When she was new they kept her in the hospital NICU for seven days. Back then–back before our story filled even a single page–I couldn’t see past the hurdle of simply bringing her home. Of having her near. Like champs, though, we cleared that hurdle and only then did I look up and see countless… Continue reading My story
Category: friends don’t count chromosomes
Seeking advice on a school-related dilemma
On Thursday, April 16th at 1:49 pm I answered a call from my daughter’s school. I was greeted by the school’s inclusion specialist, who informed me that the vice principal was also taking part in the call via speaker. This, I knew, could not be a good call. I was right.
Why Disney doesn’t need a princess with Down syndrome
One of my friends–and a fellow mom of a child with Down syndrome–wrote on my Facebook wall this morning. She wanted to share information about a mom, Keston Ott-Dahl, who has started a petition in an effort to encourage Disney to depict a princess with Down syndrome in a future film. The Orlando Sentinel reports… Continue reading Why Disney doesn’t need a princess with Down syndrome
My response to a stranger’s ‘short bus’ joke
About a month ago, Jeff and I were at Costco during one of our weekly errand days. Somehow, we had successfully maneuvered through I-don’t-know-how-many shoppers who, spotting a free sample station, had stopped mid-aisle with their carts straddling an otherwise viable thoroughfare to savor a glazed meatball or some other freezer-to-table delicacy. Ah, but Costco… Continue reading My response to a stranger’s ‘short bus’ joke
For Cass. And for the lovers and the givers and the passers of the baton
Easily my biggest fear when first they said the words ‘Down syndrome’ was how she’d be treated. The extra chromosome tangled up in her DNA sets her apart–it’s noticeable. I imagined staring and whispers and doors slammed shut. Fourteen years in and I can honestly say that indeed some stare. Some whisper. The doors, though,… Continue reading For Cass. And for the lovers and the givers and the passers of the baton
She matters
I was pregnant when they handed me a high school diploma and wished me all the best. I didn’t go away to college. I have no degree. The whole of my adult life has been spent rocking babies and packing lunches and answering to mom. Mommy. Mama. It’s all I know. Who I am is… Continue reading She matters
Long road home
I can’t remember ever feeling so desperate–so lonely–as I did lying in the Georgia hospital bed that day after Thanksgiving. The baby girl in the bassinet beside me was as much a stranger as there ever was, in spite of that fact that I’d spent all those weeks pining away for her. Waiting. That young… Continue reading Long road home
Smile It Forward with Invisalign
This post is sponsored by Invisalign. All opinions are my own. My Cassie girl celebrated a birthday a couple of weeks ago. On her birthday, I posted this photo of her on Facebook. Can you read what one of my dearest friends said in her comment? She said, “Ah, I love that beautiful smile. It’s… Continue reading Smile It Forward with Invisalign
Passing notes
One of the truths associated with Down syndrome is that people who carry that third copy of the 21st chromosome are more alike the rest of us than they are different. I learned this early on. As I watched my baby girl grow and develop, I marveled at just how typical she really was. Is. … Continue reading Passing notes
Nancy’s birthday surprise
One of my favorite parts of blogging is the ability to connect with people whom I otherwise might never have known. At the start of this year, I got an email from someone named Kevin who found my blog while researching fish extenders. His search landed him on my website where–in addition to fish extender… Continue reading Nancy’s birthday surprise
unanswered calls
My first pregnancy was a surprise. When–at sixteen–one becomes pregnant there don’t seem to be any guarantees. Abortion, adoption and parenting are all equally acceptable outcomes, society tells us. I don’t agree, but that’s another story for another day. The choice for me was clear: I would raise my daughter. In making that choice, I… Continue reading unanswered calls
Seventh sense
When she was little, I used to think that she’d come to an age at which she’d see another person with Down syndrome in a crowd and–like those Harley guys who can’t not wave–they’d share a brief something. A commonality that surpasses the understanding of those of us whose DNA is contained in a mere… Continue reading Seventh sense