Joy, Love, and Fun! {Linden’s Story}

Today’s post is written by my friend Bianca, an amazing mom of several precious children, including two with Down Syndrome.

We were thrown into the special needs world in September 2008 when our youngest daughter, Linden, was born with Down syndrome. Down Syndrome or Trisomy 21 means that instead of the typical 46 chromosomes, Linden has an extra 21st chromosome. She was born with a heart defect called Atrio-ventricular Canal Defect. Basically, the center part of her heart never formed and she had it repaired at 11 weeks. On paper, Down Syndrome can seem scary but Linden is so much joy, so much love, and so much FUN wrapped up in a 25 lb body.

Even though I know she has special needs, I don’t really notice them. We try to treat her the same as our other typical daughters, Tristen (10) and Aislinn (8). Even at 3.5 years old, she has to clear off her place at the table and carry her plate to the sink. She does it very well, too. She has a vocabulary of about 150 words. She is currently learning her colors and purple is her favorite. She will sometimes focus on one word and repeats it until she says it juuuust right. It’s precious to me. I hope that I never forget these moments.

Here are 5 things about having a child with Down syndrome that you will NOT learn in a medical report.

1. You will never find a squishier or more cuddlier child!
Children with DS have low muscle tone and it causes them to be somewhat floppy until their muscles get stronger.

2. Their eyes sparkle. I mean SPARKLE.
Many people with DS have brushfield spots on their eyes. These are many white dots that cause their eyes to look extra sparkly.

3. You CAN successfully breastfeed a child with DS.
I wasn’t encouraged to do so because they can have trouble sucking (low tone) but I was determined to do so and she still occasionally nurses at 3.5 years old!

4. Their feet were made for flip flops!
Many people with DS have what is called ‘sandal toe gap’ on their feet. It simply means there is a space between their big toe and second toe. So precious!

5. Cutest little ears!
Their ears are usually lower set and can be smaller. I always called Linden’s ears ‘butterfly wings’ because they stuck out just a little bit. Adorable!

Our love for Linden has brought us to the next chapter in our lives, adoption. She’s going to be a big sister soon! Yes, we are adopting a little boy from Eastern Europe who also has Down syndrome! He is three years old and is the cutest little boy that we’ve ever seen (in a picture). We cannot wait to travel to his country next month to bring him home.
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Bianca and her husband have three beautiful daughters, Tristen (10), Aislinn (8) and Linden (3.5). Through the miracle of adoption, they have brought home their new addition, a baby boy with Down Syndrome