Yesterday, while Juliana and I were home alone, Jules was chattering on about going to school next year.

"I'm going to go to school when I'm three. I want a pink backpack. A pink backpack for school. I'll be a big girl. Big girls use the potty. I'll use the potty and go to school. You can't go to school if you don't use the potty."

If you know Juliana, you'll know that this was said rapid-fire, with hardly a breath in between words. The girl talks and talks and talks. Anyway, after who knows how many go rounds in this manner, she paused after that last sentence. I could see the light bulb coming on over her head and then I heard it.

"Why does Bubby get to go to school? He doesn't use the potty."

I knew it would dawn upon her eventually. She's sharp. We've talked about Down syndrome before. She's perfectly aware that Liam has Down syndrome. Liam knows he has Down syndrome. It's not some "hush-hush OMG don't tell them THAT!" topic. It is what it is.

I explained to Juliana that Liam has Down syndrome and sometimes it's hard for him to learn things. It's hard for him to learn to use the potty and the school thinks that's okay. I told her that boys and girls without Down syndrome have to learn to use the potty before they go to school. She thought about it for a second and then went on chattering.

"I'm going to school next year. I'm going to have a pink backpack. I need to use the potty before I go to school because I don't have Down syndrome. That's okay. Bubby has Down syndrome. That's okay too. I want a pink backpack. A pink backpack for school. I'm going to school next year. I'll be a big girl with a pink backpack………."

Obviously, the pink backpack is the biggest concern in her world.