I get the impression that there are still a lot of people out there who think that having a child with Down syndrome is extremely hard and something they could never do.  Here's a look at a typical Monday in our house.

• Wake up and feed Juliana.  Liam usually wakes up around this time too.
• Get Liam out of bed, change diapers, and get the kids dressed.
• Take the kids into my room and get dressed myself.
• Downstairs for breakfast.  Cream of Wheat for everyone this morning.
• Shoes on, strap J in the car seat, out the door at 9:35.
• OT and speech therapy at a private facility.
• Back home, it's lunch for me while the kids watch WordWorld on PBS.
• Lunch for Liam today was scrambled eggs, cheese, and toast.
• Liam is down for a nap.
• Feed Juliana.
• Finish reading Atonement while Juliana is asleep in my arms.
• Set up the Pack 'n Play and put J in it to play.
• Take the laundry from the trip and throw it in the washer.
• Change the sheets on our bed.
• Clean the bathroom.
• Feed J lunch.
• Clean out the kitchen junk drawer.
• Liam is awake and back downstairs to play.
• Play with the kids.
• Feed Juliana.
• Unload the dishwasher and start on dinner.  Pancakes for dinner tonight!
• Doug is home now.  The kids and Doug play while I finish dinner.  There's a lot of giggling.
• Eat dinner.
• Play, read books, rough house.  I'm on the computer.  Liam gets a time out for smacking his sister upside the head.
• Bath night tonight.
• When Doug works out, the kids watch Elmo.  I get some time to myself.
• Feed Juliana and put her down for the night (fingers crossed!)
• Liam goes down for the night.

Take away the OT & speech and what do you have?  A pretty normal life, and that's what life with Down syndrome is like.  Normal.  Nothing more, nothing less.