the real deal holyfield

hey everybody, well, once again I seem to be typing stuff in this long vacant space after an extended absence for which I have no discernable nor credible explanation. Oh well, que sera. Our little girl turns 3 months (!) tomorrow, and we are shocked & awed in disbelief that the time has flown by so, uh, quickly. Kiddo is almost ready to be turned longways in her crib fer crying out loud. She is an absolute joy and the mellowest little lovebug, she wakes up and stares up at her mobile and always just chills out and has her time before hollering that she wants breakfast. Then she starts making little sounds, letting you know that hungry time has settled in. then I go pick her up and snuggle her and kiss her and tell her how beautiful and what a cutie pie she is, and then she eats and swings in her swing and lays in her pack n play and does tummy time and smiles and makes little cooing sounds and looks around at everything and opens her eyes wide and makes the cutest possible expressions that could ever be possibly made in the universe. And maybe about 1% of the time I stop and think and remember she has down syndrome. Wacky!

Really the only thing that reminds us of said fact is her weekly visits from easter seals fantastic physical therapist, who puts her through a nice regimen of babyrobics. Other than that, wow, blessed is not even the word to describe, I mean, doesn’t cover it? Our physical therapist, whose girlfriend has a child with DS, and who works with LOTS of kids born with DS, told my wife that our little girl was the first that he’d met/worked with that DIDN’T have to have any heart surgery. I seriously still look at her sometimes and think “does she really?” but hey genetic evidence shows the three lil buggers on numero 21.

And we STILL have not told anyone. Wacky! (word of the day) NOT cuz we are ashamed, NOT cuz we’re afraid (ok, maybe a little) but I don’t know, I really don’t know, it’s like, once the cat’s out of the bag, it’s out, and you have to acknowledge it, and talk about it, and blah blah blah. She’s a little girl, she’s healthy, she’s lifting her head and cooing and aahing and looking and smiling and doing all the things that cute little girls do, so, um, sigh. Yup, reality is to set ASAP, though, this I know. I will be telling the folks mighty soon. Really. Seriously. Shooting for 6th birthday? Har har. Sigh shalom etcetera.

Other than that mild stressor, the anticipation of releasing the NEWS, (yes, yes, you’ve heard it before), and that is prolly why I have shamefacedly not posted as much?? Other than that all is incredibly well. We love parenthood, we love staying up late and feeding her, and laughing with her, and laying around with her, and going on walks with her, and watching her discover the world around her. I think that is the part I love the most, every “first” time she notices something and starts interacting with it, be it a toy hanging in her pack n play, her mobile, her stuffed turtle, the stained glass lamp by the door, the dog, the wall, a streetlight, the people shuffling this way and that as we cross a busy Waikiki intersection, just seeing her so interested and absorbing and fascinated and happy and smiling and wondering and curious just does this Dad’s heart so so so so good. Er, well. Er, positively enhanced. Whatever. I like it.