Good morning!!
I woke this morning with love for my son….
My son, who we named Auggie, will be seven months old at the end of this month…
He is soft and warm, with chubby cheeks. He is full of curiosity and joy…
A gift to me and those around him…
His smile lights up the room. He is the best snuggler, and will bury his head into my chest as I hold him as I walk, or rock him gently back and forth to sleep…
He, as most babies do, looks at the world differently than the rest of us do….
He is innocent. Optimistic. Hopeful. And so lovingly simple…
He has joy for the littlest things. A new box with which to sit in. A kiss on the cheek. A caress of his back…
Again, my son is a baby like many others…
But he is also different…
You see, my son Auggie, was born special…
Born under chaotic circumstances that were hard on both his mother and I, Auggie came into this world in a rushed world of emergency medical procedures...
His first several days were spent in the NICU, hooked to wires, two floors away from our room, where we spent those first few days…
But came into the world he did. And he changed my world. And he changes my world every day. Just as he changes the world of everyone he meets...
Again, most babies are cute, and I am most certainly biased, but…
Auggie, as I said, was born special…
With hair that refuses to lay down, Auggie is filled with an exuberance for life that only babies like he and the other special little babies have…
When I first heard that Auggie may be born with this special gift, I must admit, I was frightened. After all, my wife and I didn’t ask, and really didn’t want to know. And we weren’t expecting to be told…
So when I heard that our baby, which was yet to be named, had certain characteristics that other special babies have, I was frightened at first…
Probably in denial, my thoughts were “He looks like a normal baby”, “How does the doctor really know his legs are a little shorter than typical”, “Could they really know that his pinky is lacking a bone, especially at this early age?”
But, apparently, Auggie did have some of these features that other special babies do…
And he was indeed born special…
You see, Auggie was born with Down syndrome…
I almost chuckle when I think back to the reaction I had when I first heard he may have it…
As I said, I was scared at first, and had no idea if I could handle whatever challenges would lay ahead...
Could I be the father that Auggie needs? Could I love my son as much as I love two of his two older sisters? How would his Down syndrome affect the rest of his life? My life? Our lives?
But then, as if by magic, when he was born, those fears faded away…
For in front of us, was this perfect, beautiful, little ball of life. A baby boy. My son…
And he needed his mom and dad. He needed his family, just as we needed him…
He filled a hole in our family. Brought us closer together, at least for awhile, with a mutual love that only babies can bring…
Yes, Auggie is special. He will face different challenges, I am sure, than many “normal” people do…
But he will face those challenges with courage. With confidence. With a spirit that few are born with…
And he will face those challenges with a smile, I can promise you that…
A smile that lights up a room…
Have an awesome day!
Ken
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