A blog about LIFE...that happens to include Down syndrome!
A special contribution to the DSDN’s blog series… When the newest blog topic was proposed a few weeks ago by the DSDN’s blog series coordinator, I was stumped! The topic “What surprised you the most?” (about Down syndrome) was intriguing, but the immediate answer that …
This is my final confession of the series (and Down syndrome Awareness Month -2016) and for obvious reasons, it will address Halloween! For Everett’s very first Halloween we dressed him up as a baby skeleton and I bought Vic & I matching skeleton tees (the …
Everett was born nearly five weeks early. Vic & I were both convinced it was false labor and we were shocked when the doctor on duty told us we were having a baby the night of May 26th, 2013. Everett was born that morning of …
We were overjoyed when we found out that I was expecting a sibling for Everett. And when we learned Liam was a little boy, we couldn’t believe how blessed we were. Two little boys…brothers! For 9 months we waited patiently and happily for little Liam’s …
Because Everett was diagnosed with Down syndrome right after he was born, we had to order a karyotype blood test to confirm his diagnosis. In the meantime, all we had to go on in gauging whether he had DS or not, were some physical characteristics. …
Fact — “Down syndrome occurs when an individual has a full or partial extra copy of chromosome 21. This additional genetic material alters the course of development and causes the characteristics associated with Down syndrome.” (NDSS.org). Let’s focus on the second part of this statement …
When I was about 7 1/2 months pregnant with Everett, Vic & I went out to dinner one night at one of our favorite local restaurants, an Italian joint. I distinctly remember that night. I remember what I wore, I remember what I ordered, and …
When I was a kid in elementary school, all of my differently-abled peers attended a separate class that was titled “self-contained.” Since I attended the general education classes, I never interacted with any of these children. These interactions (or lack thereof) were the first memories …
We live in a modest home. Between Vic, me, the boys and our two large dogs, space is tight in our 2 bed/1.5 bath 1925 bungalow. But we love our home. Our boys are growing, however, and we know there will come a point when …
When Everett was about 6 months old we took him to have his picture made with Santa at a local mall. When we got settled into the long line of families waiting for their obligatory Santa photos, we realized the parents in front of us …