random fact: "a few of the common physical traits of down syndrome are low muscle tone, small stature, an upward slant to the eyes, and a single deep crease across the center of the palm. every person with down syndrome is a unique individual and may possess these characteristics to different degrees or not at all." ndss.org
camden has all of the above mentioned traits...he has isolated areas of lower muscle tone...we noticed it in his forearms when learning to crawl, i see it in his ankles while he is learning to walk, and in his mouth (which makes speech particularly more difficult for him).
the kid is tiny...he was 30 inches long at his last checkup which is average for a child his age with down syndrome...but he has a super hard time gaining weight, even for a child with down syndrome.
he has a slight upward slant to his eyes, i notice it particularly with his right eye.
and he has a simian crease across both palms of his hands, which looks like one single crease from above the thumb across the palm to below the pinkie finger.
camden also has...my blue eyes, his daddy's lips, my chin, his daddy's blond hair, his grandpa's round face, my thin stature (well when i was a kid), my outy belly button, his daddy's skin tone, his grandpa bush's outgoing personality with a hint of mommy's shy streak. he is definitely more us genetically than he is that extra chromosome, as all people with down syndrome are more alike their families than they are different.
Very true! Kids with Ds look more like their family members than they look like other's with Ds.
ReplyDeleteBeth was also very thin as a baby and while she was growing up. But not so much anymore, unfortunately.
I stumbled on your blog while looking for some support blogs for a friend. I have a son with DS that is 17 so I have been out of the loop as such for a while. I hope you don't mind if I pass your blog along to a woman who just delived twins one of which has DS.
ReplyDeleteYour son is beautiful and so loved, you can see it on his face. I can't imagine not having our Ryan in our lives. He makes me laugh, he makes me cry, but most of all...he always has a special way of making me feel loved.