The news that rocked my world.

Today marks the 2 year anniversary of one of the most memorable days of my life. On June 30, 2009, we found out that Addie had Down Syndrome. I thought that my life would never be the same, and I have to say that it hasn't. It is amazing how news that I was never ready for would make my life so much better. We have been blessed beyond measure by Addie and her 47th chromosome. I am inspired by her persistance. I am amazed by her ability and determination. I am so glad she is who she is. She has changed my life and most importantly, she has changed my heart. Tyler gave me the gift of becoming a Mother and Addie made me an even better one. Today I am thankful for God creating her with a little something extra!

"What happened?"

Best friends. She is just about to lick the powdered sugar off his face!

My Princess

 We recently went to the beach and had such a great time! We had a lot of one-on-one time with Tyler, thanks to loving grandparents to watch Addie. We needed this time together. We went to the beach, movies and played the games that he wanted to play. We laughed as we played in the waves or "major crushers" as he calls them. We looked at starfish and ran up a huge sand hill. It was an amazing blessing to focus just on him for a while.

Handsome boy

My love

 As usual, I had a list of "therapy" things to do with Addie while we were on vacation. But, I wanted all of us to have a relaxing week, so we did none of it... and boy, did that feel good! There were no tears, from Addie or myself. We just played and snuggled and loved each other.

Now that we are home, we are back into therapy. Addie got her custom made orthotics and special shoes this week. She has very weak ankles and these are specifically made to stabilize her when walking. She seems to not mind them at all, for which I am so grateful because she has to wear them for hours a day. We have also been using Talk-Tools therapy items with Addie. They are designed to improve her facial and mouth muscles for improved speech clarity. She is currently on the 3rd straw of an 8 straw series. She is doing amazing well and we are so proud of her.

Addie with her new orthotics and sneakers. 

They obviously don't hold her back from wrestling.

Therapy straw #3

Yup, she's awesome!

If my girl has to wear orthotics, they have to be cute :)

Addie

People always seem to want to know if we knew Addie had Down Syndrome before she was born. I am often afraid that people are asking because they assume I would not have wanted her had I known "the truth". The truth is, we did know she had Down Syndrome and loved and wanted her as much as we wanted our Tyler. I remember getting the phone call from genetic counselor saying that she did in fact have Trisomy 21. At first I could saying nothing but "okay" and then she quickly asked if my husband and I had talked about what we like to do. That was the moment when my Mommy claws came out. I told her we were obviously keeping our baby. I suppose to her and the rest of the world, that decision was not so obvious. Considering the fact that 92% of babies with a prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome are aborted. Yes, I said 92%... sickening. Since that phone call, I have not stopped being extra protective of my girl. I also know that as the Mom, I have a very important job to do. And my job is to teach her that she is perfect just the way she is. So, when people choose to stare at us at the grocery store, I choose to teach Addie to smile and wave at them. 

Being the Mom of a child with special needs can be overwhelming at times and I so often pray that the world will view her just as her brother does. He says, "She is just so beautiful, why can't I marry Addie"? She is perfect in his eyes. This morning was one of those overwhelming mornings that everything seemed to go wrong. Addie didn't take a morning nap, I was exhausted, Tyler was bored and wanted to get to the playground, the juice spilled all over my bag... etc.  Then, a moment that I have been praying for happened. We were playing at the playground and a little girl with Down Syndrome came over with her Mom and brother. It so happens that the Mom is involved in a monthly meet up for families like ours. This is what I have been waiting for. To get involved, to not feel alone, to have friends to go to with questions about schools, doctors and therapists.  Oh, my excitement! I wanted to get up and hug her right there! Sitting at the picnic bench with her and her beautiful children made my day not seem overwhelming at all. I was just a regular Mom. 

So, I'm blogging now

I have been saying to my husband that I am going to start a blog lately. I am not exactly sure why I am starting now. I am not a "journaler", so hopefully this will serve as a wonderful place of memories for my children to look back on. Consider this my love story to my husband, my children and all those who love and support us. Enjoy!

 6 years ago we started on our long journey to these wonderful human beings we are now raising. I never thought the road would be so long or so difficult, but every minute has been worth it. Tyler is 4... going on 16 and he is the funniest, craziest little boy that I have ever met. Addie is now 19 months old and she is our precious princess. Addie was born with an extra 21st chromosome (Down Syndrome). I am sure a lot of this blog will be dedicated to DS issues because I am just a crazy researching Mom, but DS certainly does not define Addie or who we are as a family.

Now, back to story of how my little miracles came about. Tyler was conceived after 9 months of fertility treatments. I was thrilled beyond belief and he was everything I ever dreamed of. When he was 1, we decided to try for baby #2. This did not prove to be so easy, if you call 9 months of fertility treatments easy. After many months of failed IUI's and IVF's, we gave ourselves a break. I told my girlfriends one night at dinner that we were considering adoption, but little did I know that my princess was already growing inside me! If you have never been shocked by a pregnancy that you never expected to happen, you are really missing out. It is the most amazing feeling! At 18 weeks we found out that our baby had Down Syndrome and more importantly that we were having a girl! Tyler and Addie are perfect and best friends and everything I ever dreamed of. I am who I am because of them.

I hope you enjoy hearing about our daily craziness!