Happy World Down Syndrome Day 2016!

Hi everyone,

We want to wish you a most happy World Down Snydrome Day!! Since people with Down Syndrome have 3 copies of the 21st chromosome (whereas others have 2 copies), March 21 (3/21) has been chosen as a day to celebrate the wonderful people with Down Syndrome who grace our world. So happy celebrating from us and Tiny to you!

Last week, our brother-in-law who is quite the outdoors-man astutely illustrated the beauty and uniqueness we see in Tiny not in spite of, but because of, the fact that he/she has Down Syndrome... Here you see a photo of a serving platter made out of what he recognized as Western Curly Maple. It just so happened that the taco appetizer we shared at dinner last week was served on a platter made from this kind of wood, but it turns out there was something even more special about it! If you look to the bottom right of the ringed part, you will see there is a part of the wood that stands out and looks like sunlight radiating through water. Doug explained to us that this is called chatoyance, and it is an irregularity in the wood for which there is no known cause. Although it is irregular, it is this quality that makes the piece of wood so beautiful, valuable, and full of a particularly special kind of life.  Without the chatoyance, it would just be another ol' piece of wood. And so it is with Tiny; Down Syndrome, while an irregularity that often has no known cause, is not a deficiency in Tiny's life, but in reality only makes this little person all the more beautiful and special. For us, we see Down Syndrome as one small part of what makes our baby fearfully and wonderfully made and we rejoice in it! We hope you will join us, today and every day, in celebrating Down Syndrome and advocating for the amazing people on this earth who are gifted with it!

Fun fact about Tiny and Down Syndrome: Tiny actually has a more rare form of Down Syndrome known as "Isochrome Down Syndrome". This means that the third copy of the 21st chromosome didn't actually split off on its own, and so our little one still has 2 pairs of chromosome 21, but one of the chromosomes is extra long and contains extra genetic material. This makes no difference in terms of the outcome for Tiny and how he/she will look or act compared to babies with the regular form of Down Syndrome. It is just an extra bit of chatoyance that makes our baby so special. 

It's hard to believe that in 3 weeks we'll be moved up to Edmonton, and 3 weeks after that, Tiny should be making his/her arrival. We can hardly wait!!!

In love and celebration,

Katelynn, David & Tiny

P.S. Here are some of our favourite videos about Down Snydrome. We highly recommend you take a few minutes to watch them!

1) "Dear Future Mom" from World Down Syndrome Day 2015 (Grab Kleenex!)

2) "How Do You See Me?" from World Down Syndrome Day 2016

3) "Two Conversations That Changed My Life" TED Talk with Tamara Taggart, CTV News Anchor in Vancouver & Mother of a Child with Down Syndrome (I watch this video every few weeks because it is just brilliant)