The Amazing Duck with Down syndrome

First Grade.

First Grade.

We are in the last moments of Down Syndrome Awareness Month, October 2018, and so it is with no small sense of excitement that I announce that the "awareness" of Trisomy 21 has spread to the animal kingdom!

It was on this day, Oct. 31, 2018, when the rest of the family learned that one of Lucas's many stuffed animals has Down syndrome.

Lucas matter of factly revealed this bit of information in the midst of one of his extremely lengthy soliloquies, the bane of the overly-verbal (as opposed to non-verbal) child. Upon hearing the news, mommy felt a mess of emotions ranging from amazement and elation to tears stinging the backs of her eyelids. But she tried to maintain her composure and meet this revelation with the same delivery in which it was given. Just the facts.

In fact, Teet has always had DS, but Lucas, who is 6, only just recently became aware of the diagnosis. Mommy asked how he didn't know about this before. The reason - because Teet, who is a duck (or a chicken, no one is quite sure which), knows how to do "all the stuff like his other toys."

Mommy went into full tear suppression mode and delicately probed further.

How did you discover that Teet has DS? Lucas said it was during a play session with his toys' doctor, another toy, and the doctor told him that Teet was a Down syndrome baby. Yay! Lucas said, a Down syndrome baby!

Lucas, my dear younger brother, is a quick learner of lessons he doesn't even know he is learning. Amazingly, despite our huge differences, we are largely the same to him. At least that is Lucas's perception, the one that he was inadvertently raised with.

Raia and I with mommy, sharing the same
privilege of attending a late-night, sensory overload, outdoor concert!

But Lucas wasn't done processing this information. He raised some other questions: who is Daniel going to marry when he grows up? It is going to be harder for him to find a match, Lucas surmised. And will he marry someone with Down syndrome, or not? Of course, we also don't know who Lucas or Raia will marry, Lucas readily admitted.

So really, all our fates are uncertain which makes us more ... the same!

Even though apparently he knew about Teet's "condition" for awhile, Lucas only just mentioned it, because it just wasn't a big deal. But it goes to show that he has a healthy and much needed approach to "different" and to life in general, one that should be spread to all corners of the earth, all year long, not only during awareness month.

And with this diagnosis of Teet, the duck/chicken who has Down syndrome, mommy and daddy got a bit more oxygen to their tired souls and, for a moment, could say that perhaps their constant battle for "inclusion" is worth the effort.

My paisans and I in Rome at Locanda dei Girasole.
Read more about that amazing locale here.

Follow @nic_jansezian

Three, Three and Three!

Even at 4, th world continues to revolve around me!

I must interrupt my lack of blogging to allow mommy one last chance to brag about something she can only claim for the next hour: She and abba have three kids, 3 years and under. Three in diapers. And this "feat" lasted for almost 9 months.

In just minutes, I will be 4. And to celebrate I am making my parents' claim of hardship much less glamorous. Saying they have three children 4 years old and under is not nearly as impressive nor does it evoke as much sympathy.

As part of my second 4th birthday party - the first was on another continent a week prior - my classmates at Shalva took turns coming up to me to congratulate and hug me.

Esther

Ephraim

Even Mommy came to celebrate the festivities

And give hugs

As did my Nechama

We played under the tent

And I danced

My forever dance partner/teacher: Nechama!

Esther and I came back for seconds :)

And 20ths. 100ths. Etc. 

And that was just party #2. The first party I had was bestowed upon me in New York surrounded by friends and family of a different kind.

Lucas made a good friend - Jonathan.

At this party, Lucas and his new friend Jonathan policed the proceedings. After all, what are the three staples of a birthday party? 1. Balloons 2. Cake and 3. Presents. Until those three were enacted, Lucas and Jonathan made their presence known in no uncertain terms.

The sugar rush before the sugar

I posed and was posed for many photos

Raia was swept up by Gracie who made sure
the girls were taken care of 

Enjoy this view. Only in America.

The cake at birthday parties 2 and 3 will not look like this.

A near life-size Thomas balloon. And a blur of children.

Almost all of us are looking at the camera!

The rush of sugar swept me into my fifth year

Follow @nic_jansezian

Mommy Told him He Couldn't Drive the Car

Call it sleep deprivation or find any excuse you like for this utter meltdown. But the caption states the truth:

Lucas after mommy told him, no, he was not allowed to drive the car.

Follow @nic_jansezian

Twas the Night Before the Night Before

Today Lucas heralds Christmas Eve with his own celebration - his second birthday! And boy did he milk it. Absent from the spotlight of me or Raia, Lucas was treated to a party at his school where he was King for a day.

First his teachers lavished upon him kisses

Before he could even take off his jacket

He tried on his throne for size

And then tried on his crown for size

Everything fit to a T

Then the king's subjects, er - classmates, paid him homage

(And I thought I was the only one who scored at school!)

They lined up to kiss him

And he was so shy Lucas had to be
restrained in his throne, at times!

Follow @nic_jansezian

Mommy Hair Cut = Fail 2

A big oops on the bangs.

She came. She snipped. She failed.

Again.

And it is with intentional irony that I reword Caesar's own infamous phrase to describe mommy's second major haircut debacle at the expense of poor Lucas. Because now he resembles a Roman official back in the days of yore. Or Moe of the Three Stooges.

Mommy claims Lucas was too cute and could afford to be humbled a little. But since anyone who looks at Lucas instinctively knows who butchered his hair, it is mommy in the end who is humbled.

And on that note she is on her knees praying for the speedy passage of time - and supernaturally quick hair growth - to rectify this major faux pas!

See this post regarding the previous haircut fail. Lucky for me mommy seems to save her biggest haircutting disasters for little brother. I've been spared at least until now.

Follow @nic_jansezian

Mommy Hair Cut = FAIL

Note the gaping hole in the hairline above the ear

Despite the butchery job done on his scalp, we still love Lucas and think he's cute. And we still love mommy. She maintains that taking sharp scissors to a moving target is like a mixture of a game of luck and the game of risk. She may have a point. Pun intended.

Better luck next time, Lucky Lu!

Mommy caught Lucas taking a page from
my book: waving to everyone in sight,
like the Queen of England

Follow @nic_jansezian

Happy Birthday Lucas!

Lucas scaled new heights in his first year!

In keeping with the way Lucas has lived his life so far, we may as well preempt his actual birthday and start the celebrations early. Thanks to having me as an older brother, Lucas learned a lot this year and took some major strides, both literally and figuratively.

While I am proud of teaching him how to walk and the sign language for important things like "food" and "more" (food), I am particularly pleased at how he has become the amazing quarterback that he is today. At dawn, our room magically transforms into a minefield with all of our tossed items strewn across the carpet. It looks like a regular battlefield strafed with cheechungs (pacifiers), bottles and stuffed animals that were thrown overboard from our respective cribs.

Mommy always says that you don't know a baby's true personality until after they turn one. We carefully shield our true selves while we keep our parents guessing and jumping. If we had to guess based on my first 12 months, some might say I was going to be a shy child.

Remember this face?

Silent night?? There haven't been many since.

So we are still awaiting the fullness of Lucas' personality to unfold. Most people still know him by his smile and easy-going facade. Those who know him better see his crafty side a bit more - the side that indicates Lucas may pursue a career in engineering or science where he can dismantle or experiment all he wants and get paid to do it! Nevertheless, his naughtiness is always laced with cuteness and Lucas' own winning smile.

In his first year, Lucas has also developed some interests: drawers that can close dangerously on his fingers, wires, cords, iPads, cell phones, remote controls, tissues, Christmas tree ornaments, etc. While this is hardly unique to Lucas as a baby, what is unique is his choice of response when he is prevented from touching or doing any of the above items. This is where Lucas has developed his own form of drama to rival my Hollywood leanings: Lucas is on his way to becoming an Italian soccer player with all the makings of his good Armani looks and his flair for the dramatic.

Sure enough, prevented from doing something he really really wants to do, Lucas will let loose a blood curdling scream, throw himself to the ground in mock agony and flail his limbs. Mommy and abba have taken to rating his tantrums as either a yellow or red card.

To me, I know Lucas as my shadow and my practice punching bag. We are partners in crime and in cuteness.

Here is a series of videos of Lucas' tricks that he learned a few months ago (taken in November 2012):

Follow @nic_jansezian

Part 3 (Farewell Zia Em), Part 1 (Welcome Mimi and GongGong) and a Change of Time

Studying under the tutelage of Zia Em during
her babysitting expedition

Monkey see...

But which one is the originator and who is the copycat?

What would you do if you had an extra hour added to the sleeping hours of the night? As the adults in my life geared up for daylight savings, which just occurred yesterday in Israel, they spoke of that valuable extra hour granted to them at night in which they longed to sleep 60 more precious minutes. But as you might have already guessed, that is not what a baby would do with an extra hour.

Babies prefer to take the bull by the horns. For one, we like to be ready and alert at 2 a.m. to physically change the clock at the exact time it is supposed to technically change. Then we like to wake up at 2 a.m. again so that we can experience the one day a year we get two 2 a.m.'s! Then, since the time change really meant nothing different to our bodies, we awake between 4 and 5 a.m. as if it is any other day between 5 and 6 a.m.

In fact, it is almost like jet lag! It will probably take one terribly exhausting week for mommy and abba as Lucas and I adjust to the new time over here. Tonight we began clamoring for bed at 6 p.m.! Well, who can blame us? The sun was already tucked away for the night and we wanted to be as well.

It has been a week of changing times: We exchanged Zia Em for Mimi and GongGong. Zem spent her last few hours with us nursing a virus that we had probably bequeathed her as a parting gift. At least she had us to herself that one night when she babysat. We entertained her in various ways and left our mark on her. Especially the snot on her clothes.

We showed Zia Em our favorite game:
staring at ourselves in the mirror

Then we had two short nights between visits. However that is not to say we were without visitors. Gavriella needed her Daniel fix (who wouldn't?) and just happened by on what she labeled "gap night" - basically one of the two nights there was a gap in overseas visitors. She had wanted to overlap with someone from the extended family but as fate would have it, she at least entertained us lest we fall back into a non-visitor pattern...

...Because just hours after Gavi's visit, I disembarked from my bus in the afternoon in my carseat - right into the arms of GongGong. Gasp! Sure, mommy and abba told me they were coming, but until I actually saw Mimi and GongGong, it was hard to imagine them being larger than the screen of an iPad.

However, I recovered quickly from my shock and squeezed Mimi with a hug from which Mimi found it hard to extricate herself. Not that she wanted to. Then I shared some hugs with GongGong. They had previously saw Lucas just minutes after their arrival in Jerusalem, greeting him at the park where his class was having "school."

I quickly fell into my role of chief entertainer and tour guide for M&G. And that shall continue for the weeks to come. With my assistant Lucas, naturally. 

My motorcade and I led Mimi and GongGong to the
Old City for authentic Middle Eastern hummus

And I leave you with a video exemplifying Monkey See, Monkey Do:

Follow @nic_jansezian