"Bundle of love"

What a day! Happy 4th of July everyone. I am too tired to really say all that I want to say, however, I haven't posted for a while and I have thoughts I want to share. I always feel a bit of anxiety every time I come to Utah, and this time was no different. Now that I am here, I am happy to have this time in Salt Lake. It was really good for me to have 3 months in Michigan to adjust to having my third child before coming to Utah.
I would guess that more than half of my friends who read my blog know about Tyler, but for those of you who don't, Tyler was born with Down Syndrome. It feels a little weird that I haven't mentioned it before on my blog but I guess I preferred to keep the shock of it all more to myself. My purpose in writing this entry is to let my friends know that I am comfortable talking about it, and people do not need to be afraid to bring it up. I am going to give a little recap of how it happened.
I had a wonderful pregnancy, the best of all three. I felt strong and healthy right up until the end. I had two ultra sounds that showed him as a healthy baby boy. I believe that if I would have had Tyler at a hospital, my experience would have been extremely different than it was in the birthing center. (Other mom's I know who recently had down syndrome babies got a very different reaction when their babies were born) I feel the way our midwife handled the whole situation could not have been better. She gave Dave and I about 2-3 hours to bond with Tyler and get a little sleep before she came in to tell us the news. It would have been too much for me to handle if I would have been told right off the bat. I am grateful for those few hours to feel at perfect peace about the birthing experience and about my new son.
Dave and I were both emotional and overwhelmed after hearing that Tyler had Down Syndrome. It is hard to put into words our thoughts and feelings during those first few days. Although we were scared and unsure, I remember clearly, that more than anything else, I felt an outpouring of love for my little Ty. I still do. It is a love that I don't think I have felt before in quite the same way.
There is so much I could say and write, and perhaps I will at a later time. Sometimes I feel like my life as I imagined it is now completely different; different in a really good way. It excites me to see the way in which Tyler is opening my eyes to a whole new world.
I was a little nervous about bringing him to Salt Lake, because I wonder what people are thinking and I don't like to make people uncomfortable by bringing it up. I feel like I have the best friends, family, and neighbors in the world though. Dave and I have been shown so much love. Thank you for that. We needed it. I love my three kids so much. Tyler is doing great. We have nothing to be concerned about at this time with him health wise. What a blessing. I have no doubt that there are going to be numerous challenges, but Dave and I will just take them as they come. At just three months of age, you can sense something special and unique about Tyler. He's my little "bundle of love".