She stands tall; not trying to fix the child I adopted When we adopted Evangeline from Ukraine in 2009, she hunched. She cowered. She chose to spend her time hidden in little pockets of the house, behind the sofa, under the comforter on her bed. How would I bring her out of her shell? How would I get her to not only make eye contact with me, but to trust me and let love in after two … [Read more...]
10 things TO SAY when a baby is born with Down syndrome
10 things TO SAY when a baby is born with Down syndrome Today is October 1st, which kicks off Down syndrome awareness month. In honor of doing my part to raise awareness about individuals like my two daughters Polly and Evangeline, I'm sharing one of my favorite lists: 10 things TO SAY when a baby is born with Down syndrome. A while back I posted 10 things not to say to a parent of a child … [Read more...]
5 things to do after someone you love receives a special needs diagnosis
5 things you can do after a family you love receives a special needs diagnosis I’ll never forget the moment I was told my baby had Down syndrome. I was sitting next to her incubator in a hospital, holding on to her heel. I remember being pleased because her eyes were open. She stared intently into mine. The doctor spoke and the words ‘Down syndrome’ crashed over me. Suddenly I was alone without a … [Read more...]
Special needs school of life – just keep going
Special needs school of life - just keep going A few Saturdays ago, my husband Sergei and I took Polly and Evangeline, our two daughters with special needs (Polly has Down syndrome and Moyamoya, Evie has autism and Down syndrome) to play soccer in an AYSO program built for families affected by disability in Chicago. A friend from the girls' school told us about it. "Just sign up. It's great. It … [Read more...]
Special needs, siblings, and screw ups
Special needs, siblings, and screw ups “Mom! We just realized that our school play is during the same week as family camp. We had to pull out of the play. We gave our lines to other actors,” my eleven-year-old daughter Zoya looked at me, alarmed, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. This happened last year when we were offered an amazing scholarship to attend a special needs … [Read more...]
Appreciating the pit crew in special needs parenting
Appreciating the pit crew in special needs parenting Before parenting children with special needs... driving alone I know this statement will seem a bit counter-Christian. But sometimes I think all any of us are really trying to do is create mini kingdoms. People need to rule. We need to be noticed. We crave praise. And we need others to notice that we can actually handle our … [Read more...]