A family's everyday stories of oddities, challenges and special needs.
“We’ve got one of them at home,” a man I had never met told me while Ellie and I were waiting for a haircut one sunny afternoon. That, or a slight variation of that, is something I have heard many times. It is the honest truth when I say I can’t take Ellie anywhere without…
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My husband asked me to go outside and look at the moon with him last night. Our oldest son got a telescope for Christmas last year and we like to set it up in the front yard and look up at the sky at night. Most nights when we have finished the bedtime rush with…
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I certainly don’t find myself in 2022 with answers, but my focus is shifting. Instead of being mad that no one has sent the lifeboat to save me, I realize that the real question is more about how I ended up in that deep of water by myself in the first place.
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Before she was born, I spent a lot of time looking at her 3D ultrasound photos trying to determine whether or not she would look like she had Down syndrome when she was born. I hoped and prayed that she would be spared the tell-tale almond-shaped eyes, flattened face, short neck and protruding tongue. The…
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Before he left for work, I made an egg for my husband Ben to eat for breakfast. It was just the two of us in the kitchen and no little ears were around to hear us talking. “I just don’t understand why you think that her learning will slow down or just stop one day,”…
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“I am glad that Ellie is your only girl.” I hear that or a variation of that a lot. Honestly, I have thought it myself on occasion. The idea is that if Ellie had a sister, she would grow up trying to be like her. The fear behind it is that if her sister were…
Heather Honaker visited with four family members of children with special needs for this month’s special focus. They offered tips from their personal experience on what they did right in raising a special needs child – and what they wish they could do again. Here’s Heather with more: We got a Down syndrome (DS) diagnosis…
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Young artisan Lila used one of her favorite therapy projects to begin her first business before most kids even think about starting elementary school. Introduce us to Lila.Lila is a vibrant and active 7-year-old girl who has Down syndrome. The moment she was born, our lives changed forever. We knew Lila would have Down syndrome…
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Even though she has an undesired, greatly feared disability, I sure do think, “Why can’t you be more like Ellie?” a lot. I was scared of her before she was born. If I’m being honest, I am still scared of her. I obsess about her Down syndrome making her seem less than everyone else. I…
typically not typical 