Double Digit Birthday

Ten. Lucas is ten. How is it even possible that a decade has passed since I gave birth to this sweet boy of mine?

But it's true. I blinked and he's ten years old today.

Our annual birthday pancake tradition at IHOP

He still enjoys all the same things he has for the past several years: reading, Harry Potter, Minecraft, soccer, and chess.

(First place in a tournament a couple of weeks ago!) 

He's still my little boy with a heart of gold. He's still caring, empathetic, self-less, friendly, social, and sometimes still wise beyond his years. We still contribute to the "donation jar" that he started a couple years ago. Regularly donating what's been collected and starting over.

A couple months ago he ran in a 5K to begin his training for the Cooper River Bridge again. He ran this race last year (finished 3rd in his age group) and has a goal to beat his time and finish in under 50 min.

He's also, again, running for a purpose. He's raising money for LuMind RDS Foundation, as he did last year. If you'd like to make a donation and help him reach his goal I know he will be so thankful.

I can't wait to see where he'll go and what he'll accomplish in the future; but I'm also in no hurry for him to grow up. Time, slow down a little.

Happy 10th birthday Lucas!
"I love you more!"

A Decade Of Blogging

March 16 marked ten years of blogging ... 10! (insert fireworks, confetti, and poppers)

How did that go by so fast?

When I started blogging Kayla wasn't quite 3 yet, we livec in NM, and Lucas wasn't even born.

We've moved twice since then, Joe's also deployed twice and retired from the military, Kayla will be a teenagerthis summer, and Lucas is 8.

A couple of years ago I thought I might be finished blogging, but I'm still hanging around.

When Kayla turned 10 I wrote about my experiences thus far of raising a child with Down syndromeand I still feel the same after blogging for 10 years. No great life lessons from me, no profound knowledge of what life is like for our family through 10 years of blogging. We are, simply, just a family.

I don't feel like I have much to add, at this point in our lives, about Down syndrome. Maybe when Kayla is transitioning to high school ... or out of high school ... there will be a lot of transition topics to blog about. It seems so far away, but I know it will be here before we know it. For now I will keep raising awareness, and acceptance, about Down syndrome.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, Monday is World Down Syndrome Day. Not just here in the United States, but in places all over the world people are celebrating individuals with Down syndrome. Can you imagine that? It really wasn't that long ago that babies with Down syndrome were shuttered away in institutions and their life span wasn't even 10 years. Even though it seems we've come so far since then, and in a lot of ways we have, there is still so much more progress to be made. Babies with Down syndrome are still being shuttered away in orphanages and institutions in Eastern Europe.

Even though progress has been made, Down syndrome continues to be the least funded condition by the NIH despite being the most common genetic disorder. Important research is happening by grants provided by other organizations. Research is so important because you don't know what you don't know ... there are connections with Down syndrome and cancer, Down syndrome and autoimmune diseases, Down syndrome and Alzheimer's. Why not research and find out what is going on, what is the connection, how to help people with Down syndrome and the rest of the population?

One of those wonderful organizations focusing on research is the LuMind Research Down Syndrome Foundation. Once again all donations made to LuMind for WDSD will be matched 3:1.Your $25 donation will turn into $100. This 3:1 matching for WDSD starts TODAY, Saturday, Mar 19 and goes through Mar 21. So three days' worth of donations will be tripled.

A few years ago I started donating $1 for every comment on my blogging anniversary post to LuMind for WDSD where my donation will be matched 3:1 and I am doing that this year as well ... so comment away on this post!

I'd also like to put out a little challenge to any readers, on this, my decade anniversary of blogging, I'm hoping that 21 people will consider also donating to LuMind and have your donations matched 3:1. Donate $10 for 10 years of blogging, or $21 for the extra 21st chromosome. Donate in honor of Kayla, or someone else you know with Down syndrome.

As always, thanks for reading and following along on our journey.  

Birthday Gifts Donation

A few months ago I posted the conversation I had with Lucas about his Christmas List Idea. Since it was a little late in the game to do what he wanted to do I suggested he could do it for his birthday instead.

His party invitations stated in lieu of gifts Lucas was asking for donations of board games so he could donate to children living in a shelter.

We were going to drop off the donations when we did our Random Acts of Kindness, but the offices aren't open on the weekend. We waited until Spring Break so the kids could be there to present the donation.

We went to the Carolina Youth Development Center with the games and puzzles he received at his birthday party. 

I think being there, and hearing the representative talk about the age range of kids who are there now, how many kids are in the shelter, and how much they would appreciate some new games to play with really had an impact on Lucas. He had questions for me afterwards about how kids end up living in a shelter instead of their own home and where are their parents.

I'm glad he takes such an interest in the world around him and wants to help others.

He said it left him with a good feeling in his heart knowing some kids would be playing with those games later that day.

Me too.

Wishes Delivered

When we lived in New Mexico we had a very friendly and personable UPS driver named Dave. He would often chat with us for a few minutes upon delivering a package and we got to know him quite well. After Kayla was born he stopped by with gifts that his wife bought for her - and we had never even met his wife!

We left NM when Kayla was 5, but even during those few years in NM she was on a first name basis with Dave. It got to the point that anytime she would see that familiar big brown truck on the road she would say, "Dave's truck!" This even stuck with her after we moved to MD. Anytime she saw a UPS truck it was "Dave's truck!"

All that brought about after reading of UPS's #WishesDelivered campaign. It brought back memories of the smiles upon seeing "Dave's truck!"

Back to their campaign: For every wish shared with #wishesdelivered UPS will donate $1 to one of three charity partners - Boys and Girls Club of America, Salvation Army, and Toys For Tots.

Many wishes have been left about feeding the hungry or supporting veterans and UPS heard. $2000 has been pledged to both the World Food Programme and Operation Homefront.

You can leave your #wishesdelivered post right on their website, or Twitter, or FB.

Even if you feel like you can't give much this holiday season ... you can give a #wishesdelivered post and have $1 donated to charity!