The past couple of weeks have been interesting. Christmas passed with a level of excitement and anticipation only possible when you're small. Watching the kids' eyes light up as they took in all of the Christmas lights and pretty packages made it almost possible to forget the logistical nightmare in wrapping those same packages. The respect I have for my parents grew exponentially this year as I tried to figure out how to wrap a bike and realized some of the various shaped and sizes they'd successfully camouflaged over the years.
New Years taught us the valuable lesson that it's best to have the children asleep BEFORE the fireworks or they may not sleep at all. Abigail displayed her growing vocabulary and yelled "BAD BOOM!" every time a rocket exploded outside. And then last week it snowed. Nothing like what the rest of the country is getting - but enough to shut down the state for 2 days and give Joshua the winter wonderland he was so desperately craving. He loved it -and is very annoyed that it had to melt. Abigail on the other hand - not impressed. I'm not sure which was worse for her - the cold, or the many many layers I made her wear before we ventured outside.
This past weekend the family got together to celebrate my grandfather's 88th birthday. After a year of unexpected and very serious health challenges he is finally mending and we were ready to celebrate. Unfortunately, my youngest was not in a party mood. She was whiny, irritable and wanted nothing to do with anyone who wasn't her mother. But out of this came the best gift I've received in a long time. At one point she refused to look at the waitress - just kept shaking her head "no" and pouting. The waitress asked me "She's about 2 right?" When I confirmed this, she just smiled and said "I have a 2 year old at home, don't sweat it -that's perfectly normal." After 2 and a half years of being asked "what's wrong with her" and hearing "well, for a baby with Down Syndrome she's doing great" and my favorite question "So will she grown out of this?" - it was unbelievably special to have her treated like just another whiny toddler. To have someone else see her for who she is - a perfectly normal little girl, who just happens to have a little something extra. I'm trying to remember to carry that simple sentence around and pull it out the next time she's driving me crazy. It will remind me to cherish every temper tantrum and ear-splitting "no!" that comes my way - because it means that she's 2, she's learning independence and to share her opinions - just like everyone else.
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