Day 8 of Down Syndrome Awareness Month is brought to you by Ari! I met Ari’s mama, Lacey, on Instagram just after Sam was born. Ari is four, just like my Sam. I can’t tell you how great it is to have other moms on this journey who are in such a similar place in life as we are. Today, Lacey shares a few fun things about her boy. You can find these two on Instagram as @laceyhochman and on Lacey’s blog FollowEveryDream.com.
Who is Ari’s favorite cartoon or movie character? His current favorite cartoon is Little Einsteins. I love hearing him quote lines from the show when we aren’t watching it. Every episode features an artist and a classical piece of music. The other day, I smiled so big when I heard him exclaim, “Yaaaaay Mozart!!”
What would he do if he could design his own day? He would get up, jump on our bed with his sister, then go downstairs for breakfast, which would be a plain tortilla. He would then go out back, turn on the hose, and proceed to douse everything in water, particularly his poor little sister! We would then go to the nature and science museum or the zoo. For lunch, we would go out for pizza and fruit snacks. There would definitely not be a nap. 🙂 Instead, we would watch Frozen, and have a tickle/wrestling match on the floor. We would finish the day with a “dance party,” and lots of splashing in the bath. There would also be lots of singing throughout the day!
What are a few things Ari does well? Ari is really great at speaking. He talks all the time and has an amazing vocabulary. He is really social, and that has helped so much with his transition into preschool. He is also very adept, physically. There isn’t a single physical activity that he cannot do. Of course, I most appreciate his ability to make us smile and laugh. He is such a goofball!
We’ll be doing a little traveling for a training session right before we leave for Kenya this winter, and we just might get to meet Ari and his family! If so, I’ll certainly post photos of the boys together. Thank you for being a part of our celebration this month, Lacey & Ari!
Check back tomorrow as we continue celebrating Down Syndrome Awareness Month or click below to read all of our previous posts.
Happy DAY 7 of Down Syndrome Awareness Month! Have you caught all of our posts this week? We’ll be continuing to celebrate all month, and we would love to have you here with us! Today I would like to introduce you to ten-year-old Mayson. Thank you, Amy, for sharing your beautiful girl with us!
What are some things Mayson really enjoys?
She loves movies, reading books, swinging, music, playing with her Barbies, and being with her friends!
What are some of her favorite movies, games, and books?
Mayson’s favorite movies are Barbie Christmas, Nemo, and Princess and the Frog. Her favorite games are Zingo, Trouble, Memory, and hide and go seek. She LOVES Pete the Cat books!
Who is her favorite cartoon character?
Barbie
What are a few things Mayson is really good at?
She can memorize a movie word by word after only watching it a few times. She’s also a great direction follower.
How is Mayson similar to her siblings?
Her voice reminds us so much of our older daughter, Rylee, when she was little. They look alike, too. Mayson hates anything fine motor, which is just like her big brother, Jayden. She’s also very good about playing by herself and using her imagination like her older siblings.
What has she taught her siblings?
Patience!!!!
What have her siblings taught her?
If she keeps trying, even though it’s not always fun, she will succeed!
What is something you want everyone to know about Mayson?
Mayson takes one day at a time. She is a fun, loving, sweet and caring little girl who lives life to the fullest. I wish we could all live like her!
What is something you don’t think many people know about Down syndrome?
One person doesn’t have MORE Down syndrome than another!
Check back tomorrow as we continue celebrating Down Syndrome Awareness Month or click below to read all of our previous posts.
Welcome to day six of Down Syndrome Awareness Month! Today we’re celebrating with two-and-a-half year-old Eli and his mama Michelle. I first connected with Michelle on Instagram when Eli was a wee little guy and she had just started er online shop Littlest Warrior Apparel. The shop works to ‘spread joy + awareness + inclusion one rad tee at a time,” and it totally is! If you follow The Mango Memoirs on Instagram, you’ve likely seen pictures of Pete and Sam wearing shirts from their shop (see the photo at the end of this post). You can find Michelle on Instagram as @meeshellphoto and @littlest_warrior and at her website Michelle Sullivan Photography.
What are a few things Eli thoroughly enjoys doing?
Eli loves to sing. He has about 10 favorite songs and he’ll ask me to sing them by signing. If he wants to sing Old MacDonald he’ll sign ‘sing’ and ‘horse’ and say “neigh neigh” or sign ‘sheep’ and say “baa baa.” If he wants to sing If You’re Happy and You Know it, he’ll sign ‘sing’ and then clap his hands. We have so much fun singing together. Eli loves music. He especially loves Beastie Boys – haha! He gets so excited and dances by scooting in a circle and signing ‘dance.’
What has he taught his siblings?
Because of Eli, his sisters Daphne, Gretta and Roxanne have fallen in love with people with special needs. Daphne has volunteered at RadCamp and Capernum (Younglife’s Special Need’s division) and now wants to be a special ed teacher for high school students. Gretta is currently taking sign language classes and hopes to incorporate sign language into a career. We are all better people because of Eli. He’s like a gift that keeps on giving and we are so grateful for everything he’s taught us so far.
What is something you don’t think many people know about Down syndrome?
Before I had Eli I didn’t know much about people with Down syndrome, and I wish I could have experienced the joy they bring much earlier in life. My hope is that no one ever feels sorry for us, we are having a blast! The friendships we’ve made, the way we’ve grown as people, our lives are so much better with Eli. He really has enhanced our lives.
Above, Eli is sporting one of the awesome designs from Littlest Warrior Apparel, which has shirts in baby sizes up to adult. Below, Sam is wearing his “Holland Tour Guide” tee. Curious about what that means? Check out this post.
Check back tomorrow as we continue celebrating Down Syndrome Awareness Month or click below to read all of our previous posts.
I had planned on sharing these brothers tomorrow, but when I was scrolling through Facebook this morning, I discovered that four years ago TODAY Dex became a part of his forever family! I can’t resist celebrating with the Noel family! So today we’re hearing from Elizabeth, mama to five-year-old Dex and one-month-old Gus. You can find Elizabeth on Instagram as @enoel83. Thank you for sharing with us on this special day, Elizabeth!
What are a few things your boys thoroughly enjoy doing?
Gus likes to sleep and be held. Dex loves swimming, singing, watching movies, playing musical instruments, and being outside.
What would they do if they could design their own day?
Dex would play outside, go swimming, eat at Chick-fil-a, watch a movie, eat Cheez-Its and play music with Daddy. Gus would eat and sleep on mommy all day.
Who do Dex love spending time with?
Mommy and Daddy, his best friend Ann-Margret and her siblings, Mim and Poppa (his grandparents)
What is something you want everyone to know about your boys?
They are made perfectly in God’s image. I wouldn’t change one thing about either of them. They are everything I never knew I wanted. They are the sweetest, snuggliest boys ever!
What is the most wonderful part of knowing them?
Seeing them learn and grow. We celebrate every milestone that they meet no matter when they meet them. We have learned that the little things are the big things with them.
What is something you don’t think many people know about Down syndrome?
People with Down syndrome are capable of doing anything that a “typical” person can do – they may take a little longer to do it, but they will work their tails off until they achieve their goals!
Check back tomorrow as we continue celebrating Down Syndrome Awareness Month or click below to read all of our previous posts.
Wesley is back! I introduced you to Wesley last year during Down Syndrome Awareness Month when his mom, Amy, shared details of how she first learned about her son’s diagnosis. I’ve had two opportunities to spend time with this sweet four-year-old and his siblings since his family lives so close to our mission’s headquarters. Such a treat! You can find Amy as @thethomps on Instagram and Twitter, and at amyknueppel.com. Thank you, Amy & Wesley, for celebrating with us again this year!
What are some of Wesley’s favorite things to eat?
Wesley loves food. He is my kid who will eat curry, chicken taco soup, burrito bowls, minced pork with black bean sauce, tempura vegetables, and barbeque with no issue or complaints. His favorite food, though, is pizza. Specifically pepperoni pizza. We have pizza and movie night on Friday evening and I think it’s his favorite day of the week because he gets pepperoni pizza. If you ask what he wants to eat, 8 times out of 10, you’ll probably hear “pepperoni pizza”! We’ve had to work really hard on the “p” sound in speech therapy this year because it used to come out as “eh-roni zaza,” which was really cute but we were the only ones who understood what he was asking for. 🙂
What are his favorite movies?
Wesley is a huge fan of Christmas, so his movies of choice lately have been Charlie Brown Christmas, Veggie Tales Christmas, and Polar Express. He loves Disney, too, especially Frozen and Up. Having a big sister means he gets to hear more than his share about Disney princesses and I think he has a soft spot for Anna, Elsa, and Rapunzel. We are going to Disney World next year (shhh! It’s a secret!) and I cannot wait to see how he reacts to seeing his favorite characters in person!
What is the most wonderful part of knowing Wesley?
I love Wesley’s perspective on the world. He watches people and his surroundings intently. I will often hear him giggling or full belly laughing at people doing something funny or something he sees in nature, like animals playing, that strikes him as funny. He has a wicked sense of humor and can already crack a joke with limited vocabulary. I love that he loves to make others laugh – he is becoming an expert at making silly faces to get someone else to smile. He also loves to give people fist bumps and high fives. It’s his way of interacting easily with others. I think it really stops and makes people happy when this little guy walks or rides by in a shopping cart and yells, “High five!” I have yet to see someone turn him down. He is changing perspectives on Down syndrome. He is making an impact on his little corner of the universe. We are so thankful that he is part of our family and for how much he has changed our worldview!
What is something you don’t think many people know about Down syndrome?
People with Down syndrome are capable! Wesley helps empty the dishwasher, put clothes into the washing machine and move wet clothes into the dryer, clean up toys, pick up dirty clothes and put them in the hamper. If our typical kids can do it, so can he! He doesn’t get a pass on helping out just because he has Down syndrome, though I’m sure he’d like to play that card sometimes. 😉
Check back tomorrow as we continue celebrating Down Syndrome Awareness Month or click below to read all of our previous posts.
Today I am thrilled to introduce you to three-year-old Delaney! I first met Delaney’s parents way back in in our college days. What an honor it is to now be on this journey with them! We’ve had the chance to catch up with them a few times in the last three years. Del just absolutely melts my heart. Today her mama, RaeAnn, is sharing about her sweet girl. You can find RaeAnn on Instagram as @RaeBotzek.
What are some things Delaney thoroughly enjoys? Del is a people person, and she loves HER people. When she sees Grandma and Grandpa, or her cousins and aunts and uncles, she lights up and cannot wait to share in ANY experience with them. She loves music and dance parties. One of her favorite things to do is sit around the dinner table with everyone, chatting and eating for hours.
What are her favorite foods? When Delaney was born and started taking bottles, I knew my experience with her would be vastly different than with a “typical” kid. She was born with a heart defect and had great difficulty eating until her heart was repaired at a year. She even had a feeding tube in her nose for a while. After her open heart surgery, things greatly changed. Not only did she like to eat, but her favorite foods really surprised me. They say people with Down syndrome are born with “adult” taste buds, and with Del that couldn’t be more true. She loves to drink v8 tomato juice and water with fresh lemon. Her first favorite foods were garlic hummus, fresh tomatoes, avocado with sea salt, cucumbers, raw peppers, black beans- talk about a healthy diet! She still enjoys all of those foods at 3, but I’d say her favorite food right now is my homemade veggie fried rice. And chocolate. The girl loves chocolate!! We just delight in her enjoyment of meals. She is a very enthusiastic eater!
What are her favorite movies and books? Frozen fever entered our house about a year ago! She loves all of the musical numbers-we skip through the rest of the movie. Her favorite books are Polar Bear Polar Bear What Do You Hear and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. At home she can often be found cuddled up on the couch reading a book. Like mother, like daughter!
What are a few things Del is really good at? Delaney shows more empathy than any other child I have known. She genuinely wants everyone to be happy and it hurts HER when she sees others hurting. She is gentle, and is so loving and sweet to her baby brother and cousin. She has an amazing attention span, and sticks with a project or activity with great focus and always tries her hardest. She has always amazed us with her work ethic – she pushes herself and doesn’t give up until she’s got it down!
How is she similar or different from her little brother? Delaney was my first child, so I didn’t have another baby to compare her to. She was my “normal.” She stayed my baby a little longer because of her size and slower development of gross motor skills, but in personality I say she was born fully aware of who she was. She always made it clear her opinion on everything-well before she could even say her first word! Her brother Graham (12 months) has done things faster developmentally-he is already saying words, feeding himself, and almost walking. I’m amazed at how EASY he makes everything look. Del had to work hard to achieve many of these milestones. But in personality, I had to wait much longer to see who he was- what his likes/dislikes were, and to feel that closeness that I felt with Del right away. When Del was born, I KNEW her. I’m still getting to know little Graham. I expected things with Graham to be vastly different from my experience parenting Delaney, and there are differences especially with medical issues, but the love and joy I get from each of them fills my heart in the same way, they both make me exceedingly proud, and I have the same hopes and dreams for each of them-that they would grow to be kind, caring, giving, happy people who make our world a better place and show the love of God to everyone they meet. And seeing the two of them together-oh how my heart bursts! They love each other, giggle constantly, and are great playmates.
We had a weekend near Minneapolis a couple months ago and got to meet up with Delaney and her family at GiGi’s Playhouse. These two played so well together. Isn’t Del an absolute doll?! Clearly, Sam agreed. 🙂
Check back tomorrow as we continue celebrating Down Syndrome Awareness Month!
Click below to read all of our posts celebrating Down Syndrome Awareness Month!
