On November 18 2009 at 4:02 am William Alan Bartosch was joyfully welcomed into our family. He weighed in at 7 lbs 9 oz and 20 in long. We were stunned to discover that he was born with Trisomy 21, or Down syndrome. We love him unconditionally from the top of his toe-head to the tips of his toes. We know that this diagnosis will not define him. He is a happy, healthy little boy that just happens to have an extra chromosome.



Follow us on this unexpected and exciting journey as we learn how to live life Will's Way.



Monday, April 25, 2011

Happy Easter


We had a great Easter! 


Will and his cousins Ava and Jonas


Grandma and Grandpa with the 3 grandkids...very soon to be 4!  Baby Girl Brown will be here in just a couple weeks:)

I also wanted to share an email forward I had sent to me by Will's grandma.  It is a cute little tale of how God chooses moms of children with special needs.  It made me feel proud to think of it this way so I thought I would share it:)  Happy Easter!

Did you ever wonder how mothers of handicapped children are chosen?
Somehow I visualize God hovering over Earth selecting his instruments for
propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes, he instructs
his angels to make notes in a giant ledger.
"Armstrong, Beth; son; patron saint, Matthew."
"Forrest, Marjorie; daughter; patron saint, Cecelia."
"Rudledge, Carrie; twins; patron saint.... give her Gerard. He's used to
profanity."
Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles, "Give her a handicapped
child."
The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She's so happy." "Exactly," smiles God.
"Could I give a handicapped child to a mother who does not know
laughter? That would be cruel."
"But has she patience?" asks the angel.
"I don't want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a sea of
self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wears off, she'll
handle it."
"I watched her today. She has that feeling of self and independance.
She'll have to teach the child to live in her world and that's not going to be easy."
"But, Lord, I don't think she even believes in you."
God smiles. "No matter. I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just enough
selfishness."
The angel gasps, "Selfishness? Is that a virtue?"
God nods. "If she can't seperate herself from the child occasionally,
she'll never survive. Yes, there is a woman I will bless with a child less than
perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will
never take for granted a `spoken word.' She will never consider a `step' ordinary.
When her child says `Momma' for the first time, she will be present at a
miracle and know it! When she describes a tree or a sunset to her blind child, she
will see it as few people ever see my creations."
"I will permit her to see clearly the things I see---ignorance, cruelty,
prejudice--- and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I
will be at her side every minute of every day of her life because she is doing
my work as surely as she is here by my side."
"And what about her patron saint?" asks the angel, his pen poised in midair.
 God smiles.  "A mirror will suffice."

No comments: