championship-level smiling

Say hello to M, whose cheeky little smile is so utterly adorable it crushes my heart!

While handsome little M was born with Down Syndrome, my younger sister was born with a chromosomal abnormality that caused her to be microcephalic.  As a result, I definitely have a soft spot for families who also have exceptional family members.

The most wonderful thing about M being born now is that great strides have been made by both the families and the individuals themselves to de-stigmatize developmental challenges and advocate for opportunities that simply didn't exist when my sister was born.

I personally think that M has the looks and personality to follow in Madeline Stuart's shoes and become be the world's first male supermodel or maybe take on a starring role in a TV show like the ever-inspirational Becky character played by none other than Lauren Potter.  Or, maybe he starts kicking butt in the photography world like the talented Geoffrey Mikol, owner of River Bend Gallery.

But, since M has a bit of time to figure out his career options, he can just focus on being a champ in the achingly sweet smiles department for now.  I'm totally OK with that.

~~~

March 21 is World Down Syndrome Day and this year's #notspecialneeds video directed by the award-winning Wayne McClammy is nothing short of brilliant.

If you're interested in getting involved, I know that the Special Olympics run on volunteer steam (I used to be a swim coach!) and Inclusion Alberta is an amazing resource.  Sadly, the deadline for application for summer positions at Camp HeHoHa has passed but you might want to make note for next year...