I am thrilled to have Macyn & August with us today as we celebrate day 18 of Down Syndrome Awareness Month! I have been following this sweet family for the last few years and am consistently inspired by mama Heather’s posts. I remember the joy they shared when Truly (their middle child) and August joined their family through adoption and the hashtag #theluckyfew came about. (Seriously, check out the hashtag. It’s amazing.) And the super exciting thing is that Heather is set to release a book about their journey in March 2017! Click over to her website to check out The Lucky Few book and to read her blog. You can also follow this crew on Instagram at @macymakesmyday. Thank you, Heather, for celebrating with us today!
Do your kids have a favorite cartoon or movie character?
All the kids are crazy about Disney everything right now. We have annual passes to Disneyland and all they want to do is go to the shows to see the characters and walk around looking for the characters. August is especially obsessed with Goofy, which Macy loves them all.
Who do they love to spend time with?
Macy loves to spend time with almost anyone of her family or friends. She LOVES being with people, it gives her life. She is always inviting people over to hang out and everyday asks who we are going to see. Macy especially loves her grandparents, aunties, uncles and cousins. Her cousin Kalli, who is closest to her in age, is her very favorite person to be with.
August, on the other hand, just wants to spend time with his dad and me, and his sisters too!!!! He gets shy and reserved and even nervous around anyone else. In his ideal world, we would be touching at all times, or at least always in the same room!
How are they similar to and different from one another?
Macy and August both have Down syndrome, yet they could not be more different. Macy is our little miss cautious. This makes her less willing to try anything new. She is huge on expectations and when she does not know what to expect, or her expectations are not met, she gets bummed out and can tend to shut down (I’m the same way!). August is mr. throw caution to the wind. He is daring and bold and willing to try everything (except food!). He is also very high drama (can you say “drama king”?) while Macy is calm, and even when things feel stressful or don’t go her way, she never responds with dramatic outbursts. Because they both have Down syndrome we see some similarities in development etc., but really, they could not be more different.
Then there is our middle daughter, Truly, who does not have Down syndrome or any other kind of different ability. Truly is a born leader and is pretty sure the only way to do everything in life is her way. Sometimes her siblings put up with it and let her lead the room, sometimes there is plenty of bickering as Macy and/or August get frustrated with her inability to allow them to be in charge:). Truly is highly emotional and loves to take risks, just like August.
What is the most wonderful part of knowing your children?
Knowing my kids with Down syndrome is like having a front row seat to a kind of magic. They have shown me that when we take the ups and the downs, the good and the bad, the celebrations and the sorrows, the bravery and the fear, and we intermingle them until we can hardly tell them apart, what we get is a new kind of beauty, a new kind of reality, that I have not found to exist anywhere else.
What have you found to be good resources for learning more about Down syndrome?
The best resources are people who have Down syndrome or have a loved one with Down syndrome. Find us on social media, ask questions, let us become a part of your normal day to day lives. There is no better resource out there.
Check back tomorrow as we continue celebrating Down Syndrome Awareness Month or click below to read all of our previous posts.
