Most importantly, we will love your child. We feel that being parents is the most important and fulfilling thing we will do in our whole lives. Our greatest desire is to raise our children in a home where there is no doubt in their minds that they are loved. We will do everything possible to help him or her to reach their full potential. We are humbled by our responsibilities to your child and to you but feel honored to be trusted to teach and guide and raise them. There is no doubt in our minds that we are meant to have another child with Down syndrome.
Our children are an amazing support system for a child with special needs. They do not see “Down syndrome”. They just feel love and acceptance. They love their sister so much and go out of their way to make sure she is included and has the help she needs to participate in everything they do. They would love to have another sibling and we know that they would love him or her every bit as much as they do each other. Our extended family is also amazing! It's filled with grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles and cousins who love and serve all our children immeasurably. We are so lucky to be surrounded by such love.
My (Julie’s) Bachelor’s Degree is in Family Science with
an emphasis in Human Development. I feel
this has helped me (and will continue to help me) immensely in my efforts to
help our children reach their full potential.
It has given me a foundation to build on as we work with doctors to
understand some of the challenges and developmental delays associated with
children who have Down syndrome. As a
family, we have also gained additional skills (such as learning American Sign
Language and learning basic therapies in many areas) that will help us to give
a child with special needs the extra love and support they require.
We are so blessed to live in an amazing community with
wonderful resources available to children with Down syndrome. We live just 30 minutes from a world-class
medical center. For the last 20 years, it has ranked among the best children's
hospitals in the United States. Their
Heart Center (which is especially important, because many children with Down
syndrome have heart conditions) was ranked 8th in the Nation. Our oldest daughter has had 3 heart surgeries there. We have been so impressed with the amazing care the Cardiologists,
Surgeons, Ophthalmologists, Audiologists, Otolaryngologists, Occupational Therapists,
Physical Therapists, and Speech Therapists have given her.
In addition to wonderful medical care, we have an amazing
support system in our local Down syndrome foundation. This amazing group hosts meetings,
conferences, dinners, family activities and parties to bring families who have
a child with Down syndrome together to be educated, share ideas, give moral
support, and share information on community resources. Each year, they hold a
Buddy Walk to educate the community about Down syndrome. It is a giant party! We look forward to it all year and have
participated nearly every year since Big Sister was born.
We live about a mile away from a great recreation center.
We love using their facilities for youth soccer, t-ball, baseball, dance
classes, swimming lessons (they have an award-winning Adaptive swim program
that Big Sister loves!), ice-skating, and tennis. There are six Parks (and
playgrounds) within a mile of us that our children love to play at. We also live within an hour of some of the
most amazing outdoor recreation in the world.
We love to hike, bike, camp, boat, fish, and swim in the mountains! There are some amazing camps available to
children with special needs that teach horseback riding and mountain climbing.
Finally, we feel blessed to be a part of a wonderful
neighborhood and church group. We have
many friends who love our children and go to extraordinary lengths to serve our
daughter with Down syndrome and our family!
During her heart surgeries, (which required weeks of hospitalization)
our friends and neighbors brought her toys and treats, watched our other
children and brought in meals. We were
flooded with love in the form of calls, notes and visits! Each week, they make special efforts to
include her in classes and activities and there is a great group of young women
who seek her out and watch out for her.
