Hi, my name is Krystal. I am writing this story to share my wonderful journey with our blessing Landon. Landon entered our lives on August 10, 2006. We were eager, excited new parents. Minutes after Landon’s birth, we were told he may have Down syndrome and the world as we knew it changed forever! We were 27 years old and kept thinking “ this doesn’t happen to young couples.” We have a plan and this doesn’t fit into our plan. How will we handle this? Scared doesn’t even describe how we felt!
Fast-forward one year later. Landon is growing, learning, and the absolute joy of our life. We attend therapy, go to doctor visits, we vacation, have family dinners. We play, laugh, sing! We live! During our alone time, we like to reflect on our year with Landon , and we smile and say “we did it!” No actually… Landon did it! He taught us so much, and showed us the amount of love that we never knew was possible. He smothers our lives with happiness! He actually brought us closer as a couple. When we used to think it had to be this way for perfection or we needed this to be happy, he showed us none of that matters. As parents we all wish we could slow down and really cherish the baby days. Well with Landon we got that! Yes, Down syndrome delays development, but for us we took that as a blessing to really enjoy every, single step with Landon. We were able to snuggle and hold him a little bit longer. We got to really celebrate every milestone he reached! When meeting new parents, I always tell them “every day is a reason to celebrate, because seeing them finally achieve a goal is like winning a gold medal!"
Today, Landon is a happy, beautiful six-year-old. He attends Kindergarten. He loves dogs and running outside. He has friends and loves watching Toy Story. He dislikes bath time and going to bed. He loves whole heartily and though he may not be able to say I love you well, we know with every cell in our bodies he loves us! He shows love in everything he does. He is like any typical six-year-old, just with an extra chromosome!
On May 2, 2011 we added a new addition to our family. A sister for Landon. He is the best big brother ever and calls her sissy. Sitting back and watching them interact brings even more love to our hearts! We are complete! So today, six years later, we know how blessed we are. We know we are the lucky ones chosen to have a child with Down syndrome. Landon didn’t change us, he just improved who we are! We slow down more, we cherish every minute God gives us as a family and we simply love! That’s what Landon does - just love!