Who I Am

International Down Syndrome Coalition- IDSC:  
Write a blog post about the person you love, using the "Who I Am" theme.  

It's another challenge...and I am all about the challenges! ;-)  I mean my life doesn't offer enough so I should definitely be on the lookout for more.   Oh well, look at that - the Challenge was to incorporate "Who I Am" into my blog..and I did - so done!

Well not so fast.  We all know I am much more long winded than that, so there has to be more...there's always more.  I am actually supposed to Blog about someone I love with Down syndrome, that should be easy enough right...only, how do you put into words who my Bradley is, are there enough words?  I guess we'll just have to make sure there are.

I Am a Mom to three great kids, three amazing kids.  And though I could blather on about each of them forever, today it's about just one of them.  Today, it's about Bradley.  Though the girls don't say it often, there are times when it slips out that they think it's always about Bradley.  But then they quickly say, he's the baby and he's been sick.  They don't throw out there that he has Down syndrome too, because it isn't about the diagnosis: it's about the time away from home at hospitals, the extra effort to feed, bathe and care for him, it's about the delayed tuck-ins because we're still trying to get Bradley down while the girls are trying to stay awake to get that last tuck and kiss.  He takes a lot of work, he requires a lot of compromises - Daddy kisses and tucks tonight while they're awake, and Mommy kisses and tucks after they are asleep and tomorrow night we switch, and so on and so on.  And it works.

And it works...  Bradley has the ability to hold Chaos in one hand and Calm in the other; when he puts his hands together it's a maelstrom of activity - the Hurricane and the Eye...one shoe down, the other waiting to drop.  That's who he is.  He isn't a diagnosis, he's a force of nature.  Who is Bradley?

He is the baby that falls asleep in my arms, his cheeks flushed rosy in the warmth that happens between the two of us and the love that beats from his heart to mine.

He is the Daredevil that climbs up and over everything, and I mean everything - from the play yard to the baby gate, to the couch heedless of what might or might not catch him when he falls on the other side.

He is the consoler that reaches out to hold whomever is shedding tears, patting them on the back and laying his head on their shoulder.  Comforting by being sad with them.

He is the whisperer.  His words come in tiny sounds that make accidental words lost as quickly as they are found, but always heard on the wings of a whisper.

He is the communicator.  With his tiny fingers and little hands he uses his language to talk to me, and he makes sure that I understand the important points of our life together...  milk, eat, cookie, bath, diaper, more of everything.  Together he and I have learned over fifty signs, the trick is getting the family to catch up so he has someone else to talk too.

He is the dancer, on his own or in my arms, he dances beside me or he dances with his eyes sparkling as he looks up into mine before he hugs me tight and holds on for the ride.

He is the caretaker.  He dances with his baby as he turns in circles.  He rocks it back and forth - both front to back and side to side.  He lays it down and covers it up for sleeping and if the baby needs it, he sings to it by lying it down in his lap and signing the words to "Itsy, Bitsy, Spider" because that is his favorite.

He is the Charmer.  He is the bringer of joy to those who meet him.  His smile and adorable self encourage love while his temper reminds us that he is just like any other 3 year old boy Hell bent on giving his mom grey hairs.  And the combination makes for a frustrating albeit charming package.  

Is that it?  Is that enough?  No, there's more to Bradley.  There's always more.  With Bradley it's the way he makes you feel when he smiles at you, the way his big blue eyes capture your heart.  He doesn't say much with his mouth but his eyes speak from his soul encouraging you to be more than what you thought you could be, to love like you never thought you could, and to understand not only your place in this world but your place in his.  

I've spent my life trying to measure up, trying to live to my potential and always wondering where I land on that yard stick.  Who is Bradley?  He is the motivator, the push in my life to work harder and learn more to find every means to encourage and guide all three of my children to be who and what they are meant to be in this world.  Perhaps none of them will discover the cure for cancer or how to implement world peace, but honestly, I don't have those answers either.  But if I am lucky at all, all three of my children will feel their worth when they look in the mirror and each will always know how much they are loved.  

Who is Bradley?  He is more than enough, and so much more than we ever believed possible.  Considering we're really just getting started...who he will be is going to be one amazing journey!