She’s my star.

My little-big bean turned ten months about a week before Christmas and for some reason it was very emotional for me.

She is becoming very active now, rolling and army-crawling about to get to where and what she wants. I always knew she’d grow to be a stubborn little thing, and damned if the child hasn’t proved me right thus far. But she is also extremely loving and charming, ever-ready with a smile (any opportunity to show off her new teeth), and she makes me laugh-out-loud guffaw at least a couple times a day.

Parents of children with Down Syndrome are all too familiar with The List Of Things Your Child Won’t Ever Do, and for the most part, I’ve managed to ignore the naysayers and let the girl develop as she may, with a little help from her DT Patti and OT Amanda.

One of my life’s mantras is “nothing happens before its time,” and Aisha has been a true example of that. Over the past nine months, she gave little hints of the spark that lies within; rolling and grasping, sitting up and demonstrating an understanding of simple commands: “give me” or “head down” (applicable at nap time), “put bum down” (because “sit” reminds me too much of dog training), “legs up/down” for diaper changes and so on.

But last month, her tenth month, and now into January, she seems to have just…taken off. She has completely aced the milestone checklist that her DT and I had set for the end of 2014, even showing the inklings of a few new skills (spoon-feeding herself, holding her bottle and the first signs of actually crawling on all fours).

She still has a ways to go, I know, but for the second time since I’ve started this blog, I’ve allowed myself to exhale. As the mother of a child with special needs – as HER mother, I have maintained a realistic (almost cynical) view of what I think Aisha will accomplish vs. what she has accomplished vs. what people think about her accomplishments thus far. It’s a delicate balance, and while I appreciate everyone marvelling about how well she seems to be doing, or how she “doesn’t look” like she has Down Syndrome, the very fact of the matter is that she does. Her abilities/appearance now are no indicators (positive or negative) of how she will do in the future, however, I’m still pretty chuffed by what she’s accomplished thus far.

I am so proud of this little girl. May she continue to grow and shine.

Happy ten months, Baba! I love you.