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.



Sunday, August 22, 2010

Thank You

Thank you to all of the wonderful people that have registered and donated to Team Will's Way. We are getting much closer to our goal of $1000 thanks to your support. I hope you all know what this means to our family. I can't not thank you enough for accepting and loving this little boy that we think the world of:)

Sunday, August 15, 2010

OSU PT Lab Experience




Last week Will participated in an OSU Physical Therapy class lab session. The lab is part of the course work that the Physical Therapy students have to complete and was an hour long session in which Will got tossed around by 4 second year PT students in an effort to learn more about pediatric Physical Therapy. We volunteered our time so that we could get some free PT and viewed it as a good chance to network and possibly learn something new. We brought Will's friend Sam along as well since his mom had to work:(
So the students played with Will, and with Sam, and then tried different exercises with him and discussed which direction they would take his therapy if he was their patient. It was interesting and fun and since I am trying to soak up as much information as possible I figured it couldn't hurt:) (Although it would have hurt if Meredith hadn't agreed to help me get the two boys down there with Ava and Jonas in tow...since I hurt my shoulder last week and OSU's campus is not exactly easy to navigate with a double stroller...thank God for sisters!)
I also think that the more exposure Will has to other people the better...but more importantly the more exposure other people have to Will, the more accepting they will be of him, and all people with Down syndrome and other disabilities:) It was a win, win!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Buddy Walk 2010

The Columbus Buddy walk is October 3, 2010!
This walk benefits the Down Syndrome Association of Central Ohio and promotes awareness and acceptance of all individuals with Down Syndrome. It is a great chance to show your love, support and acceptance of Will and also to raise money for this organization that provides valuable programs and resources for our family and many others. DSACO has provided us with much needed support and resources for the last 8 months and we are so grateful to them.
We would be delighted if you could join us for the walk, but if you can't, we would also greatly appreciate any donation that you are able to give.
The 1-mile walk starts at 10am and there are fun activities for the kids after we walk. We hope to set up a tailgate before the walk, as is the tradition, and celebrate Will's life. Please go to http://www.columbusbuddywalk.org/ to register to walk with Will or to donate in Will's name, by choosing 'Team Will's Way' at the top of your registration or donation page.
Thank you for loving Will and for supporting our family:)

Indians Game

Will's second Cleveland Indians game in his short little life:)

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Two Buddies

Will and his friend Sam:) Sam and his mom are great and have helped us navigate this strange and crazy world of doctors, therapies and the system that we find ourselves in. We are lucky to have met them and so enjoy spending time with them!

Will's Sweet Tooth

Our friend that is also a Pediatric Physical Therapist gave us a tip that I should try letting Will dip food in things to get him interested. She suggested ketchup or salsa but knowing my little guy and the sweet tooth he has already developed, we tried maple syrup. It worked! He brought it straight to his mouth and has been doing it ever since. As you can see in the picture he is practically choking himself with the cracker to get the syrup off. Great suggestion! Thanks Holly:)

Monday, August 2, 2010

Elmo

In this video Will is playing with one of his pal's Elmo toy. At first he just stared at Elmo and then he looked at me like, 'what is this thing?'! After a few moments he got curious and started grabbing Elmo to find out more. Take note of how he startles when Elmo laughs...it is funny:)