To a party to celebrate your mom's birthday.
But to their surprise you would not wait.
Two weeks sooner than your arrival date.
You entered this world at your own speed.
It happened so fast we were all weak kneed.
Your dad rushed in and said, "It's a boy!"
You can't imagine our utter joy.
He was gone again in just a flash
Back to your mom in one blurred dash.
We looked at each other, our thoughts soared.
What did he say - - That he was bored?
We finally realized what he had said.
We laughed, we cried, we shook our head
In disbelief that it happened so fast.
Less than an hour had actually passed.
And then the time went by so slow,
Waiting to hear - wanting to know.
How you were - how you looked.
And one small glimpse and we were hooked.
Off you went with the nurse and your dad
And we all followed to see what they had.
A baby boy as cute as could be.
We crowded around so we could see.
Ten fingers, ten toes, everything was there.
Only one thing missing - we wondered where
The tattoo was that Chris said must be
Hidden from view so we couldn't see.
Then back to your mom you were whisked.
For Grandmas and Grandpas we moved pretty brisk.
Into the room we all came.
Your mom announced "Jerek Stallone is his name."
Excited and tired we all went home.
To get some rest - to get on the phone.
To let all the family know the news
So we could revel in their awe's and ooh's.
Up at dawn - to the hospital we bound.
Only to be told you might be Down.
In disbelief we wept and we cried,
And convinced ourselves the doctors had lied.
You were so perfect - it just couldn't be.
How could this happen to you - - to me?
But as it sank in, it really didn't matter.
You were here - our dreams were not shattered.
We'll live our lives one day at a time.
For what we are dealt there's no reason or rhyme.
We can't live our lives under glass like a pheasant.
Each day is God's gift - That's why it's called the present.
You'd come so fast you had a hard start.
From a case of Jaundice to a murmur in your heart.
Your mom got to go home one day early
You followed on Sunday - home to Hurley.
Now at last we had you at home
Where we could have you for our own.
To hold you, feed you, bathe you and all,
And even dress you like a little doll.
Bilirubin light in a neon blue,
Chromosome tests said what we already knew.
But your growing longer and gaining weight.
Up to seven pounds four from six pounds eight.
You're a good baby and you hardly cry.
Lots of family by your side.
Your folks are so good about letting us stay
Even when they would rather we'd go away.
Your mom and dad know just what to do
To get you to eat, burp, smile and coo.
Your daddy blows on your neck and tickles you too.
You growl at him and he growls at you.
My body tells me when it's almost twelve.
I get weak in the knees and my heart starts to swell.
I rush to your house to get my "baby fix"
I hold you and watch all of your new tricks.
Back to work - It's so hard to leave.
I'm usually late but my boss doesn't see.
He must understand just how I feel.
It's too good to be true - is it really real?
Grandpa can't see you as often as I,
So in the evenings we try to stop by.
He holds you so close and gets you all warm.
You smile and know you'll come to no harm.
After visiting with you for a while one day,
We were bragging about you as we drove away.
Last minute Christmas shopping, we stopped at Wal-Mart
And saw another baby in a cart.
Curious, I put my finger in her hand.
Immediately she squeezed it as hard as she can.
A weak, shakey feeling washed over me.
"Is this the way it's supposed to be?"
You hold our finger, but not for long.
And when you do, you're not very strong.
I got Grandpa to feel to see what I meant.
Maybe I was mistaken or it was by accident.
But he confirmed the thoughts in my mind.
He held me and said that we'd probably find
A lot of differences in you and others.
Did that make me any less your Grandmother?
Did I love you any less, and didn't I know
That we could never, ever let you go?
I know I love you - that's not the case
It was just another hurdle I have to face.
Other babies aren't going to have DS.
I'm jealous of this, I must confess.
I hate what you're going to have to go through.
But, Jerek, please know that we all love you.
Mom made an appointment with a pediatrician
So we could ask more technical questions.
The nurse did all the preliminary stuff
Like weight and length and strip to the buff.
You had grown almost 2 inches more
And at 10 pounds 7, our spirits soared.
We couldn't believe you weighed that then
We were guessing between 9 pounds and 10.
Dr. McNew looked you over from head to toe.
He pointed out things we already know.
He thought you looked good, he liked what you did.
He said you look and act like a normal kid.
He remarked on the way you wiggle and goo,
Unlike some of the "Rag Doll" DS babies he knew.
We both went away feeling so good.
"This went like a doctor's visit should."
Your mom was thinking that maybe pretty quick
She can relax and not worry about your getting sick.
She knows you'll get sick now and again
But she can take you to Wal-Mart before you are ten.
As your mom went to let the dogs out one day,
Did you hear that?" she heard your dad say.
A couple of chuckles - you'd laughed out loud!
She had missed it but Dad sure was proud.
I went to see you at noon today
And you were down on the floor to play.
You looked around, you twisted and turned
And we were sure to roll over you'd learn.
I had to leave - not a few minutes more.
And you were still playing there on the floor.
Your mom soon called and said you'd gotten the knack
You'd rolled over three times from your belly to your back.
Now her troubles are going to start.
No more leaving you alone to dart
After a washcloth or the A&D
Or on the floor you might be.
We also noticed how strong you'd become.
You hold on tight now to our thumb.
Guess I was just expecting too much
From a little baby with a gentle touch.
Probably wanting you to grow up too fast
So we can be sure that you are past,
Problems you might develop some day
Or any you're having that might go away.
You're getting so strong, you're hard to hold.
You wiggle and squirm and get so bold.
You try to sit up and take your head off our hand.
You push hard with your legs and try to stand.
You've about discovered what your thumb is for.
You see it flash by and you want more.
You open your mouth and try to suck
But it jerks away - guess you're out of luck.
Next week you go to the doctor to start
Tests to see if anything's wrong with your heart.
An EKG and X-rays of your chest
The people who are doing it are the best.
You had your tests - it took all day.
You were very good - so your mom and dad say.
They took a blood sample and had it spun
So the lab can have your Targeted NutriVeen-D done.
Dr. McNew saw you and said that you sure haven't
Got any problems with your eating habits.
He wrote out a prescription for Piracitam
To be added to your next order of vitamins.
They heard a slight murmur right from the start
The ultrasound showed a small hole in your heart.
Restricted arteries were also detected.
Hope there's nothing else by which you're affected.
Next week you go visit the Ophthalmologist.
Just another thing on the long, long list
Of things to check to be sure you're well.
Seems the only doctor you haven't seen is Dr. Bell.
Dr. Gross said that your eyes look just fine.
So there's nothing else to worry our mind.
Maybe now we can give a sigh of relief.
Just knowing you are so well is beyond belief.
Today you had to go for three shots in your hip.
Dad took the camcorder to show us your fit.
The first shot you flinched ever so slight
You looked all around, your eyes were so bright!
So much for his proof of how loud you cry.
Not one yell or one tear, and we all know why.
You're too good of a baby to ever do that.
If you ever do, I'll eat my hat!
I saw you Monday and again on Wednesday.
I was shocked by what you'd learned in those two days.
You pull yourself up to a sitting position
And you're developing such a talkative disposition.
You try to grab anything within reach.
You quickly grasp anything that we teach.
Like a Japanese movie - you're out of sync,
First your mouth moves and then you speak.
You were playing on the couch by yourself today.
Your mom and dad looking the other way.
You got excited and pushed with your feet
And landed on the floor in a crying heap.
They rushed to see if you were OK
And quickly wiped the tears away.
They felt so bad and gave you lots of hugs.
We all told them, "Welcome to the club".
We had been at your house and had just gone home
When we arrived, there was a message on the phone.
Your mom gave us three guesses about what they had found.
I guessed her snake under the house on the ground.
But she said no that wasn't even close
So I gave up and she started to boast.
Your dad had found your first little tooth.
Bottom left front and isn't it cute?
You just cut it without any fuss.
No crying, or drooling, you kept it hushed.
Until one day you bit his finger
And there it was, you little stinker.
I visited you during lunch the other day.
Tried the Johnny Jumper to see if you'd play.
You twirled and swung and jumped 3 feet high.
All the while laughing - I couldn't believe my eyes.
You're learning so fast - by leaps and bounds.
You can't crawl, but roll over and over to get around.
You still topple over when you try to sit
But sometimes you catch yourself, if you think about it.
Your folks can't wait till you can talk and run around
And then it will be, "Shut up and sit down!"
I like you just the way you are, all cuddles and smiles.
You?ll grow up fast enough - stay a baby for awhile.
You had to go see a bunch of doctors today.
They evaluated you and here's what they had to say.
You are doing real well - nothing physical can they find.
But your upper motor skills are about 2 months behind.
As the doctors talked, you "talked" too.
They couldn't keep from laughing at you
The more they talked, the louder you'd be
Don't listen to them, listen to ME."
Labor Day was the last day they were to offer
Pictures taken by a professional photographer.
So we dressed you up and took you in.
You smiled, and smiled, and then smiled again.
We could hardly wait the week or so
Till the pictures came back and we could go
Pick them up; the salesman didn't have to persist
Because he knew they were too good to resist.
We couldn't wait to show them what we had.
The first to see them was your mom, and then dad.
You mom was a little hurt at what we had done.
She would have liked to be there for all the fun.
Great Grandma went with us so she could join
In the fun of surprising them and flipping a coin
To see who got which picture and which pose.
We wanted them all, as you would suppose.
As if we don't have a thousand of our own.
We take pictures of you all the time at home.
To catch all the funny faces that you make
So we will have them all as a keepsake.
In fact, the Dark Room knows us by name.
On Monday evening we play our game
Of "Tuesday Special" where we get two
For the price of one on our pictures of you.
Or if I can't wait until Tuesday p.m.
We'll run to K-Mart in Deming to have them
Developed in one hour so we can see
Just how cute you can really be.
You're learning so much and growing so fast
And only 10 months of your life have passed.
You're sitting and rolling, and crawling? (not quite)
And when you're eating, you'll give us a bite.
SWISH came over to evaluate you
And suggest different things we can do
To help you develop better and learn much more
Than just sitting or rolling on the floor.
They want you to go for "therapy" at the pool.
To play in the water, we ain't no fool.
And we know you'll look ever so cute
In your fancy new "Speedo" bathing suit!
Working hard, we took a break to have a bite to eat
We rested a bit and put up our feet.
We were all watching when you suddenly sat up
From your back on the floor to your fat little butt.
I've been writing to people on the Internet.
With babies your age with DS that I've met.
From Arizona there's Martha and little Scott.
And there's Holly and Jared from Connecticut.
We send each other pictures and discuss this and that.
It makes us feel better to be able to chat
About our little ones and any problems there are.
Luckily you haven't had any so far.
You have so many things to do these days,
So many different therapies you mom really stays
Busy running from here to there.
So many people giving you care.
Grandpa and I went to see you in PT
You weren't very happy and you let it be
Known by all that you weren't going to take it.
You turned red and cried and no one could mistake it.
But on Thursday we went back to see how you were.
We could tell you were actually having fun with her.
When it was over you mom asked if we would like
To take you a while and return you later that night.
What a silly question, of course we would!
We took you to eat and boy were you good!
You put on a show for all to see.
What a wonderful time for Grandpa and me.
On your first birthday, you were on TV.
Well, your picture was, for all to see.
It was of you wearing Grandpa Skinner's hat.
Wonder what everyone thought of that.
We've had you a year now, the time goes so fast.
We're all thankful for the year that just past.
I think back now to the day you were born.
And wonder why we were all so forlorn.
We just didn't see how special you are.
And that you would be our shining star.
Though the future may bring trouble and strife,
What a wonderful difference you've made in our life.