I stole that from a church marquee that we've driven by several times recently. We've all heard it...your life is never the same once you have children; isn't that wonderful! Most moms would agree with me when I say, I can't imagine what my life would be like without my kids. They have the ability to pull at your heartstrings and your nerves, to drive you absolutely crazy and make you feel absolute joy all at the same time. There is no way to list the number of ways having a baby changed/will change your life. My question is...can it change your friendships?
I was talking with a good friend yesterday about when Camden was first born. That day was one of those life-changing days for so many reasons. With his diagnosis came so many questions and what-ifs, many that we still wonder about, almost a year later. My friend stated to me that although she and all of our other friends were surprised that Camden had Down Syndrome (although none more surprised than Matt and myself), it didn't change anything. I was still me, and Camden was the same baby I had carried for nine months. He was just more special than we thought ;) But, I'm not sure if all of my friends feel the same way. She brought up that one of our friends wasn't comfortable coming to see us because she "didn't know what to say". I try to imagine myself in her shoes...would I feel/react the same way and can I understand where she was coming from? I'm not angry or upset in any way by her reaction, but it made me think.
I was reading a chapter of a book we recieved at the hospital "Babies With Down Syndrome" about how to tell your family and friends that your baby has Down Syndrome. The author stated that after finding out that her child had Down Syndrome, some of her friends pulled away from her. I was very saddened by this, thinking that the exact same thing could/is happening to me. I wish that people could see that I'm not unlike any other mother. My baby has Down Syndrome, and although that may make some people uncomfortable it doesn't change who I am and it doesn't change the fact that Camden is like any other baby in the sense that he needs love, attention and loves to play with his big brother and learn new things :) He's also the cutest baby you'll ever meet! I wanted to share a link to a blog that I read recently that sums up a little bit of what it's like to have a child with Down Syndrome. Thanks for reading and have a Merry Chirstmas!
Rejoice in His blessings always!
http://www.mom-ology.org/page.php?pageid=3081
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