Ty has been full of surprises since he was the size of a grain of rice. At my first doctor's appointment, I was told that I was nearly 12 weeks along in my pregnancy. As I lay on the table, the doctor tried and tried again to locate his heartbeat unsuccessfully. Finally, we were sent for an ultrasound. Nervously, I stared at the monitor and watched in amazement as my baby flickered across the screen. He was a whopping 8 millimeters long, and to everyone's surprise, only 6 weeks gestation! My pregnancy was put into rewind! 5 weeks later, I arrived for my actual 3-month check-up. Once again, I lay on the examining table, anxiously waiting to finally hear my baby's heartbeat and once again, nothing. This time, I was scared. Our doctor moved us to the ultrasound room, as I prayed that the little life inside of me was okay. After what seemed like an eternity, Ty popped up on the screen, wildly kicking his legs and waving his arms at us. The little bugger had been hiding all along! He had only been in existence for a matter of weeks, and already he had tricked his parents twice! As my pregnancy progressed, more concerns arose. From 20 weeks on, we were faced with words like "ventricular septal defect", "chylothorax", "craniosynostosis", and "chromosomal abnormality". My baby was scanned from every angle once a week, and analyzed by various doctors. He truly was a mystery to everyone. We were told to prepare for multiple surgeries, a "blue baby" at birth, and an extended stay in the NICU. No one knew what was wrong with him, but they were convinced that it would be serious. The moment Ty made his entrance into the world, he once again began to stun everyone that he met. He arrived kicking and screaming, like he was so excited to finally be able to stretch. After much examination, Ty's apgar scores were 7 and 9. Best of all, he was healthy and didn't need any medical interventions. We were amazed. Ty's greatest surprise of all though, was revealed shortly after his birth - Down syndrome. I can't remember our exact reaction to hearing the news, but I remember thinking, "Okay, but he's healthy?!" Down syndrome was something familiar, something I could actually pronounce. A little something extra in his chromosomal repertoire was something that we could handle. Nearly a year later, Ty continues to surprise and amaze us every day. He sneaks large, wet kisses on our cheeks when we're not looking; and he creeps up on the dogs to feel their fur. He bursts out with deep belly laughs when I kiss his neck, and pops his head up from his crib to flash a huge smile when I think he's fast asleep. He has already given us more than we could have ever dreamed of. Everyone loves a good surprise, and we are fortunate enough to have one that will last us a lifetime!