Yesterday we went to the photo shop to get passport photos. Trying to get a photo of Lydia turned out to be a challenge. Everytime the photographer would get her attention, Lydia would smile and clap or fold her hands.
Lydia is such a happy little girl, she brings us so much joy. When she sees me across the room, she smiles and waves or claps! She makes our home happier. I can't help but think back to when she was one day old and the doctor sat me down and broke it to me that she had Down Syndrome. I remember trying to hold back the tears as I made my way back through the Nicu past Lydia's incubator, and back to my room in the maternity unit. Johan was looking after our other children over the road, so he wasn't there with me. Back in my room, I couldn't even cry as people kept coming in and out of my room.
I remember how I didn't like to tell people I met that she had Down Syndrome. Partly because I knew most people wouldn't want a baby with Down Syndrome (A lot of them are aborted) and maybe partly because I was still coming to terms with it myself. I remember hesitantly telling another mum from the Nicu. Her only comment was, "I bet she's beautiful!"
Thankfully once I had a chance to bond with her, it didn't matter anymore. All her health problems made the Down Syndrome side of it very insignificant!
One of the Nicu doctors told me that he has seen a lot of children with Down syndrome grow up. He said in the beginning the families are sad, but later on they turn out to be the happiest families!
As I look at Lydia today and thank God for the joy that she is to our family, I can't help but marvel how God can take a huge trial and turn it into something so beautiful!
Aw she's so beautiful!!
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