THE JAMES SERIES 3/4: Josh, Dad

(THE JAMES SERIES 3/4: Josh, Dad)

We found out our son, James, was going to be born with Down syndrome early on. Hearing this and then getting confirmation a few weeks later was really hard. It went from excitement of being first time parents to being scared, angry, and unsure in a moment. Right up until James was born, I was in denial. I continued to hope the doctors were wrong. I didn’t want this to happen to our family.

When James was born, all of that changed. He needed some extra care for a few weeks due to breathing issues. He was having trouble keeping his airway open. Sally and I stayed in the NICU, barely leaving his side the whole time. Having to help him every 30 minutes when his oxygen was low was the best thing that could have happened for me. I watched him slowly figure out how to keep his head back and airway open. Then one day he just had it figured out. Watching and helping him learn really helped me bond with James and now he’s my best buddy.

He loves hanging out, is super chill and just always so happy. He still struggles to learn new things but he is just the sweetest little boy so helping him over and over until he gets it isn’t so bad. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, there are still times that I’m disappointed in his progress and it’s tough seeing other kids so far ahead of him but that’s not his fault so we keep pushing through. When he does master a new skill it brings so much joy to us and it overshadows those tough moments.

One tip I would like to pass along: Live in the moment. Try not to stress about where your child should be now or in five, ten or twenty years down the road. Take it day by day teaching them how to do things until they get it. They are going to progress at their own pace. They will get there. James has been a huge blessing to our family.

#TheLuckyFew #TheLuckyFewFoundation #DownSyndrome #ThisIsDownSyndrome