Mase’s first baby visit to Dr. Steele was wonderful. Mase showed no signs of ear or eye problems, and his thyroid glands seemed to be functioning normally. He was gaining weight and growing; although his growth was slow, it was a little above average for a child with DS. Dr. Steele continued to see Mase throughout the first year of his life and was very pleased with his health and growth pattern. Margie and Cindy adjusted to life with Mase quickly. Mase was a good baby; he would sleep through the night, had a healthy appetite, and did all the things that babies do although he was a little slower than what some considered normal babies.
By the time Mase celebrated his first birthday he was crawling and could even pull himself up and almost seemed to be ready to take his first step, which was surprising given the fact that most children with DS perform these tasks a little later. Mase also seemed to understand his own slow baby talk although no one else did. He would shake his head and roll his eyes and then smile and look above the person in front of him. Margie thought he was talking to someone else in the room that no one else could see.
He took his first step at thirteen months and started to say mama almost the same time. He was alert, happy, and filled with smiles. Dr. Steele attributed Mase’s progression to Margie and Cindy who interacted and read to him constantly. Dr. Steele said that the fact that Mase was treated like a normal child helped him function normally. Mase did experience slow speech and Margie did notice a slight hearing defect, but other defects that some children with DS experience were not part of Mase’s reality.