3.2.1.....GOOOOOOO!!!!

Or should I say Go 3-21!!!

Today is World Down Syndrome Day!!

Today is a day to Celebrate! That's right friends, we're celebrating. I know, it seems like we celebrate everything around here, well, that's because we do! We have so much to be happy for and love to take in the joy and at times, tell "the world!"

Down Syndrome has already changed so much in our lives, but those close to us know, it hasn't dampened our "style." If anything it gave us more to be proud of, more of a reason to sing our little girl's praises, more. 1 more tiny little chromosome has given us more than we ever imagined.






Every new parent knows, that life changes with the birth of your first child. Your perspective on everything changes, every aspect of life has so much more joy in it. Children provide an unspoken secret to happiness. Down Syndrome changes none of this.

So today we celebrate. That Alexi is AWESOME! She works her little butt off and is growing bigger, better, stronger every day. We are so proud of our little munchkin. She's starting to hold herself up in a sitting position all by herself, her head control is GREAT, she knows who mommy and daddy are, she LAUGHS her butt off at daddy's shenanigans, she rocks a skirt and sneakers like nobodies business, she smiles so big every time Tank enters her view, then she reaches out and grabs at his face wrinkles (and tries to put him in her mouth...BAD ALEXI!), she is starting to get this rolling over thing down, she LOVES certain toys and is unamused by others, when she looks in your eyes and gets that look of wonder in her face, you can just see that she is anxiously waiting to see what you're going to do next. Watching, waiting to learn. I could go on for days, and may have already lost some of your attention with that run-on, but I just can't stop celebrating everything about her!

For world DS day, we are asking our friends for a favor. Not a donation, nothing to give up, just a small favor. Can you tell ONE person about Alexi today that doesn't already know? A co-worker, friend, relative, stranger on the street, we don't care! We just think it would be awesome if you could help us spread the good word, that Down Syndrome is OK!

One good segue:

You: Did you know it's World Down Syndrome Day?

Lucky "about to be enlightened" person: No, I didn't.

You: Yeah, my buddy has a little girl with down syndrome...{tell your version of the rest!}

So it may seem a bit awkward to do. But imagine this for me. Imagine Alexi going to the park next summer. There's 5 families there, all their kids playing together on the playground. Alexi goes to join in on the fun. The other kids all play "keep away" from her. She just wants to play, so keeps trying to join in, the other kids refuse, because she is "different."

DO NOT imagine how that makes you/me feel, imagine how that makes Alexi feel. Now imagine how that would feel to your child, niece, nephew, grandchild... Scared, confused, can't figure out why these kids are so mean. Now amplify those feelings, as grasping concepts like cruelty are going to be much harder for Alexi.

These kids aren't mean, they are simply unsure of Alexi because she is different. This is not some story I just made up. This situation just happened to a friend of ours LAST WEEK in the north hills.

Ignorance is out there and so easy to CURE! So yes, you may feel a bit awkward bringing Alexi up today, but EVERY bit of awareness raised about how awesome DS can be, can help Alexi avoid these situations as she grows up.


Still don't think you want to bring this up in conversation? Sharing this post would be a big help too!



Alexi says "THANKS!" to EVERYONE that participates in our little awareness campaign for this awesome day! "YOU ROCK!!"


And a special THANK YOU to Gina for making Alexi's awesome shirt!  She makes tons of great kids gear right here in the 'Burgh too!  You can find her stuff here:  Ginny M.








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