Love is Blind.

Sometimes, when I'm busy doing super-important things, I hear angels singing the hallelujah chorus.  It happened today, and my heart melted a hundred times over.

I'm mid-wash on the kitchen floors, and Carter and Haleigh are doing who-knows-what in the living room.  I'm thinking about how the floors still look so cloudy after 2 washes with vinegar + water, and why aren't they clearing up?  Our soup-for-lunch is almost boiling over on the stove, wait - is Moses barking?  Oh, no.  He's not...

And then I hear it.

"Carter - let's play a game.  You roll the ball to me, and I'll roll it to you.  Ready?  Roll!"

Giggles.  

"Good job, Buddy!  After this maybe Ashley will let us have a snack on the couch and watch a movie.  Roll it back, Carter!"

Laughter.

"Carter, should we  play with your piggy?  You lay down and I will throw it on you."

Commotion + Laughter.  

This goes on and on and on - and do you know why this makes my heart melt?

Haleigh's love for Carter is blind.  She doesn't see special needs.  She doesn't see Down syndrome.  She doesn't see a boy who can't - won't - isn't.

Am I the only one who wants to weep with joy at the sight of this photo?
Friendship between littles - so very special.

She sees her friend, Carter.

And I wonder...what do I see when I look at Carter?  I'm not talking about what my eyes see - I'm talking about what my heart sees.

Since Carter started school in September, I've been a busy mama doing what I can to help him learn & grow.  Guess what?  Carter has Down syndrome.  It affects how he learns.  How he processes information.  How he grasps new concepts.  How he functions in the world around him.  There is no way around this.  Down syndrome will always be a part of Carter.

And we'll embrace it (we chose it, after all).  We'll learn how to best help him.  And we will love every single piece of him - yes, we will (and do) love his extra chromosome.

But.

He's a little boy - first and foremost.  Which is exactly how sweet Haleigh sees him.

Carter is a (cute, sweet, adorable, squeezable) little boy.  A little boy who loves this big, ridiculous, stuffed pig.  And Elmo.  And mini m&m's.  He's a little boy who is newly potty-trained - and he did it in a week (that's huge, right?!).  He's a little boy who loves school - loves his teachers - loves his friends - loves to read books - loves to go to the store - loves - loves - loves life.

Maybe I need to focus on Carter's other 46 chromosomes as much as I do his extra one.

Because, after it's all said & done, he's really just a little boy.

One Thing I Know For Sure: Learning lessons from three year olds...good stuff.