Fairytales Come True....

You cry a lot when you have a child born with Down Syndrome. You cry with disbelief when the dr. first tells you; you cry in anger  when you first bring him home; you cry with fear when the dr. tells you that he may not make it through his 2nd heart surgery; you cry with love when he first smiles at you; you cry with joy when he walks for the first time; you cry when other kids make fun of him; you cry with pride when he tells those same kids to leave him alone; you cry with astonishment when he wrestles his first opponent; you cry with frustration when you try to teach him to tie his shoes; you cry with happiness when he sings Silent Night in front of a hushed Christmas Eve congregation.  You assure him that it is a "happy cry" when he asks. Thank God there are so many happy cries as we grow with our children. Most recently, I experienced that same happy cry as his dear friend, Gabby, tried on countless gowns, looking for just the right one to wear to the prom when she and  Jared go this spring. Oh, if you could have seen her, first in pink, then in blue, then in another pink, and finally in the purple vision that she will wear.  She picked it because of all the "bling" on it-her words. I was so honored when she, while struggling between a white dress sprinkled with flowers and the purple with the high waist and said "bling", asked, "Randi, which one do you like the best?" With tears in my eyes, I assured her that Jared would find her beautiful in whatever she chose.  And he will.  I can hardly wait until he sees her on what will be one of the most magical nights of their lives.Gabby's mom, whom I've known since college, cried too.  You see, we weren't sure if our kids would ever make it to a prom, but they will, and Gabby will look beautiful. And Jared will look handsome. And we will cry.