Renee, Mom to the Special K's, is having her 1 year blogoversary.
Renee's post:
Today marks one year since I started blogging! In the last year I've written over 500 posts... I've laughed, I've cried, I met some of the most amazing people I've ever met. I've grown as a wife, a mom and a woman of God. Thank you for a fabulous year! I'm looking forward to an even better year to come! NOW for the thing you've all been waiting for: It's a GIVE AWAY!!!! That's right! For MY blogoversary, YOU get the gifts!! So what can you win? I'm glad you asked!! The winner will recieve one of these fabulous gift baskets of their choosing: Click here for the full post and list of prizes.
Monday, October 6, 2008
We're Gonna Be Friends
1 year ago at the Buddy Walk, the parking lot was the hardest. Sophie was 3 months old. Despite having her Ds diagnosis prenatally, we were still new to this world. I had left my career working with victims of domestic violence for many years to move to a new city in a new state, with no friends or family, to stay at home. The move was less than 2 weeks after her discharge from the NICU. Sophie was still recovering from her duodenal atresia surgery that she had on the day she was born. I know now that it took many, many months for her to truly recover and start to really live.
In the parking lot I shook and nearly got sick. Fear ruled the day. What will I see here? People with Down syndrome of all ages and abilities will be everywhere. Will Sophie look like her, talk like him, walk this way when she gets older? Most days you can go about the business of living and (sometimes) forget about Ds. Not here. Not at the Buddy Walk. I was afraid.
1 year later. In the parking lot was a different family from where we once were. In matching TEAM SOPHIE shirts, we headed to the event. Alexander led the cheer, "Teeeeam Sophie!" Over and over again. This was Mark's favorite part of the day. And though I still cried throughout the day, it was for very different reasons.
It was a wonderful event in special thanks to Cathy's crew who really amaze me (and many others from our local DSN). We got there just in time to see the end of the Illinette's performance and get a good spot to see Karen Gaffney speak. Karen is an incredible person. It's not just that she is an accomplished swimmer who happens to have Ds, or that she happens to be a gorgeous blond woman. She started The Karen Gaffney Foundation, a non profit organization that is dedicated to championing the journey to full inclusion in families, schools, communities and the workplace for people with Down syndrome or other developmental disabilities.
Karen is an inspiration when she speaks. Her speeches aren't all flowery and feel-good either. She has no qualms about challenging her audience. At her reception the night before, she spoke of her desire to get rid of all of the old and inaccurate information that unfortunately still exists about Ds. She spoke of challenging doctors and anyone who put limits on her or anyone who has Ds and instead say "Yes we can."
October is my favorite month. It means Autumn is here. The leaves change, there are football games and a crispness to the air. Halloween is celebrated all month at my house. Mostly it reminds me of the start of the school year. Karen thanked everyone who came to walk that day. She thanked them for being a buddy. Then she challenged us. (paraphrased) It's not enough to be a friend for one gorgeous day in October. Just like you, we want the same things. We want to be included. We want friends, everyday. We are more alike than different, she said. Our eyes or the shapes of our bodies may be different, we may walk differently or talk differently, but it is who we are on the inside that matters.
She spoke of her experiences in school. Sitting down at a table in the cafeteria only to have the other kids get up and move. Longing for a smile when she looked up but seeing the other person look away instead. She said that it takes courage to reach out and befriend a person with Ds or another disability. She asked us to not give up if we reach out and don't get through the first or second time. The person may be so surprised that they might not know how to reach back, but keep trying.
School. Friends. Fall. Acceptance. I cannot know what school will be like for Sophie, but I do know my daughter. I know she draws people to her with her personality. And I hope. Hope ruled the day this year.
And to Liz, Austin, Emma, Grandma Mary and our new buddy Aida (a beautiful 17 year old young woman who is friends with and a neighbor to my sister, who fell in love with Sophie through Liz and this blog - who ASKED to come and walk with us this weekend and again in Waterloo, IA next weekend) I THANK YOU!
1 last thing, a glint of white is beginning to poke through on the upper right of Soph's gums this morning. 15 months with no teeth and now we are getting 2!
Enjoy your day and the montage.
In the parking lot I shook and nearly got sick. Fear ruled the day. What will I see here? People with Down syndrome of all ages and abilities will be everywhere. Will Sophie look like her, talk like him, walk this way when she gets older? Most days you can go about the business of living and (sometimes) forget about Ds. Not here. Not at the Buddy Walk. I was afraid.
1 year later. In the parking lot was a different family from where we once were. In matching TEAM SOPHIE shirts, we headed to the event. Alexander led the cheer, "Teeeeam Sophie!" Over and over again. This was Mark's favorite part of the day. And though I still cried throughout the day, it was for very different reasons.
It was a wonderful event in special thanks to Cathy's crew who really amaze me (and many others from our local DSN). We got there just in time to see the end of the Illinette's performance and get a good spot to see Karen Gaffney speak. Karen is an incredible person. It's not just that she is an accomplished swimmer who happens to have Ds, or that she happens to be a gorgeous blond woman. She started The Karen Gaffney Foundation, a non profit organization that is dedicated to championing the journey to full inclusion in families, schools, communities and the workplace for people with Down syndrome or other developmental disabilities.
Karen is an inspiration when she speaks. Her speeches aren't all flowery and feel-good either. She has no qualms about challenging her audience. At her reception the night before, she spoke of her desire to get rid of all of the old and inaccurate information that unfortunately still exists about Ds. She spoke of challenging doctors and anyone who put limits on her or anyone who has Ds and instead say "Yes we can."
October is my favorite month. It means Autumn is here. The leaves change, there are football games and a crispness to the air. Halloween is celebrated all month at my house. Mostly it reminds me of the start of the school year. Karen thanked everyone who came to walk that day. She thanked them for being a buddy. Then she challenged us. (paraphrased) It's not enough to be a friend for one gorgeous day in October. Just like you, we want the same things. We want to be included. We want friends, everyday. We are more alike than different, she said. Our eyes or the shapes of our bodies may be different, we may walk differently or talk differently, but it is who we are on the inside that matters.
She spoke of her experiences in school. Sitting down at a table in the cafeteria only to have the other kids get up and move. Longing for a smile when she looked up but seeing the other person look away instead. She said that it takes courage to reach out and befriend a person with Ds or another disability. She asked us to not give up if we reach out and don't get through the first or second time. The person may be so surprised that they might not know how to reach back, but keep trying.
School. Friends. Fall. Acceptance. I cannot know what school will be like for Sophie, but I do know my daughter. I know she draws people to her with her personality. And I hope. Hope ruled the day this year.
And to Liz, Austin, Emma, Grandma Mary and our new buddy Aida (a beautiful 17 year old young woman who is friends with and a neighbor to my sister, who fell in love with Sophie through Liz and this blog - who ASKED to come and walk with us this weekend and again in Waterloo, IA next weekend) I THANK YOU!
1 last thing, a glint of white is beginning to poke through on the upper right of Soph's gums this morning. 15 months with no teeth and now we are getting 2!
Enjoy your day and the montage.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Candidates' Positions on Disability Issues
The following made for an interesting read this morning. This side-by-side comparison of the candidates' positions on disability-related issues is based on information found on the candidates' Web sites, the candidates' Senatorial Web sites and supplemented by other sources. OLRS neither supports nor opposes any political party or candidate for office. Information provided on this page is strictly for educational purposes only. Click here for 2008 Presidential Candidate Positions on Disability-related Issues Prepared by the Ohio Legal Rights Service, September 2008.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
It's a Beautiful Day for a Walk
Round 1 Buddy Walk photos from today! More to come.
As always you can click on each picture to enlarge it. Our team shirts turned out great and the day was a success! Now I need to go spend this time with my family that travelled so far to walk with us.
As always you can click on each picture to enlarge it. Our team shirts turned out great and the day was a success! Now I need to go spend this time with my family that travelled so far to walk with us.
Friday, October 3, 2008
A Very BIG Day
- This morning was set up for our Buddy Walk tomorrow.
- Then I had my first ultrasound with Maybe the May Ba-by. There are a few less maybe-s now. Maybe's due date is what I've claimed, early-mid May. Maybe is only 1 baby, not the twins that Mark and Liz have been insisting we're having. Yet, we're still left wondering, maybe it's a boy but maybe it's a girl. Until December if the baby cooperates and reveals his/her sex, we'll call him/her Maybe the May Ba-by. Stop laughing.
- Then we had a reception for our celebrity Buddy Walk speaker Karen Gaffney. She gave our local DSN a moving and inspiring speech that left me in tears. She was gracious with her time giving autographs and taking photos. More on Karen when I am not so exhausted, but be sure to check out her website.
- Then, my sister Liz, her 2 kids, Grandma Mary, and Aida arrived and the party began.
- Tomorrow is our Buddy Walk and I'm already beyond excited/exhausted/thrilled.
- Oh, and now that Sophie is 15 months old, while Karen was speaking I discovered that little Sugar Bear/Stinkerbell has finally cut her first tooth and it's in the top front! Whoo-who!
BIG DAY
Thursday, October 2, 2008
TEAM SOPHIE, Buddy Walk
This Saturday is our community's 4th Buddy Walk. Over the last thirteen years, the Buddy Walk™ has become the premier advocacy event for Down syndrome and has become a major platform for inclusion in communities across the country. Below is the blue and yellow sunburst logo from the National Down Syndrome Society. 
Click here to watch a few short PSAs featuring John C. & Max McGinley, Chris Burke, Albert Pujols, Meredith Vieira, and Sara Wolff.
We are blessed to have my sister Liz, her two children Austin and Emma, my grandma Mary, and new friend Aida travel from my home state of Iowa to walk with TEAM SOPHIE. Then, next weekend our family will be travelling back to my hometown of Waterloo, IA to participate in their Buddy Walk where we will be joined by even more family members. This year we had team shirts made and I will be sure to post pictures. You all are cordially invited to walk with us this year at either Buddy Walk. If you cannot make it to either of our Buddy Walks but would like to participate, please click here to find a Buddy Walk near you.
If you feel so moved, we would be happy to accept a donation made to TEAM SOPHIE. Donations go to support both local programs and services as well as the NDSS. Click our team logo below or on the sidebar to go to Sophie's page.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Awareness Month for Domestic Violence & Down syndrome
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM).
October is also Down syndrome Awareness Month. In honor of this I have taken the 31 for 21 challenge. This is a challenge to post every day in October for Ds or Trisomy 21. Although 1 post per day is the challenge, each post does not necessarily have to be about Ds. Click on the Get it Down 31 for 21 button on the sidebar to find other bloggers taking the challenge.
Providing Awareness of both DV and Ds is of great importance to me both personally and professionally. Over the next month you'll be reading about all kinds of things. Some will be happy expressions of joy. Others will not.
In honor of both DV and Ds, my first post is about Domestic Violence and women with disabilities.
Taken from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) here are a few facts.
"Women with developmental disabilities have among the highest rates of physical, sexual, and emotional violence perpetrated by intimate partners and family members. Individuals with disabilities are at a greater risk of severe physical and sexual violence than people without disabilities. Many people with disabilities who are victims of violence experience multiple assaults. Domestic abuse victims with disabilities are often more dependent on their caretakers than victims without disabilities, and face many barriers to reporting abuse and seeking services. Victms who do report abuse or seek services often do not find adequate help, since many programs that serve DV victims are not equipped or trained to offer proper care to disabled victims."
Women with disabilities are three times more likely to be sexually assaulted than women without disabilities.
For more information or to get help, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE. The National Sexual Assault Hotline 1-800-656-HOPE.
October is also Down syndrome Awareness Month. In honor of this I have taken the 31 for 21 challenge. This is a challenge to post every day in October for Ds or Trisomy 21. Although 1 post per day is the challenge, each post does not necessarily have to be about Ds. Click on the Get it Down 31 for 21 button on the sidebar to find other bloggers taking the challenge.
Providing Awareness of both DV and Ds is of great importance to me both personally and professionally. Over the next month you'll be reading about all kinds of things. Some will be happy expressions of joy. Others will not.
In honor of both DV and Ds, my first post is about Domestic Violence and women with disabilities.
Taken from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) here are a few facts.
"Women with developmental disabilities have among the highest rates of physical, sexual, and emotional violence perpetrated by intimate partners and family members. Individuals with disabilities are at a greater risk of severe physical and sexual violence than people without disabilities. Many people with disabilities who are victims of violence experience multiple assaults. Domestic abuse victims with disabilities are often more dependent on their caretakers than victims without disabilities, and face many barriers to reporting abuse and seeking services. Victms who do report abuse or seek services often do not find adequate help, since many programs that serve DV victims are not equipped or trained to offer proper care to disabled victims."
Women with disabilities are three times more likely to be sexually assaulted than women without disabilities.
For more information or to get help, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE. The National Sexual Assault Hotline 1-800-656-HOPE.
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