The Phamily Blog

Okay, so I received one question so far:

Great question! A lot of things have changed since welcoming Gabby into our lives. For one, we're a lot more busy than we used to be. We have physical and occupational therapy every other week and now we'll be adding speech therapy on the weeks we're not doing physical/occupational therapy.

Secondly- I feel like I am a lot more stressed and that I have aged at least ten years since she was born. I worry about every sniffle, fever, and cry. Gabby is ALWAYS sick. I am hoping it is related to her big bro being in preschool because he is sick quite often himself. Hopefully, she is just building up that immune system of hers and these illnesses will start to taper out a bit.

We are grateful that Gabby has never had an ear infection, RSV, or pneumonia (all of which are common in kids with Ds.) This is the main reason why I worry so much.

Since Gabby came into our lives, we have learned to celebrate and appreciate every milestone she reaches. Some things that typical children can accomplish with no problems take Gabby a lot longer to achieve so when she does, our joys are amplified by 100. Every day is exciting.

Also, I feel like I am on constant "achievment duty" with Gabby. Every moment is an oppurtunity for her to be working on something. I often find myself feeling guilty when she is just playing independently even though I know she needs time to do that as well. Special needs parenting can be exhausting but we do what we can and Gabby is doing well.

Gabby has brought us close to so many friends that we wouldn't know if she hadn't come into our lives. There is such a wonderful and loving Down syndrome community out there and I have met some families who I know we will remain great friends with for the rest of our lives.

Obviously, our hearts have been flooded with worry this past year as Gabby faced open heart surgery (something we never would have thought we would go through.) But through it all, we have learned to appreciate every day and to laugh often. Life is a gift and we are so grateful.