Noah's Dad

Our son, the game changer!

Talk about a weekend full of epic parenting moments!

We were in New York this weekend for the 2012 National Down Syndrome Society New York CityBuddy Walk, and words can’t express how incredibly proud I am of our son! Long story shortNoah’s picture was selected, along with 200 others, to be displayed in Times Square on the big screen to kick off the New York City Buddy Walk and Down Syndrome Awareness month (which is in October.)

The kick off video is 20 minutes long and played twice on the large bright screens at One Times Square, which is the same building where the ball drops during the Times Square New Year Celebration. The idea behind the video is to help create Down Syndrome awareness for those passing by who may see it (and I’m pretty sure for the people who have children / family members in the video to have an awesome time!) 

One of the coolest parts of our trip was getting to meet so many amazing families who have followed our story on our blog /  Facebook Page. You have no idea how much of an honor it is for us to get to know you and your families as you share stories, comments, pictures, and videos with us. Several families came up to us and told us that our blog was one of the first things they found when they received a Down syndrome diagnosis and that they were greatly encouraged by our posts. I can’t even begin to explain how much that encourages us! It’s nice to know we’re having a positive impact on people, and hopefully helping to replace a little of their fear with hope.

By the way the same goes for every email, facebook message, and tweet we get as well. We don’t get the chance to reply back to each message that comes in, but we do read them all. So thank you to all of you who have taken the time to drop us a line to tell us how Noah’s story has encouraged us. It really does mean a lot to us.

We got to meet Chappy and his family! 

I think Noah has a new crush….

We had some fun hanging out in Central Park waiting for the Buddy Walk to begin. I seriously don’t think I’ve ever been in New York on a day with more perfect weather…it was seriously amazing!

Wherever there is music you can count on one thing…Noah turning it in to an all out dance party! Which he did right in the middle of Central Park! I loved it!  These dance moves reminded me of the same ones he did in this video! (Again, epic cuteness!)

He loves his mommy!

As you can see Noah is almost staring to walk…he’s so, so, so, so close. We had a ton of fun watching him giggle and smile as he wobbled all around the park!

Crossing the finish line!

All done! **shakes hands back and forth**

We got to spend some fun time dancing in Central Park with our friends, the Lyons, who live in New York . You may remember us talking about them from the last time we were here. There son, Cade, had Down syndrome and their entire family spills joy all over the place!

By the way, you can read this awesome post Gabe wrote for the Huffington Post on his son’s birthday. (By the way, they changed the title of the post after it was written with people first language.)

Our friends, The Lyons!

We are huge fans of Baby Signing Times and it was a lot of fun to meet Rachel Coleman. In fact my wife got a little teary eyed when meeting her simply for how grateful we are for all she does to help children learn to communicate. (As you can see, she’s a good hugger…and rocks that orange sweater!)

Rachel from Baby Signing Times! (Recognize the sweater?) 

Baby, Baby, Baby signing times! (Sing along if you know the words…) 

We had a great time in New York City. We appreciate all of the hard work the NDSS puts into the Buddy Walk, and for all they do to support people born with Down syndrome (like our son) and their families. They really put on a great event, and we look forward to joining them in NYC again sometime. If you haven’t had a chance to attend a Buddy Walk I would encourage you to check out this site where you can find a Buddy Walk near you, and go to one. Even if you don’t know anyone with Down syndrome (although if you’re reading you know can say you know someone with Down syndrome though; Noah!) it’s a great time and will help you see how awesome people living with Down syndrome are.

And if you’re in the Dallas area, you can even join us on Sunday November 4th at Victory Park for our local Buddy Walk! We’d love it!

Have you ever been to a Buddy Walk? Are you planning on going this year? (Bonus points for sharing a picture of a Buddy Walk you’ve been to!)