31 for 21: Enzo

Here's Enzo! Enzo is almost 3 1/2 years old. On the left you see Enzo last year, with his baby brother. On the right you see Enzo this year, heading off to school and looking incredibly handsome in his glasses! Enzo's mom wrote a lovely piece about their first 

3 1/2 years with him, which I'll share with you here:

Our life was good! Then our first baby was born--dramatically, of course! It was an emergency C-section because the fetal heart rate was dropping fast. In the wee hours God blessed us with a baby boy. We officially announced that he would be named Enzo Alexander. A strong name for a strong boy... who was turning blue. 

Enzo's oxygen levels were low, his heart was acting funny... what was going on? Doctors, nurses, everyone was coming into and out of our room. The pediatrician came in and sat down. This guy was built like Arnold Schwarzenegger and even had an accent, although he was from Hungary. With his kind eyes, the doctor gently began explaining how Enzo was going to need to be taken to Miami Children's Hospital. Something about his oxygen, slanted eyes, markings for this and markings for that... it was a blur.  "We just have to run some tests because we suspect Enzo has Down syndrome." Then he smiled and said, "He is strong, and he is beautiful!"

That's how it all started for us. You know the rest of the story: NICU, diagnosis confirmation, therapies, surgeries, doctor appointments, etc. 

Sure, we did the same as everybody else... we cried a river. We cried and cried. Why? Because we didn't know squat about Down syndrome. But from that day on, we became students, advocates, teachers, and dare I say...medical professionals (just without the degree). Yes, God did bless us! We had an angel in our midst.

Our strong boy with a strong name, Enzo Alexander, came through it all. He is awesome. He smiles a lot, he kisses a lot, he hugs a lot. At some point, months down the road, we realized Enzo wasn't crying about his diagnosis, he wasn't having a problem with it, he lived life to the fullest! What's Down syndrome? It's just a part of life, his life. And guess what? Enzo was right. From then on, the diagnosis was no longer feared. Genesis 26:24 "Fear not for I am with thee and will bless thee..."

Sure, we have more precautions to take, more doctor appointments, more therapies. Sure, Enzo's milestones will be delayed, things will happen slower, differently from other children without Down syndrome. We aren't worried. Actually, that's not true. We DO worry--not because he has Down syndrome, but because he is our child! What parent out there doesn't want their child to be happy, strong?!

We have another child, and now Enzo is a big brother. No emergency C-section, no drop in heart rate, no surgeries, no therapies, nothing for little brother Eli. What we do have now is a very loving big brother who absolutely adores his little brother. They play together all the time. Enzo showed Eli how to walk and run. Enzo showed Eli how to climb furniture (sigh...). Eeeek! Enzo showed Eli how to walk up the stairs. Wow!

And you know what? Enzo has taught us about love! Enzo taught us to live life to its fullness! Enzo is still teaching us. God knew what he was doing when he put these boys in our lives.  John 9:3, Jesus said, "But this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." Genesis 1:27: "So God created mankind in his own image."

Our life was good! Then our first boy was born, then our second. Now? Now life is GREAT!

Feel free to check out Enzo's page: www.facebook.com/enzosentourage