To: My Beautiful Son, Austin (Who will one day prefer that I don’t call him beautiful)

From: Your Loving Father (Who promises not to call you beautiful in front of your friends)

Austin,

Almost 2 weeks ago you came into our lives. Truth be told, we had been waiting on you for the past 9 months. Mom was ready for you to get here! Yesterday we found out something Mommy and I already knew in our hearts. Yesterday, you were diagnosed with Down Syndrome. Austin, we are not worried. We feel like you are a blessing in our lives. There is nothing that can change that. On that night that you arrived in our home you helped Mommy accomplish two things she has always wanted to do - you were born at home and you were born “naturally” (Naturally = a lot of screaming and clawing at Daddy’s arm). We felt a peace that night that was different from anything I think either of us has felt before. It was an awesome experience. That night Thalia, our midwife, told me that she was concerned you might have Downs and that we needed to get you to the doctor to make sure. I was surprised that what she said didn’t worry me. Austin, ever since Mommy and I got married I felt that we would have a child with special needs. As I watched your mom and I grow over the years I became more and more convinced that it would happen. That night, as I held you in my arms and watched you sleep, I came to know how much God loves you, and me, and our family. We’ve been waiting on you for some time now, and we are so happy to have you with us. You will never need to fear not being loved, because you are so loved. Mommy told me, after the midwives had left, that the first time she held you, she also thought you might have Downs. Her first thought was for your tiny little heart. Austin, we want you to know that we will never look on you as anything but a blessing to our family. You’re stuck with us, so you better get used to being an Angus! You have a brother and a sister who have also been looking forward to your arrival. James is ready and willing to teach you anything you want to know, and help you grow and play, and learn. Jade’s only concern at the moment is that you learn quickly to kick a soccer ball. There is no doubt you were meant for us and us for you. Life will hold some different challenges now, but nothing that we can’t handle together. The scriptures tell us “… In all things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” We are honored to have you with us, and without you our family would not be complete. Your Mommy is one of the strongest, caring, and loving women I know. She has so much love to give you. You will soon find out that she is an amazing person (As proof to this statement I present the fact that she has been married to me for almost 10 years, and isn’t tired of me yet!). Our home is perfect for you, and I hope and pray that you will feel the love that we have for you. I hope you know that we are ready and willing to help you learn and grow. We will give you every opportunity that you want. You are amazing, my beautiful baby boy. We have received so many tender mercies from God, and we feel so blessed that you are with us. I promise that you will experience skinned knees, bee stings, bike crashes, and many other things that little boys do. But with them you will also experience the love, hugs, and kisses that come from a family that would not be complete without you. We love you Austin. Welcome home.

Love,

Daddy (who will always secretly think of you as beautiful)

To our family and Friends;

We wanted a way to let everyone know about Austin in a way that would let you all know that we are OK with it. We really have felt at peace. We have great friends and family and are so excited to have this sweet blessing in our lives. We do not feel cheated or sad. We are mindful that the future may hold some challenges, but doesn’t it always? We are grateful for the trust that our Heavenly Father has in us to have Austin in our lives. There is an old adage says that it takes a village to raise a child. At some point many of you will have an influence in his life as you have had in the lives of our other children. We plan on treating him the same as James and Jade. We hope you will to. Thank you all for your love and support. We have faith, and know that God is good. He is with us. The scriptures say “We love him because he first loved us.” We are honored and truly amazed at the blessing of having Austin. We are aware of parents who have children that go through, and as a result themselves, so much more than we have, or will have to. We pray for them also. Families are meant to be forever. We are nothing less than grateful for our newest addition, Austin Paul Angus!

For more information on Down Syndrome you can go here http://www.ndss.org/