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You've got to live the life you love. You've got to love the life you live.

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Monday, December 14, 2009

I Love It Here In Holland

I don't really know what to say, only that I feel so blessed and privileged to have Gavin in my life. I've felt Gods love for me more this passed week than I EVER have. I truly know that I am a special daughter of his, and he knows me personally; he has a special plan for Nathan and I on this Earth.
Last Wednesday we found out that little Gavin is an EXTRA special little boy. He has what is called Mosaic Down Syndrome. Its a rare type of down syndrome -only about 1% of people with downs have Mosaic. Basically, with Gavin, only half of his cells have the extra chromosome. So technically...he's only half downs :) which is why he doesn't look like he has it.

We were given this little poem by Gavin's Dr. I like it a lot. :)

WELCOME TO HOLLAND
by Emily Perl Kingsley.

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandt's.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.
But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

9 comments:

  1. wow, what a special calling you have. and that is such a beautiful picture!

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  2. WOW! That is a wonderful poem! Congratulations on your beautiful baby boy. Your picture is absolutely precious. You will be a wonderful mother for that special boy.

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  3. Brooke! I happened to run across your blog today and wanted to say hi! Gavin looks so precious and you will be wonderful parents to him, I have no doubt. Your story touched me a little personally...about two years ago we had a little boy with trisomy 18, but he only made it to twenty weeks. You are so blessed to have such a sweet little boy and I wish you the best!

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  4. Beautiful poem and I love the picture! You guys are awesome, I wish we lived closer so we could hang out again like the ol'times. I hope we can meet Gavin in person, he's such a sweet boy! Hooray for baby boys!

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  5. That picture is so precious I love it. I want to meet Gavin. Thank you for sharing that poem, I loved it. You and Nate are going to be wonderful parent for this special boy, who came from our Heavenly Father.

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  6. Brooke, It is an amazing thing to be a mother and I know you will be such a good mommy. If you ever would like to hang out some time I am here in utah while Steven is deployed. It would be nice to hang out with someone my own age and also has a new little baby. Your attitude is already showing what an amazing mother you will be.

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  7. I LOVE IT! You are so blessed! TRULY BLESSED! He is beautiful and that poem, gave me the chills!!!
    You are so great! :)

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  8. A very special mommy for a very special baby. :)

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  9. Hey! You guys are so adorable!!! Love your little cute family.
    Thanks for sharing that poem. I'm totally bawling! Ok, love you!

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May 24, 2008

May 24, 2008