Tue
8
Jul '08
I decided that I am going to run in the 5k that’s this Saturday in Orem to help raise funds for the Best Buddies program in Utah County. I feel like it’s one small thing I can do to contribute to Wesley’s future. I’ll probably run this one with Wes in the stroller, though, so he can be part of it.
Call me a softie, but I couldn’t resist making this shirt for me to wear especially for the race on Saturday.
July 8th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
Shannon, that is the sweetest thing ever. I bet you will be cruising on Saturday during that run doing it for your little guy! You are seriously the sweetest, best mom in the world. That is why Wes came to your family! He is such a cutie!
PS – is he super advanced for DS? He basically can do everything Lance can do. Are there different levels of DS? Is he mild?
July 9th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Yay, I just read your post and email. I’m going to do this race! I have to run a 3 miler anyway and why not do it for a good cause? I absolutely LOVE your shirt. See you at the race!
July 9th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Wes and Lance totally need to meet someday. They would be instant buds.
From what I can tell, Wes so far has been hitting milestones a little more quickly than the average kid with Down syndrome. Like, the average for DS kids to start sitting up is 11 months, and Wes was about 7 1/2 months. Which is closer to the average for regular kids, I think. I’m just learning as I go, so I’m not an expert, but from what I can tell DS comes in all sorts of degrees.
So maybe he is “mild” but it’s hard to know. Because while he’s doing great physically, it’s possible he’ll run into other things that are harder for him down the road. I’ve been told that kids with DS can do just about everything other kids can do, but sometimes it takes them longer to learn. I’ve also heard that the gap between the DS kids and normal ones widens as they grow up. Like maybe his speech will be slower to come, or it’ll take him longer to master bike riding, or maybe reading will be hard (math is notoriously bad for DS kids, but heck, that could just come from my genes alone).
This I know for sure: he’s wildly curious and aware of his surroundings, and so interested in being part of life. In addition to the physical strength he was blessed with from birth, his motivation to learn seems to be strong, which I think (& hope) will help him as he gets older and faces more challenges.