Taking It to the Extreme

Beth tends to take things to the extreme.

She always puts too much toothpaste on her toothbrush.
She puts food in the microwave for much longer than needed.
She uses way too much laundry soap for each load.
She uses too much shampoo when she washes her hair.
She puts 4 or 5 dryer sheets in the dryer each time.
When she washes a dish or two, there is soap on the sponge for days.

Beth uses a lot, and I mean a lot, of everything. I don't know if it makes her feel like an adult while she's pouring the laundry soap into the lid or pulling the dryer sheets out of the box, but I can't get her to only use the recommended amount. Of anything.

I'm usually grateful that she's able to do all these things on her own: laundry, hygiene, etc. but sometimes I get frustrated that we're out of soap. Again.

So I make her buy her own. And she loves it because she feels so grown up pulling that laundry soap off the shelf at the grocery store and putting it in her own cart.

She's 30. She knows she's 30. She tells people she's 30. But I think she still feels like a kid.

I've been helping her with her hair lately and she will always ask me, "You on your tippy toes?" "Yep, I had to get on my tippy toes."

"I'n growing tall!"

I don't know how many times I've gently told her that she's stopped growing. That she probably won't grow any taller than she is right now. But every time I do her hair...

Every time...

"You on your tippy toes?"

There's just something about being an adult. About feeling like you're an adult.

And if all it takes is a little extra laundry soap, well, so be it.

Birthday Pictures

Beth's birthday was on Friday, October 10th, but the big celebration was on Sunday.

Beth's boss gave her the 10th off, so we asked her what she wanted to do. "Bowling!" Of course, we should have known. Sharaya and Diana had to work, but Chuck, Beth, me and Allie all went bowling. It was at the same bowling alley where she plays on a league during the week and they greeted her by name when we got to the counter! Considering there are 150 bowlers on the league, we thought it was kinda cool that they knew her personally.

Usually on the kids birthdays they get to choose the menu. We started this when they were kids and even though they're all adults now, the tradition continues. Considering this was the big 3-0 we decided to go out to eat and a couple months ago she said she wanted to go to Olive Garden.

Really?? We rarely go to Olive Garden. We figured she had heard it from one of her friends and since she was 30 now, a real adult well, okay! We can go there. Then as her birthday got closer she changed her mind to Red Robin. We asked her a few times just to make sure and she definitely wanted Red Robin.

We invited a couple of friends from church who Beth has been texted and becoming close with and were so glad they could both make it!  After we left the restaurant we headed home and she opened a couple more gifts too big to bring to the restaurant. I finally finished her scrapbook from when she was in school (I don't know what took me so long!) and Diana bought her a huge karaoke machine! It shows the words on the tv screen, has a place to plug in her microphone, and a camera so she can watch herself!

What a weekend she had! I think Beth is thrilled to be 30, although she's using that phrase again...

"I'm an adult and I can do what I want."

Uh oh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Day She's Been Looking Forward to All Year

I've been sitting here a long time trying to figure out what to write. I've been thinking about all the things that have happened since Beth was born.

Should I write about her birth? She was an emergency C-section, our first child. I was only 23, didn't drink or smoke and at the time, went against all the statistics that proved most babies with Ds were born when mom was much older. They told us she might not live past her teens. My doctor secretly dropped the visiting hour rules and our family came and went all hours of the day. When he saw how much Beth was held and was the focus of every visit, he ordered the rules be reinstated. He just wanted to make sure she would be loved.

Should I write about what she was like growing up? Beth was healthy, with no heart issues and only an occasional bout of upper respiratory issues. We didn't have blogs, or the Buddy Walk or Down Syndrome Awareness month... no one knew she existed except her family and friends. She was just another kid in the neighborhood jumping on the trampoline, waving sparklers on the 4th of July, playing on the slip 'n' slide we made in the front yard.

Should I write about where we are 30 years later? That she graduated from high school, got a job, does her laundry, takes out the trash, enjoys art and music. Just everyday stuff like the rest of us.

Or should I write about where we go from here? Now they say she may live into her 50's, but who knows where science and technology will be 20 years from now and how long her life will be extended at that point? Is she at the peak of her life? If the timeline is correct, Beth is middle aged. We're beginning to watch for all that entails.

Or maybe I should just post pictures and let them tell the story. :)

 

 

My mom

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy 30th birthday Beth!

It's a journey we didn't expect, but we're so thankful we get to travel it with you!