Happy World Down Syndrome Day! This day is celebrated all over the world to spread awareness of the beautiful people created with a very special extra chromosome. We love celebrating our Sammy!
Category Archives: Down Syndrome
A sort of Spring Break
Hi, friends! I want to let you know that I will not be posting much this week, as I’ve decided to take a sort of Spring Break from social media (Facebook, Instagram, Google+, and the blog). I began on Monday, and it’s been quite refreshing. I’m working on being fully present with the kids and with Pete. It’s good timing, actually, since it’s also Pete’s birthday this week. I’ll be back next Monday!
Before we part, here are a couple photos from a play date on Sunday. How sweet are these two?! Miss Delaney was born a year after Sam and also has a magical extra chromosome. I went to college with her parents. I’m hoping for many more play dates in the future for these two!
Did your heart absolutely melt seeing those photos? I just love them!
Spread the Word
What word? The R word. Retard. That ugly word that is still used so often all around us.
Why? Because it’s honestly so incredibly important to stop using this hurtful term. Last year I wrote a post about why, as a mother, I think we need to stop using it. I was nervous about publishing the post, but when it got over 10,000 hits on Facebook, I realized just how many people really do want to ‘spread the word.’ Please take a second to read the post and share it with those who may not know why so many of us are hurt when we hear the word. And please, please, please…let’s get rid of this ugly word!
Please click over to take the pledge to stop using the word and then encourage those around you to delete it from their vocabulary.
If you do it for no other reason, do it for this guy.
{inspired} I Run 4
Do you workout? Ever think it’d be nice to have a little more motivation to get your workouts in? I Run 4 is a perfect reason to get your run in, to complete your yoga workout, or go for a long walk.
I was first introduced to I Run 4 one year ago. The organization started in January 2013 when a runner named Tim started dedicating his runs to a guy named Michael, who has Down syndrome. A few friends joined Tim in dedicating their miles, which started that official group. By September of 2014, the group had grown to 30,000 members consisting of runners and their buddies. That’s crazy growth!
I began following IRun4 on Facebook last spring. Being a part of the Facebook group has been wonderful. Every time I check Facebook, I see at least a couple posts from a few runners to their buddies or from the buddies to their runners. They encourage one another and celebrate the big & small events of their lives. It’s a beautiful group that is creating awareness of many conditions and building relationships between families all around the world. This video is a small gimpse into the awesomeness of this group!
Finally, last fall I decided to complete the form and get a buddy for Sam. Just a few days later, we got a very exciting Facebook message that Sam had been matched! Kim has been clocking miles through the bitterly cold winter months and dedicating them to our little man. She posts her progress on my wall or with the iRun4 group with cute graphics and sweet pictures. I always show them to Sam who smiles and points at the pictures. Of course, he doesn’t quite understand what it’s all about quite yet but he will before long. Sam will continue to be Kim’s buddy while we’re in Kenya, because all we’ll need is a connection to Facebook, and most days we will have that! We do hope to someday meet Kim in real life so Sam can cheer her on during a race and maybe even run across the finish line with her. Wouldn’t that be amazing?
Not only does Sam have a buddy, but as of last night, Ella does, too! The organization has developed the irun4 sibling group to develop relationships between runners and siblings of those in the iRun4 group. Ella is going to be thrilled to connect with her runner. It will be her own special thing. I can’t wait to tell her after school!
Do you know someone who would be interested in matching up with a runner or buddy? Send them to whoirun4.com! I especially encourage you to do this if you know anyone who is not able to run, no matter their age. The list of runners is quite long, but buddies are not as plentiful. Let’s help spread the word and get more runners and buddies connected!
Down Syndrome Awarenss: People First Language
Sam was not the first person in my life with Down syndrome. Before our little man arrived, I worked with a young woman with Down syndrome at a local high school. I will never forget the first day I walked into the classroom. Her face brightened as she exclaimed, “I’m so happy to see you again!” I had never met her before, but her genuine happiness in seeing me absolutely made my day. She asked me to sit and help her with her work, which that day was adding up dimes and quarters on a worksheet. I worked with her for one semester. This was after we had moved back to Duluth and Ella was a year old. I decided to take an online class through the university to expand my knowledge of teaching special education classes since it was something I felt I had lacked while teaching before Ella was born. During that semester, I needed to write a paper on a specific area of special needs. I chose Down syndrome. It wasn’t until Sam was about 6 months old that I remembered the assignment. Amazing how a thing in our past can become something much more than we ever could have imagined.
Sammy’s Superheroes Returns!
Did you know October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month? It’s true! There are multiple other groups advocating for awareness this month, too, like breast cancer and dwarfism. We’re focusing primarily on Down syndrome, of course, in celebration of our sweet Samuel. To spread awareness this week, I’m sharing a few photos from our very recent trip to St Paul for the annual Step Up for Down Syndrome Walk put on by the Down Syndrome Association of Minnesota. In years past, the walk has also been held in Duluth, but this year it was not, so we happily made the trek down to join thousands of others to celebrate the awesomeness of Down syndrome. It was fun to see friends from the Twin Cities area and participate in such a huge event. There were over 8,000 people!
