Myles Turns Four!

Happy Birthday Myles-Man! Four years ago today you made me a mama and taught me what it truly means to unconditionally love another. Your early days wrought with medical concerns seem like a lifetime ago and I often need to remind myself of how hard you have worked to be the little boy you are today. You are a fighter, a "soldier" as your name means, and we are proud of you.

For those that think all people with Down syndrome are easygoing, compliant, and always happy...well, they haven't met you little stinker! It's true you understand love, acceptance, and compassion beyond your years, but you are also stubborn and persistent (kind of like your daddy!). We butt heads over miscommunications and disagree about who should be in control, but even in these frustrating moments I find myself appreciating your sometimes hard-headed personality. You stick up for yourself and find creative ways to communicate your wants, needs, and feelings.

Your sister and soon-to-be little brother are so lucky to have you to look up to. You are an amazing big brother and I know you will always be looking out for them. You let Sydney have her way when something is not important to you, but negotiate with her when it is. You take turns and include her in all of your play. In the mornings you are so excited to see Sydney that you very often make your way to her room and wake her up well before she is ready. Anytime you hear her crying on the monitor you sign "baby cry" and say "me help" running toward the stairs to get her from her crib.

You are definitely our early riser, typically awake by 5:15 in the morning (this is killing your parents by the way). You don't need much time to adjust to the day and start your shenanigans first thing in the morning. The other week you were up before the sun as usual, so I decided to take an early morning shower. Daddy was awake with you in our bed when you made a dash for the kitchen. By the time he got there a mere few minutes later you had climbed onto the counter, dumped three remotes into a vase of water and flowers, and had stuck four knives in the toaster! (Daddy didn't tell me about the knives until later that day, smart choice Daddy.) This constant activity of yours keeps us going all day long and leaves me exhausted each night. You don't actually do many things to intentionally be "naughty," but you are busy, busy, busy, and still learning to control your impulses. I laugh when we go to friend's houses and they tell me there is nothing you can harm or get into when they see how closely I follow you, HA! I must not have shared with them the time about a month ago when you managed to throw about a dozen toys onto the roof when I was cleaning the windows with the screens off. I only turned my head for a minute! You are sneaky.

Your speech is coming along, and although I know I always mention it is slow progress, you are working very hard. You have several single words, and just this summer have started to try to combine words. You have said, "Where are you, Daddy?" "I did it." and "I got you." Often these phrases are only understood by those who know you best, and I'm sure you are saying a lot more that I cannot make out yet. I'm confident that someday we will look back at videos of you learning to talk and hear clearly what you were trying to say because of how proficient your speech will become. At least this is the goal we're all striving for. Your struggle with speech is the hardest thing for me right now and my greatest desire is for you to be able to express yourself in a way that everyone can understand. I see how frustrating it is for you, and in turn it is very frustrating and sad for me. We have good days and harder days, but your persistence keeps us motivated to stay patient and work hard for you.

I'm looking forward to what is already your fifth year of life and am so blessed to be your mama. Don't let anybody underestimate you little boy, you have amazing things to offer this world.