Nearly 4 1/2 years ago, I gave birth to my youngest daughter, Willow. She came out blue, prompting nurses to quickly whisk her away. While I patiently waited for my baby to be handed to me, doctors handed my husband and I a life changing diagnosis. Our daughter has Down syndrome. At the time, I didn’t … More 21 Ways My Life Has Changed Because of Down Syndrome
When I hear the word “elopement,” I like to think of my parents. They ran off and got married on leap year day of 1968. That kind of elopement sounds fun and exciting. Unfortunately the kind I’m dealing with these days is the exact opposite. In fact, it’s the stuff of nightmares, reoccurring ones. My … More When My Daughter’s Running Away Almost Had Me Walking Away From Others
I feel like I’m running out of words. It’s a scary feeling. It’s especially frightening because I feel like the things I’m hearing lately, the headlines I’m reading, demand a response. “Comedian’s Netflix Special Sparks Outrage, Bullying in Down Syndrome Community” “LulaRoe Sides With Top Sales Vendor After He Publicly Mocks People With Disabilities” I … More When My Words Run Out
My youngest daughter, Willow, got her first taste of children’s church on the last day of 2017. At 4 years of age, she wasn’t the youngest in class, but she was easily the shortest, mostly due to her Down syndrome. Still, she seemed to fit in nicely…until about 10 minutes in. It’s at this point … More Resolving and Hopefully Dissolving My Stress
As a person who writes a blog, it sucks to be struck wordless. I had a 2 hour drive home from Willow’s doctor appointment today and that line is all I could come up with. That’s because I am stinking speechless (emphasis on stinking as we spent a total of 4 hours in the van … More When God Is The Only Answer
The day Willow was born, my husband and I made a decision to be open and honest with our other children about their new sister’s health and diagnosis. We kept it simple and left it open for questions. Ages 4 and 6 at the time, we told Bella and Laken that their new sister had … More When You Don’t Know What To Say
October is Down syndrome Awareness Month and as a mother of a child with Ds and also a blogger, I feel like I’ve been failing by not mentioning this yet. A lot of my friends in the Ds community have been great at posting daily facts on Facebook. Others have dolled up their profile pics … More Why Down syndrome Awareness Month Is More Important Than Ever
Dear Container of Neapolitan Ice Cream, Thank you. You are what I need, tonight. It’s been a crappy day. Although, can I ask why you have so much vanilla in you this time? Seriously? I had to dig deep before I found any chocolate or strawberry! Don’t get me wrong, I love this journey we’re … More I Scream or Ice Cream?
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away. I sing those words to Willow every night before putting her to bed. It’s a routine that started shortly after she was born. At the … More A Golden Birthday Indeed
I actually wince when I catch someone staring at my youngest daughter, Willow. That’s because it hurts me. It physically hurts me. I imagine all the horrible things that person might be thinking while looking at my daughter and it causes my heart to break, hence the pain. I want to just yell back “It’s … More When It’s OK To Stare
