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.



Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Father's Day at the Lake

Will had a fun weekend at the lake for Father's Day.  He can't actually go in the lake because of his ear tubes, so he played in the pool filled with bottled water:)  Will can only go in treated, chlorinated water with his ear tubes unless he has custom ear molds to block out any water.  Maybe someday I will have the time to go and get the impressions done to have them made:(  For now, the pool was very entertaining!




Will is getting so close to taking a step!  He pulls himself up on EVERYTHING, lets go and leans foward like he is going to step, but then usually plops to his butt!  He is getting stronger and braver every day!  Slow and steady wins the race :)




Monday, June 20, 2011

2011 Columbus Buddy Walk!

The 2011 Columbus Buddy Walk is Sunday, September 18!  Visit Team 'Will's Way' page today to register or donate!  We appreciate all your love and support:)  http://www.columbusbuddywalk.org/


Monday, June 13, 2011

Big Boy

So now Will has decided he is going to take the whole straw drinking issue into his own hands!  He started doing this yesterday while getting impatient with me:)


Will is getting so big and as excited as I am to see him make such great progress, part of me wants him to stay a baby forever!  I know this is a typical feeling that many parents have, but part of it is also because of my fear of his future.  The older he gets the less like his peers he will be, and I just still have a hard time with that.  Right now our life is really pretty 'normal' and Will does most everything that his peers do.  I try not to let myself think too far and just continue to take one day at a time.  For now we will sit back and sip our apple juice:)
Also take note of the end of the video...he is about ready to drop it off the tray!  This is no accident, he and I argue about this often.  Mr. Will is ornery!

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Therapy Fun

Heres a video of Will and Daddy doing some therapy with the ball.  Depending on Will's mood therapy can either be a little too much fun and not enough work, or miserable for everyone involved.  As you can see Will loves to bounce on the ball!


Working on the ball helps to strengthen Will's core.  It is amazing how many times I have been told that core strength will help Will with something.  Core strength is key to walking, talking, eating and most everything else!  So sometimes we play on the ball and sometimes we work on the ball but all of it is good!