When my nephew Robert was born with Down syndrome 19 years ago, we were shocked and we grieved the loss of our idea of a perfect child. I was chosen as his godmother and his dad said it was because he knew I would defend Rob against anyone who ever made fun of him. And I would have! I brought Rob to all of his therapy appointments. He knew when he saw me that he was going somewhere to work hard and he was usually not happy that I was there! He was such a cute kid and very mischievous. He wasn’t as quick as his older brother, but he surprised us in so many other ways. I lost all sense of grief concerning his diagnoses. We were not missing anything, we were blessed. My pregnancy was a surprise. I thought I had a virus and was premenopausal. Our first two boys were fertility babies, so I never considered pregnancy. When the OB smiled and said “You’re not premenopausal, you’re pregnant” I was shocked again! Because of my advanced age we opted for all the testing. I knew in my heart there was something wrong with the baby and when we received the diagnosis of Trisomy 21, I wasn’t that surprised. Of course I was sad. Everyone wants their child to grow up and be perfect and win straight A’s and become president and cure cancer in the same year! But no one is perfect. God may not give you what you want, but he gives you what you need. I believe that Robert was brought into our family for many reasons. He has changed so many preconceived notions not only in our family, but in his community. God opened my eyes with Robert to the joy and happiness of knowing and loving someone with Down syndrome. God was preparing me for Jack. I could easily wrap my brain around having and loving this baby because I already knew what it meant. It meant slowing down, it meant endless laughter, it meant lots and lots of therapy, it meant messy eaters and lots of diapers, it meant soft kisses and sweet coos and reactions that make me giggle uncontrollably. It meant seeing things through eyes that see more good in the world than bad. My Jack will affect my life and the life of all he meets. He is what God gave to me, my own blessing. And I am so, so lucky to have this child with Down syndrome.