A Chance Encounter with a Blinding Light

I had the most wondrous thing happen last night.  In the middle of the night I woke up and opened my eyes to the most intense and blinding light that I've ever seen - it was coming from a corner of our room where we have a sliding glass door and at first I thought it was coming in through the curtain from outside.  The light was only there for a few seconds and as I focused in on it, I saw the outline of a man who was wearing a white robe.  He was standing at the foot of our bed, was at the corner of my side of the bed and had a medium size build (was maybe close to my height at 5' 6"-ish).  I wanted him to talk to me, but he didn't say anything.  I was confused with the significance of what I thought I was looking at while I was in the moment and after I blinked, the light was gone.  The room was dim again and the measly light that was coming in through the curtains was nothing like the intense, blinding light I saw before I blinked.  I KNOW that a presence was with me.  I don't know if it was really Jesus or if it was an angel.  I don't know why he was there, if there was any more significance than just us being together?  I've never experienced anything like this before.  I've heard of God speaking directly to people and I've read instances of blinding light similar to what I saw last night, but I have to admit, I'd always questioned whether those people were delusional or if they'd maybe just been dreaming.  I was not dreaming.  I was wide awake and I don't think I'm delusional.  After it was over, I asked God if there was something he wanted to tell me, a purpose he had for me, or in general, what it was that I was supposed to take away from that experience.  I didn't hear any booming words coming from above and he didn't send any quiet thoughts through my mind.  I don't know what his message was supposed to be for me for me last night.  I do have a stronger faith this morning and without a sliver of doubt, I know there is more than this life.  I feel renewed to live the life that He has designed for me and I will keep praying that I figure out what my true purpose is so that I can live a life pleasing to Him!!

Ruby's Rainbow - Inspiring Video

It's been a while since I've had something move me to tears.  This video succeeded in doing just that....  I am so inspired by these little people and their ability to overcome obstacles, persevere through challenges and ultimately live to their greatest potential! 

Ruby's Rainbow

As I watched the video above, I was really struck with my thought process and how different it is from when we only had one child - a typical child who just grew and developed as he was supposed to.  Before Luke, I probably wouldn't have thought much about the advanced gross motor skills shown by the kids in this video. Individuals with Down syndrome generally have low muscle tone and may lack some of the coordination that comes with advanced gross motor skills and activities like roller skating, cheerleading and waterskiing might seem out of reach.  I am so inspired by these kids and can only hope that through lots of physical therapy and some God-given natural abilities, Luke will have the opportunity to enjoy similar experiences throughout his life!

Ruby's Rainbow is a non-profit organization dedicated to the higher educational needs of adults with Down syndrome. We grant scholarships to adults rockin' that extra chromosome for post secondary education, vocational or enrichment classes. Our hope is to raise the expectations of the individuals and show the world just how cool and capable they are!

Rittman Sleepwalker Festival Parade

We spent this evening at a co-worker's home in Rittman where we had the pleasure of enjoying the parade that kicks off the Rittman Sleepwalker Festival.  Charlene's home is at the beginning of the parade route and even though we didn't allow him to run into the street to retrieve it, Matthew still came home with about 3/4 of a gallon size Ziplock bag full of candy!  The parade was wonderful and lasted close to 40 minutes - similar to the parades I recall from my own youth, when the floats seemed to creep by and the parade candy was plentiful, different from most of the parades we witness today that rarely last more than ten minutes and you're lucky if you catch one or two pieces of candy!

Aside from the parade, Charlene really made the evening special by providing pizza and drinks for her guests (not only did we have pizza for dnner, but she also sent some home with us for lunch tomorrow).  She was an excellent hostess and we had more fun tonight than we've had in a while!  I took a little video when we got home of Matthew thanking Charlene for having us over!

Corn ON THE COB!

In the past, we've always cut Matthew's corn off the cob, but tonight he finally seemed interested in eating it the old fashioned, true American summertime way - off the cob!  And he loved it!

What will my newborn with Down Syndrome look like?

One of these babies has Down syndrome.  Can you guess which one it is?

 

Over the weekend I was reminded of my curiosity about what my newborn with Down syndrome would look like ... would he look normal?  Would I think he was beautiful?  Will I love him like I'd instantly loved my firstborn?  I'd done some reading about the typical features...

The most common features associated with Down syndrome include:

• Low muscle tone (babies appear "floppy")
• Flat facial features, with a small nose
• Upward slant to the eyes
• Small skin folds on the inner corner of the eyes
• Small, abnormally shaped ears
• Single deep crease across the center of the palm
• Hyperflexibility (excessive ability to extend joints)
• Fifth finger has only one flexion furrow instead of two
• Extra space between the big toe and the second toe
• Enlarged tongue that tends to stick out

I think I read the list at least a hundred times.

I'm way more than a little embarrassed to admit that on occasion I even wondered if he'd look like an alien... whatever that looks like.... I scoured the internet for photos but never felt satisfied that I had the right image of who he'd be.  My doctor attempted to convince me that he'd look like our family, like our other son, but in the end I just wasn't sure and decided it was probably best to just pray about it.  I reminded myself to trust in God and the plan he had for me and my family and by His grace, I was rewarded with a beautiful baby boy... to my surprise... one who looks like my family and in some ways, even like his brother Matthew. 

When I look at the photos above, I now see the two boys who own my heart... but in case you were wondering... it's the boy in the second photo that has Down syndrome... isn't he beautiful?  Aren't they both beautiful?



Is building a man really as easy as building a bear?

Recently, a Facebook friend posted a comment about how she wished you could build a man like you can "Build a Bear" - you know, the boutique bear making workshop?  Another friend responded with a comment that basically said something along the lines of "it is possible to build a man.... it's through being a good parent".  That response was really grounding for me and because it's so easy to get caught up in all the baby-hype we have going on at our house right now with two under two that sometimes I think it can be easy to forget the end game. 

I'm not naive enough to think we are doing everything right, but I hope we're at least on the right track.  Parents out there... what advice do you have for us new families when it comes to "Building a Good Man"?

Luke's Baptism

We've been busy with life over the last few weeks, so today I'm committing to updating the blog and backdating the articles so they fit in on an accurate timeline of how they happened in our life.  I'm starting with one of the highlights of our summer... Luke's baptism!  We were so thrilled to have Luke blessed by our Pastor with the holy water of the baptismal font!