World Down Syndrome Day

Today, is World Down Syndrome Day. March 21, representative of the 3rd copy of the 21st chromosome, or 3-21. When a child has an extra, or third chromosome on the 21st Chromosome they are said to have Trisomy 21, or Down Syndrome.

Today I am surrounded by my children, my husband and my parents (and even a 91 year old Grandma from California) and in honor of Ava and Down Syndrome our family compiled a list of 21 things we love about Ava:

1. She "sings" every morning to her teddy bear and baby doll. (Liesel)
2. Her delayed response- When we say 'bye' or 'I love you', it takes a while but she usually says it back. (Oma)
3. She gets so excited when I take her in the stroller to see the cow and the horse, and does the sign and says 'pow'.(Liesel)
4. She is so quiet and full of joy. (Grandma N.)
5. She is forgiving. (Charissa)
6. She hugs me and kisses me. (Simeon)
7. She has blue eyes like me. (Jude)
8. I like when she eats bananas because they are so healthy for her body. (Hope)
9. She is left-handed like me. (Liesel)
10. I love it when she signs my name when I talk to her on Skype. (Oma)
11. I like it when she touches my whiskers. (John)
12. I love playing This Little Piggy with her tiny toes. (Charissa)
13. I like how flexible she is. (Liesel)
14. She makes noise when she pushes the chairs around and slams kitchen cabinets. (Jude)
15. I like it when she imitates whatever I do. (John)
16. I love how she clasps her hands and puts them on her head during family prayer time. (Oma)
17. I like when she puts her feet on me when she wants them to be rubbed. (Liesel)
18. She can put her feet behind her ears. (Simeon)
19. She never cries. (Opa)
20. She exudes love. (Grandma N.)
21. It's cute when she takes a brush and pretends to brush her hair even though she doesn't have any. (Liesel)

Happy world Down Syndrome Day to all who are blessed with the gift of Down Syndrome!
Also, please click here to read a special article about World Down Syndrome Day, adoption, birth family preservation, and Ava. So many things I'm passionate about in one well-written article!