Love Bugs

The Early Intervention, Help Me Grow program started a play group called Love Bugs for all children who receive services. The building that it is run out of is 30 minutes away but I decided to give it a try last month.

It was nice having an excuse to get out of the house for something fun but I didn’t really feel a connection with any of the other moms there. I think I am just used to our DS Support Group where there is one thing tying us all together. When I left, I promised myself that I would come back this month before choosing to forget about it. I really want to enjoy it because Ronnie, the lady in charge of it, is so sweet.

Today’s visit was better, but that might have something to do with me meeting a mom with a son who has DS. His name is Nicholas, he is only one month younger than Averi, and they live in the same town as us. Come to find out, their information, along with another family’s, is on my fridge. Susan, our EI, gave it to me in hopes that we would get together. I promised myself that I would set up a play date for all three families. We’ll see how long it takes for that to happen.

The funniest thing about meeting Lisa, the mom, is that she didn’t realize at first that Averi has DS. She was going to ask me why we were receiving services when Susan mentioned to her that I was the mom she had told her about. She has a son with DS and didn’t see it in Averi.

Maybe it’s just because I know, but I see it in her all the time. I also find myself looking for other people with DS, kind of like how I looked for other pregnant moms when I was pregnant. I always assumed that people knew as soon as they saw Averi, but now it makes me wonder how many people have seen her and not recognized the challenge she has been given.