My little extra

Lessons in love from an unexpected teacher | Barbara Curtis

I call Jonathan my little extra because he has an extra chromosome-you know, that extra one on the 21st pair that causes such consternation in most potential parents. Down syndrome, it's called-named after the doctor who first "discovered" it. Trisomy-21 in modern genetics-like I said: Third chromosome, 21st pair.

Before he was born in 1992, I'd prepared birth announcements with a verse from Elizabeth Barrett Browning: "God's gifts put man's best dreams to shame." That's how I had felt about each of my children. And that's how I felt when they put this new little baby in my arms and I could see he looked, well, just a little different.

Tripp said we'd name him Jonathan-"Gift of God."