31 for 21: Patience (10)

I will admit that patience has not always been my virtue.  I feel as though through much of life I have been in a rush to make sure that I am not late, I get done what I am supposed to, and I fit in everything that is needed.  Chris laughs at me almost daily because I am the first one done with dinner and if you saw me walk anywhere, I am always walking briskly.  Despite my lack of patience for time, I seem to have it in other areas.  However, when Colin was born, I was forced to find patience in me that I never really had for a lot of things.  

Because of some of the challenges that kids with Down Syndrome face, they often don't fit the same "guidelines" for development that *most* children fall in.  When it came to holding his head up, sitting, crawling, standing, walking, talking, potty training, eating, and even smiling, Colin seemed to have his own timelines.  At first when we started comparing (which you should never really do despite it being a natural habit) Colin to other kids, it would feel overwhelming because he was always just behind his typical peers.  Even now, a lot of those differences stand out.  

However, one thing we have learned on this journey with Colin is that you must have patience and you must let go of timelines that people that fit the "regular" mold fall into.  While it has been difficult waiting for Colin to acquire certain skills (and mostly because we have always felt skills like walking and talking would benefit Colin to accomplish), once he does, the reward is so worth the wait.  

If there was ONE piece of advice I could give to anyone facing a new diagnosis it would be to be patient.  While I know this is difficult when you are IN any situation (and looking back, I have certainly stressed and been impatient through different time periods of Colin's development) you just have to remember that they WILL do it.  But, just like anyone, we do things when we are ready.  

A little bit of patience and a LOT of love go a long way...

...And in the end, it will be so worth the wait, whatever it is.  (Now I just have to keep telling MYSELF that DAILY through potty training!)