October 15: Wonderful

I am looking forward to tomorrow. I volunteered to organized a new activity group with the Down Syndrome Association for families who have a dually diagnosed with (fill in the blank). It will be the first time I have met other families like mine who are hands on. The purpose is parental support, inclusion activities for the children, and to raise awareness of dually diagnosed conditions. Autism Spectrum Disorders (Autism, Aspergers, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, and the related Sensory Integration Dysfunction) are not the only co-occurring disabilities in children and adults with Down Syndrome. Those are just the ones I know the most about.

There is also epilepsy also known as seizure disorders. I'm still learning about these since my son has been diagnosed this past summer and started on medication. Yep, we lasted 14 years without any required medication. New things happen all the time.

Still my son is wonderfully made. I chose that name for the group because I knew that parents of other children like mine would understand. These are the parents who approach me in public places and make small talk when they see my son and something familiar. I've been wondering about what "fearfully" means in Ps 139:14.

Main Entry: fearfully
Part of Speech: adverb
Definition: very much
Synonyms: awfully, excessively, frightfully

Main Entry: wonderfully
Part of Speech: adverb
Definition: extremely well
Synonyms: admirably, amazingly, beautifully, excellently, extraordinarily, magnificently, marvelously, miraculously, remarkably, spectacularly, strikingly, stunningly, well

- from Thesaurus.com

One of the greatest perks to having a kids like mine is that the motives and hearts of others are quite apparent in their reaction to him. My husband notices the starers. I don't. I guess my cootie shot worked. I'm oblivious. I notice the ones who want to talk to us but are unsure about approaching. So of course I go talk to them! (Or at least say hello if I'm busy) Often my son will notice them first. He has very good instincts about people though he can't say so. He just walks up to them and hums a little hum then looks at them out of the corner of his eye and smiles.

Tra-la-la, tra-la-la,
Tra-la-la, tra-la-la,
Rum-tum-tiddle-um-tum.
Tiddle-iddle, tiddle-iddle,
Tiddle-iddle, tiddle-iddle,
Rum-tum-tum-tiddle-um.

-A.A.Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh