This is a hard week for me because it involves admitting some stuff I am not very proud of. Coming to terms with disability has been a multi-step process for me and as I write today I am painfully aware that I’m probably not done. You could say I came “to terms” with Rowenna’s disability […]
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Blog Challenge Week 1: My Connection to Disability
This summer I’m taking a Blog Challenge – an amazing opportunity to read more from those in the disability community and to get me back in the habit of writing more frequently. Read more from other bloggers participating in the hop – links at the bottom of this post. I’m excited about this opportunity. The […]
Sad and Disappointed
This has been a sad few weeks in the online Down syndrome community. Several young children have died, some unexpectedly and some after fighting long-term illness. To watch our community gather on message boards, facebook, and through email to support families and mourn these losses is a sight to behold. We are fiercely protective of […]
For Rowenna, On Her Fourth Birthday
I love you, kiddo. To the moon and back, as I like to tell you. And that’s a lot, as your dad likes to teach you. You are so curious and so clever. This usually means I need to be on my toes to make sure you are safe, but you never fail to amaze […]
Big Sister
So I’ve been trying to think of how to describe Rowenna as a big sister but couldn’t come up with the right words. It recently occurred to me that my own expectations and surprise had been getting in the way of that. Rowenna is big sister-ing in her own way, just as she always does. […]
And Then There Were Two
It’s Mother’s Day, and it seems like there is so much I could say about the unexpected challenges and surprising joys of motherhood. I could talk about how this is a day I feel the keen sting of loss. I could talk about my two sweet girls and how proud I am to be their […]
A Day in the Life
In honor of World Down Syndrome Day (3/21), bloggers have gotten together to provide a glimpse into the lives of their loved ones with Down syndrome. It’s a blog hop, so if you’d like to read more, please check out the other participating blogs! (links at the bottom of the post) On school days, Rowenna […]
Sweet Afton
Little Sister is here. Her name is Afton Mattea-Mary, named for a beloved folk song (you can listen to it here, lyrics are a poem by Robert Burns) and for two people who have supported us and loved us unconditionally through it all – my brother, Matthew, and my grandmother, Mary. I can never fully […]
Retard, Revised
Today is Spread the Word to End the Word Day. I’ve revised my post from last year to include a challenge. In short, I’m tired of people defending their use of the word. I’m tired of people thinking it’s ok. And I’m past the point of wanting to be nice about the whole thing, asking […]
The IEP: 4K Edition
Tonight was the main event: the IEP for Rowenna’s 4K year. Honestly, I was nervous. After the surprise announcements from both of her teachers that Rowenna needed much more support than we realized, we had trepidations walking into a meeting where we thought we would essentially end up disagreeing with all suggestions. I’m also 39 […]
