Baby Hulk ~ #Dadlife

     I entered Baby Hulk in a contest for Infantino. It's something NDSS is putting together with them called "Everybody Plays." One of the things they ask you to do in the form to enter the contest is describe how you teach self-acceptance and the acceptance of others within your family and/or in your community. Well I gave a little explanation about what I do in my family. Explaining to Mr. Grey that his long curly hair is not "girl hair" and that he may wear pink shoes if he wants to. And then for how I teach acceptance in the community I went straight to everything Darling Husband is doing. He asked me if I talked about the blog and I didn't! I totally forgot the one minuscule thing that I do because Darling Husband does so much!
     Since Baby Hulk was born, while were still living in the reindeer barn at the hospital. As soon as he had a moment to sit down after hearing our son might have Down syndrome he was doing research, contacting the people at NDSS. He jumped right in, while I was still spending my nights crying in the bath tub.
     In the 8 months of Baby Hulk's life he has done amazing things. If you read the blog before Baby Hulk you know Darling Husband is a parts guy for Nissan and Mitsubishi, and a pretty amazing one to boot. He works in the parts department in a Nissan dealership. Normally a person with this job would sell the typical replacement parts, oil filters, brake pads, boring stuff. Nope. He took that little parts department and made it into a top of the line performance shop. He sells special JDM parts, hard to find awesome parts. RACE CAR! He sponsors competitive drivers and played a big part in the beginning of a drift team. He takes a nothing job and turns it into something amazing. That's how he is. He doesn't just settle. So when he found out Baby Hulk had Down syndrome he did something about it. 
     For the past 3 years he has put on a Nissan and Mitsubishi car show here in Olympia, and he has always done it for a cause. The local Humane Society the first and second year, and then Fisher House last year. This year he has two charities benefiting from it and it is MUCH bigger. This year it is not just a car show. This year he went all out. He took it from the dealership parking lot to South Sound Speedway, where they will hold team drift competitions, an open drift, and a car show open to all makes and models. This year it is the South Sound Summer Jam!!!!
     The National Down Syndrome Society is the main charity for the event, but there are also over $10,000 worth of items to be raffled off, and 100% of the proceeds from the raffle are going to South Puget Sound Up With Down Syndrome. He has gotten SOOO many companies involved with this, donating raffle items and setting up booths, it is ridiculous! The local Parent to Parent group will have a table set up offering free screenings to families for kids under 3 years old. Even Stitches will be out there with her London Peach booth! There will be a kids' area with an Incredible Hulk bounce house and giant trikes so kids of all ages can play in the hopes that whole families will attend.  He even managed to get a sponsorship from a local radio station so his event has a commercial being aired on the radio!
     He made this all happen in less than 8 months and on top of that he has had time to have 21 21 21 decals made up that he sells on the side, and the proceeds from those also go to the Up With Down Syndrome group! I write a blog that only a handful of people read and Darling Husband is planning huge events and going to board meetings for the local groups and raising money!!! All while being an amazing husband and father. I just thought the guy needed a shout out for all the amazing things he has done for his son.

     The other day I was looking at Mr. Grey lying next to Baby Hulk, letting him play with his long curly, not girl hair and I said, more to myself than to them, "You boys look so much alike." Mr. Grey replied, "Almost except he has chromosomes and flat hair!" I was so pleased that chromosomes were just as casual a difference as curly or "flat" hair, an example of how I am doing my job teaching acceptance. That is what Darling Husband is trying to do in the community. And I am so proud of him.