SpongeBob

Have you ever seen one of those sponges with advertising that you get at the fair or the home show? The kind that are dry and flat and turn into regular sized sponges when you put a few drops of water on them. They grow before your very eyes and kids love them until they figure out that it only works one time and no amount of mashing with an iron is going to make it work again. Kirk grows like that--right before your very eyes. He's always been the tall kid and his pants never seem to be long enough. Top 95th percentile for height.

And then there is Suzanne... My Precious Peanut. My Little Ray of Sunshine. I'm proud to announce that at the age of 3 years 3 months, Suzanne has now climbed her way into the bottom 20th percentile for height and weight!! She is a whopping 28 1/2 lbs. and 35 inches tall!!

What she lacks in stature, she makes up for in personality...

Yesterday, in the pouring rain, we drove to Lake Oswego to participate in a Buddy Walk. The Buddy Walk was established by the National Down Syndrome Society in 1995 to celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness Month in October. It was the first time that we were around a lot of kids with DS and had the opportunity to chat with other parents. In spite of the weather, it was a great day and the kids had fun. These folks know how to throw a barbecue--in addition to hot dogs and burgers, they had a plate of PB&J which totally made Suzanne's day! A girl can stand soggy pants and being trapped in a stroller as long as she's got her PB&J and a bag of chips...

What we discovered is that we aren't the only ones with interesting and frustrating challenges. One family told us about their 8-year old son, Eli, who likes to call 911 operators--a lot. Suzanne has hit the redial a couple of times and called Grandma or Aunt Susan, but she's never actually called a stranger. Makes her poop nuggets seem not so bad.

It was just nice to meet parents with whom we immediately had something in common. Having a child with a disability is very isolating because your friends can't really relate to your struggles. For example, what do you do when your kids get home from school? You ask them how their day went. Unless they are a stinky adolescent, they will probably answer and you can have a conversation. Not so with Suzanne. She doesn't have the ability to answer that question yet, so I was totally in the dark about how school was going for her. Fortunately, I got an idea from another DS parent and we now send her with a notebook so the teacher can write notes about how things are going for her. It gives me a little peace of mind about what is happening while she's away from home.

I hear my little 35 inch whirlwind now...we take bets on what she'll be wearing and I'm betting on shirt but no pants. Kirk has just bellowed down the stairs and indeed, she is wearing no pants. Kirk thought she'd be totally nakey--I win again!