The Beatitudes for Friends of Exceptional Children

Lifted from my friend Tara Marie's blog, she is blessed with Emma Sage!

The Beatitudes for Friends of Exceptional Children

Blessed are you who take time to listen to difficult speech:
For you help us to know that if we persevere,
We can be understood.
 
Blessed are you who walk with us in public places,
And ignore the stares of strangers,
For in your companionship,
We find havens of peace.

Blessed are you who never bid us to "hurry up",
And more blessed are you
Who do not snatch tasks from our hands to do them for us,
For often we need time rather than help.
 
Blessed are you who stand beside us
As we enter new and untried ventures,
For our failures will be outweighed
By the times we surprise ourselves and you.

Blessed are you who ask for our help,
For our greatest need is to be needed.
 
Blessed are you when you assure us,
That the one thing that makes us individuals
Is not in our peculiar muscles,
Nor in our wounded nervous systems,
Nor in our difficulties in learning,
Nor any exterior difference.
But is in our inner, personal, individual self
Which no affirmity can diminish or erase.
~~ Author Unknown

in all fairness to teen heart-throbs

ok, bashed on Biebs...I guess since these are the guys I was in love with...well things don't change much do they?

 In my defense, not Nick, the one in the headband...

Smartini, Lola's Libations Review

Feel the need to share with my fellow peeps that like to enjoy a cocktail but don't enjoy said cocktail hanging out on your hips for the long term.  Went to a grand opening this weekend and had a tasting of a mixer called Smartini, it's from a local company and it is only 5 cals per 4 oz, sweetened with stevia.  Makes a pretty tasty treat when mixed!  With a lot less guilt!  I liked the Pomegranate
http://www.lolaslibations.com/

Bieber Fever...

Bieber.

Really?  I mean he's a cute kid and all, if you can get past that hair and the website that has lesbians that really do look like him.  Seriously, look at the site, It's very G rated don't worry. http://lesbianswholooklikejustinbieber.tumblr.com/
Im just so thankful my 7 year old wants nothing to do with the fever.

Down Syndrome and Life

I would be remiss to not start off with a shout out to one of my fave peeps in the world, my baby girl Fizzle!  Ms Fizz is 4 yrs old, beautiful, energetic (aka keeps me running), freakin cute as a bug and funny as all get out, she also happens to have Down syndrome.

We found out at birth that she had DS, and to answer the most common questions...

• I was under 35
• I had a quad screen came back false negative, so I had no idea
• I'm so glad it did!

Why am I glad a screening gave me the wrong info?  Well, doctors are notoriously known for giving only negative information when it comes to a diagnosis of DS, seriously it's been researched.  If I had gotten the diagnosis before birth Im not sure what I would've done.  90% of prenatally diagnosed babies with DS are aborted (or terminated if you want a sweeter picture), who is to say i had the strength to go against the norm?  I'm glad I didn't have the choice.

Personally my doc was not very positive nor were the various professionals that came in to visit after she was born.  At no time did anyone put me in touch with a DS organization or another parent or anyone that could help me.  My girl was pretty healthy (mild heart defect), no NICU, chubby and so sweet but yet the docs acted like it was the end of the world!  Therefore so did I.  I wish I could take that time back and erase it, to not feel the guilt of essentially rejecting your flesh and blood.  However, you can't take it back, no erasers...what you can do is GROW and EDUCATE.

Miss Fizz is now a thriving 4 year old, she had open heart surgery to correct her defect before the age of one.  She makes us laugh and makes us frustrated.  Yes, she has to work harder to accomplish the things that come easy to her siblings, yes it can be hard to watch, but she does these things and the victories are so much sweeter!  She blends seamlessly into our family, her brother and sister love her more than life and fight with her too.  Her big sis is her biggest fan and is amazingly empathetic for her age because of Fizzle.

Her little brother is her best friend and little toot to her at the same time...hmmm sounds like a pretty normal family, huh?

Would life be easier without Down syndrome?  Maybe, not sure though.  Kids are hard, they are a lot of work!  My typically developing kids could get sick any day or in a wreck and become disabled or way worse, God forbid.  Disability is not a death sentence, Down syndrome certainly is not a death sentence. 
 Did I want my kid to have difficulties in her life?  Of course not, but she does, she will and we will deal with them, however, her diagnosis is just a SMALL PART of WHO SHE IS! 

If you happened upon this post and are pregnant with a child with Down syndrome, congratulations!  May i recommend the following site to help you in your journey www.downsyndromepregnancy.org

If you are anyone who would like to see how we parents feel about our little ones with "something extra"  view this awesome video put together by Kelle Hampton

Direction

I suppose i should have a direction, a category for this blog.  Mommy blog, photo blog, home blog, craft blog (ha!)...but i like random blog.  I am a random thinker, I have odd tidbits of knowledge in my head and random comments just waiting to come out and play.  So let this blog find itself in the way rich college kids do so they won't have to get a job!