Saturday, October 1, 2011

31 for 21...Year FIVE!


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It's that time of year again- October is Down syndrome Awareness Month. And how acutely aware of Ds we are this year, because we are STILL in Ukraine at this very moment, finishing up our adoption of Zeke, who happens to have Ds.

In that line...let's talk about the culture here towards disabilities- because it's very much in our face right now. Keeping a child with Down syndrome here just isn't done. It's not accepted. There are no programs, no schools, no inclusion programs...there's no state programs to assist with PT, OT, or Speech Therapy. There isn't a More Alike Than Different campaign taking place.

I can't tell you how grateful I am to live in a place that this attitude isn't the norm. No, my life isn't easier with Chase (and now Zeke!) and their extra chromosomes...but it's GOOD. And their lives are GOOD. And they are happy, silly, smart, and amazing little kids...how could they not matter in some peoples' eyes?

We're missing our Buddy Walk in Charlotte today. But we're doing our own walk through the streets of Kiev. Ok, well, Bryan and I are walking, and Zeke rotates between chasing the pigeons, riding on Bryan's shoulders, walking nicely between us, and sitting down in the middle of the sidewalk when he feels like it. :)

We'll see you back here for 30 more days of continuous blogging. Feel free to comment with questions- I'll try to answer them all in the next month.

1 comment:

Kacey Bode said...

YAY!! Can't wait to see picks of all 4 boys together!!!