“I mean, I know he won’t go to kindergarten in diapers.” This was the statement that brought solace to a young mom in the trials of potty training. At the time I was newly married and even the thought of having a child was not on my radar. So, this …
“Did you know?” It’s a question I often get after talking about my daughter who has Down syndrome. People are curious if we had a prenatal diagnosis or an at-birth diagnosis. I guess it’s like my origin story into the world of Down syndrome. With sophisticated testing options, it is …
Harper adores music. And it is one of my favorite things to watch her completely immerse herself in the rhythms of the tunes. She throws her arms up in the air, spins around, and often lets out shouts of joy. Sometimes she has a fierce side-eye that makes her look …
Seventy-five days. That’s the collective time we spent in the NICU with our children. Both NICU stays were different. One was short, the other long. The first stay came with a life-altering diagnosis. The second came with life-saving surgery. Both were challenging and emotionally draining experiences. But they are a …
Milestones are different when you have a child with Down syndrome. Most things come at a slower pace. Harper didn’t walk till she was two years old and we are still waiting for her to talk. But dropping her off for her first day of school at our local public …
A poem about embracing developmental delays
You never know when it is going to pop up. A reminder that your child is different. A few months after Harper’s third birthday, we went to an amusement park. Ride after ride Harper didn’t meet the requirements to participate. I knew she would love them, but I couldn’t trust …
In the early weeks of Harper’s Down syndrome diagnosis, it was as if the rug was pulled out from under my feet. There I was laying on the ground shocked at how I got there. As I started to regain my footing, my mind was numb and preferred to just …
For as long as I can remember I dreamed of one day being a mom. And I was ecstatic in anticipation for Harper’s birth. I knew we would have a great support system with our family because it does in fact take a village. But I didn’t picture a team …
I’m not sure when the shift exactly happened for me. Where I went from not being able to talk about Harper’s Down syndrome diagnosis without tears to nonchalantly being able to talk about it like it was just one more descriptor of my little girl. This is Harper – she …
