looks

Everyone loves to play the who-does-the-child-look-like game.  Monkey bear gets it all the time - strangers, close relatives, and people we see once in a while.  But not my buddy.  Very few ever make a comment on who he looks more like.  It is because all they see is Down syndrome?

I find my buddy irresistibly cute (so I am a little biased) but I also see Down syndrome all over him.  When we are at the park and a well meaning mom says how good he is walking or how cute he is, I wonder, "Did she leave out - considering he has Down syndrome."  Can strangers tell?  Do they see it in his almond eyes and squashed in nose?  Or do they genuinely think he is cute and a great walker? 

As for me, I see it both ways.  My buddy warms my heart and is adorable.  He strides up and down the hallway with such confidence and pride.  But I also see the hours of physical therapy that got him to walk.  And the slightly flat side to his head because his low tone as a baby caused him to favor one side. 

I sometimes find myself wondering - is my buddy acting that way because it's just how he is or is it the Down syndrome.  As if Down syndrome is something separate and not all jumbled up in the DNA that makes us each unique.  I just read a quote that said, "What if people with Down syndrome don't have an extra chromosome, and we're just missing one?" 

Now there's a new way to look at things.