This is Abby. October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month

October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month, 31 days in which members of the Down syndrome community focus on awareness, advocacy, inclusion and respect for all individuals with Down syndrome.  My daughter was diagnosed a few hours after birth. * * * This is Abby.  She’s 7.  She’s in second grade.  A regular second grade class. … Read More This is Abby. October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month

I forced my kids to get along … and it worked (kinda … maybe)

… I come in, listen a bit about what the problem is, and solve it quickly by giving the toy back to the original handler or helping to rebuild the knocked down project, which solves the problem quickly so we can move on. At best, maybe I am modeling how to solve each problem, but mostly I am just problem solving and they are just watching, waiting to see if whatever injustice their sibling bestowed upon them will be righted.… Read More I forced my kids to get along … and it worked (kinda … maybe)

Oh, Brother!

I was five and three quarters when my mom gave birth to her fourth child. I can still clearly remember listening to one side of my grandmother’s conversation with family and family friends in which she was regaling them with the tale of my mother’s labor and ultimately the joyous news of Peter Joel’s arrival.… Read More Oh, Brother!

Crazy grateful

Each Thanksgiving, I take inventory of the things I am grateful for.   While I am never more or less appreciative, one year to the next, there are times where events like births or deaths act as glowing reminders of all that we are blessed with (and, more soberingly, how quickly those things may be lost). This… Read More Crazy grateful