To be honest, there isn’t a ton to say about DD5 in all of this. But how could I not post this cute picture of her??? She isn’t quite old enough to totally “get it” that there is anything that different about her oldest brother. Which in itself is a beautiful thing.

A few weekends ago, DD5, DS16 and I headed to Indiana to be with lots of online friends who have children with Down syndrome. DD5 had a few questions about that. I had prepared her that there would be lots of people with Down syndrome, just like her brother, so she asked me about several of the kids individually–whether or not that person had Down syndrome. After meeting a few 6-year-olds who were shorter than her, she asked, “Are all people with Down syndrome short?” (Well, no honey, but you are so tall for your age you are off of the growth charts!) After the first evening with our friends, she snuggled up next to me in the hotel bed and said in a sleepy voice, “I think maybe I have Down syndrome, too.” I think maybe she was feeling a little short on attention and was shocked to be sharing center-stage with anyone!

The main thing about DD5 and how Down syndrome affects her life at this point is that she really doesn’t see the difference. Soon enough she’ll start to wonder why DS16 does not babysit her, why he doesn’t drive a car, why his speech can be harder to understand. But for now, he’s just a really fun brother who puts up with a whole lot of silliness on her part.