Buddy Walk 2011

Day 10: Buddy Walk 2011

Saturday started as any other in this house with mama gettting very little sleep since I was awaken several times to my one year old crying out for milk and love and attention. Exhausted is how I felt and any activity that would occupy my day did not seem appealing.
That was until  I remembered that it was Buddy Walk day!
The first of what I hope will be many, many more for this family. A day to celebrate that extra chromosome our sweet Eslea was blessed to carry. Knowing what was to come even made the hour and half drive to get to the Walk totally worth it.
Many friendly faces participated from our local Down Syndrome group, seven familes to be exact. That made almost forty walkers total. Each of us grateful for the opportunity to show off the loving support of our group and most importantly our beautiful kids.

There were so many of us to gather together in one spot and yet somehow we managed to start that walk. Of course, it was only after the very tempting distractions of booths filled with things like games, dancing and even massages.

Eventually, we did start the walk although the very back of the pack become our favorite place to stay. It would be just like our group to be easily distracted by the local cop giving out "badges".

But once we began the walk of that scenic mile, we made sure to enjoy the surroundings and each other....while also taking time to thank those that were there to support our kids.

Many of our kids started strong during the walk but seemed to tire quickly.While there were others that saved their strength so they could finish strong. A few even managed to accomplish personal triumphs that deserved our cheers and applause as we were overcome with pride for our chromosome rockin' family members.

By the end, the energy was slowing down and walkers were looking for a place to sit...or even ways to hitch a ride to avoid any more walking at all.

The end result? Tired and grumpy kiddos. Smiling and happy parents. All of us grateful to again show off our beautiful families and enjoy our fellowship time with each other.



Looking forward to reading about the Buddy Walk in your area.

I know this is one mama who is already planning for next year's event!

Happy Walkin' everyone.

-erin