Dear Future Mom

So lately I have been posting all this great stuff on my mom's Facebook wall but completely forgetting to blog about it! so I will catch up over the next few days with the stuff I've posted to her over the last month.

This video is absolutely brilliant and makes me tear up every time I watch it. Everyone should see it. It also makes me wonder about the situation of individuals with Down Syndrome in other countries. Are they more or less socially accepted? How are they supported in schools and by the government? Do the skills of individuals with Down Syndrome change from country to country depending on how much they are allowed to grow?

Time To Sleep

I was sitting next to Jillian eating my dinner when she glanced up at the clock and said, "Oh my gosh it's 7 o'clock! Time to get to bed!" and put her head face down on the table to "sleep".

 I guess that's one way to do it.

Days of the Week

Yesterday I learned my sister has a solid grasp of time in relation to weekdays.

My car battery was dead, so I asked my dad to come jump it for me. Since I had to leave my car on for a while I decided I might as well drive home and eat.

I arrived at the same time as my dad, so when my sister opened the door expecting to see just my dad, she flashed a look of genuine surprise and delight before putting on her exaggerated "surprise face".

After I took my coat off she stood at my side and starred up at me with a wide smile. "Whatcha doing Jill?" I asked. "Nothing" she beamed. Now, at this point I knew I shouldn't tell her my plan to have a special day with her because she doesn't have a perfect concept of time and will only talk nonstop about it until it happens, but I couldn't resit. I was just too excited. "I think over break, you and I should have a Minecraft day! We can build a big pillow bed and get a special snack at Hyvee in the morning!" I said. She sputtered a triumphant "YES" before a perplexed look halted onto her face. "Oh but...my wallet" she said sadly, implying she didn't have any money. I joked, "Oh don't worry we can use mom and dad's credit card" She instantly smiled again and started making hilarious gestures and phrases about spending money that she must have heard from movies. To try and avoid her asking about it everyday, I said that we would do it on Saturday. To my utter surprise she glanced towards the calendar and said smoothly, "Oh Thursday, Friday, Saturday! That's three days away"!

Wow. Well I guess I'll see you Saturday then Jill!

Jillian's Wisdom

After an evening hanging out with my wonderful sister I have learned two very important things:

- I must have asked Jillian at least 20 pointless questions about her well-being in the course of the night ("Did you want to sit closer?" "Are you tired?") and to each question she simply replied "No worry". You know what Jillian? You have it exactly right. I worry and over-complicate things way too much.

- Whenever I go out with Jillian I am bolder, nicer and happier. When she suddenly threw her coat down in the lobby and burst into dance, at first I was compelled to tell her to stop because I thought she might embarrass herself. But I stopped myself. Jillian clearly didn't care. We weren't in anyone's way. Again, Jillian has it exactly right. Social pressure? What's that? Wouldn't it be great if we all lived freely enough to just burst into dance when we felt like it?

As you are often prone to say of yourself Jillian, you're awesome.