Emily

The other day I had my first “share a bond with another parent of a child with Down Syndrome” moment. People have told me that I would have times when I saw a complete stranger who had a child with Down Syndrome and we would share a silent moment of understanding. I’m not gunna lie, I have been searching for this moment so that I would’t feel so alone in my endeavors. Unfortunately, Averi is usually tucked into her car seat when I am out in public, or sleeping, which makes it had to tell she has Downs. Well, it finally happened!
Our whole family was shopping when I turned around and saw a man standing right behind Dan holding his daughter. At first I thought it was someone I knew and said, “Hey!” Then it hit me that I didn’t know the guy. And then it finally hit me that his daughter had Downs. I’m a little slow sometimes.

We then had the pleasure of meeting Emily, their three year old daughter. She was adorable! She kept pointing to her shirt and saying, “Elmo!” It was interesting to compare her to Kaili (who just turned three). There will always be a place in my heart that is sad for Averi and the fact that she won’t always have what other kids her age have. But I know that her personality more than makes up for it, and yes she already has a wonderful spirit about her.

Kaili had so much fun playing with her. It was comforting to realize that Kaili’s innocence kept her from being afraid or judgmental. To her, this was just another friend.Just like us, they didn’t know that Emily had Down Syndrome before she was born. The mom kept telling me how Emily always brightens her day. If she is ever feeling down she just has to play with Emily and everything feels better. She then proceeded to tell me that when Averi gets older I am going to want “10 of them.”

I’m sure this family has no idea the impact they had on me, but I am so grateful. It makes me look forward to the rest of our lives together!