soon, because there are still lots of little baby steps in between, but honestly i don't want to miss any. still...i think it is time for us to break away...and a whole week without mom and dad is a milestone all on its own, especially with the oh so fun separation anxiety camden has recently started embarking on...poor grandma bush. but i know he will be in good hands, and time out with daddy should keep this momma fairly occupied!

how do you explain it...

when someone asks you how you felt when you found out your son has down syndrome? because honestly i don't really want to explain the first twenty four hours...i want someone to ask me...how do you feel now, now that you have been given an entire year with your son, down syndrome and all...how do you feel about it now? but they never, ever do. instead you are torn between the lines...on the one side you have the cliche, "he is my son, and i will always love him just the same"...or you have the truth. that sinking feeling, that cloud of dismay and all encompassing weight of the unknown...all brought on by a world of misunderstanding and just plain not understanding. and don't get me wrong, i understand the reason for the question, very much. i would have asked it myself. it's just that, when you find out anything that wasn't what you would have originally put into the blue prints of your life, the first twenty four hours, i believe, (and sometimes a little more time is allowed), is god's grace period. he understands the tears...he understands your fears, even if they are completely unfounded and irrational in the whole scheme of things. he reaches out when you are shaking your fists up at the heavens and he forgives those almost unforgivable thoughts. because he knows where you will be in just a short year.

so you want to answer that question with the way that you feel about down syndrome now...the beauty, the personality, the love, the strength...it all comes bubbling to the surface, because you want everyone to know that it is okay, that you are okay...after that initial grace period you start to see what heavenly father has seen all along, and you are thankful. thankful that you get a glimpse of what true unconditional love really means. thankful that you are fortunate enough to learn something of christ like love. thankful that you understand, a little better, christ's love for you.