21 Reasons Why Life Is Better With You, Henry

20. You always score free cookies from the bakery at the grocery store with your smile, and you always share a bite with me.

19. You have turned your big brother into a caring cheerleader who at least once a day calls me in to the room to see awesome new trick you are doing. The other day, he celebrated you turning the page in a book all by yourself. He is a remarkable three year old and I know you have influenced him already.

18. You have taught me to be tough and fight for what really matters in life.

17. Your Down syndrome diagnosis has brought us into a loving circle of families and given us some of our greatest friends.

16. You still love being rocked and held and it’s been so wonderful to have the snuggles.

15. You showed me that I have the strength to sing you to sleep on an operating table, and showed me that you have the strength to handle surgery like a champ. I never thought I’d have the strength to be the kind of mom who spends the night sleeping on a hospital couch, listening to monitors and tracking your calories. You showed me I do. You’ve shown me I can do anything. You’ve shown me you can do anything, too.

14. Your smile is so contagious, we can’t go anywhere without someone commenting on your happiness.

13. You have the cutest pinky fingers in the entire world.

12. The amount of work and practice you put in to things helps me to no longer take anything for granted. Every single thing you accomplish is a triumph worth celebrating. Swallowing your food, crawling, pushing a button to turn on a toy — they are every day adventures that I cherish now.

11. You love animals and they love you. It’s like they can innately see that your heart is genuine.

10. Your love of ice cream is adorable. I’ve never seen a baby dive right into an ice cream cone so quickly!

9. Everyday, you help people to understand that Down syndrome is not scary, weird or something to fear. It’s just a small part of who you are.

8. You try to sneak in to different rooms in the house, like the bathroom, but are so happy you’ve escaped that you yell your happy yell and give away your exact location. It’s incredibly adorable.

7. You follow me around while I vacuum because you love it so much. I love having a vacuum buddy.

6. Your three teeth are probabaly the most adorable thing I have ever seen. I don’t worry about appearances anymore like I used to, and embrace what is different about you. I’m learning to embrace the different in all of us.

5. You have the softest hair and the sweetest hazel eyes.

4. You love blowing kisses — to your family, to yourself in the mirror and you strangers at the grocery store who then proclaim “You just made my week!”

3. You have made me a more accepting, patient, loving, trusting, strong mom and I am unequivocally better because of your presence in my life.

2. You have made your dad and me stronger. You’ve helped us to communicate better and appreciate each other more.