3, 21

Today is the World Down Syndrome Day. That is because DS is 3 copies of the 21st chromosome. March 21.

There were a couple of events in our area to celebrate this day. But we could not attend those. We did however celebrate today in our everyday manner of living our lives. It was a bright and sunny day in the Northwest. And we seized it. My mom, my daughter (gosh – it feels nice to say that :) ) and I took a walk in our community. We played with Samaira. We tried different things to see what makes her laugh. And towards the end of the day, I felt a lot of calm and peace in my heart.

I am still in the process of fully accepting 3 copies of the 21st chromosome. There are days like today – so positive, so good, so sunny. And then there are those other days.

Sometimes I wonder why this deviation in chromosomal pattern did not result in super powers. Why does it result in all these not so positive things such as a heart defect, thyroid issue, low muscle tone, low IQ or delayed speech? Why could it not result in something like extreme IQ, or ability to fly? Just a fleeting thought.

I am not sure if having DS in our lives has made us a better people. But I do know that it has pealed some of the layers off of us. It has surfaced some of our emotions and vulnerabilities that we did not even know we had. It has given us some sort of a quick path to all the experiences we may not have otherwise had in our entire life time.

Tonight, I wished Siddharth “Happy world down syndrome day.”

He paused for a second and said “If it wasn’t for Sam, we wouldn’t have even known that it was the world down syndrome day today.”

He is right. It would have just been the 21st day of the 3rd month of yet another year. It will now be a special day for the rest of our lives.

Samaira is all kinds of wonderful. And sometimes, wonderful can take work. So far, none of it feels like work. She is teaching us everything we need to know about parenting. We are lucky to have Samaira, and each other in our lives.

Bliss is the thought of the day! Happy 3, 21.