What does family mean to you?

I have found that most people believe that family means that your share DNA. You share the same eyes, the same cheekbones, the same mannerisms and that is true sometimes but all the time, family means love. Family is sacrifice, family is fun. It’s all of these things that has nothing to do with sharing the same eyes or the same hair texture.

What do you love most about your family?

We love how unique it is. It’s such an honor to get to see my family in a room and know they are mine. We have such a better understanding of the world and what really matters because of the make-up of our family and how it came to be. We also love that our family loves to have fun!

What do you do together as a family?

We like to go places like Disneyland, the beach, the movies, the park, friend’s houses. We love to travel and explore new places. And we have dance parties daily!

What led you to choose adoption?

We couldn’t have kids naturally and so adoption was our next best option. And we soon learned was actually the first best option! So I'm thankful for my infertility.

What was it like meeting each child for the first time?

It is so surreal. Tons of emotions and nerves leading up to the meeting and then all of the sudden this baby is placed in your arms and it’s holy and normal all at the same time. This little one who is a perfect stranger yet owns your heart within seconds. Adoption is a gift.

Explain The Lucky Few and how that started.

There are few of us who have a loved one with Down syndrome and those of us who do are very lucky! I started using The Lucky Few as a hashtag and then so did others in the Down syndrome community and over the years it has become much bigger than us. We use this phrase to shift the idea of Down syndrome from a deficit to an asset. Raising Down syndrome kids has allowed us to see things from a new perspective. It’s a gift. They’ve showed us through a different lens, how to live life.

A lot of ideas about what it means to have a child with Down syndrome are really outdated or based on assumption. People don’t know, because they haven’t met someone with Down syndrome and so there’s a lot of negative assumption. I’m so thankful that my kids are growing up when they are, because there is this major shift happening culturally. Down syndrome isn’t a bad thing, it’s just different.

When you were told Macyn had Down syndrome, what was your initial reaction?

Saying yes to Macyn was the scariest and best yes. At first we were in denial and didn’t want to adopt a child with Down syndrome, we knew we couldn’t say yes and then we knew we couldn’t say no. We desperately wanted to become parents and there was a little girl that needed parents so we said yes. When placement day came, all the fears disappeared. When that baby is placed in your arms, it’s just magic.

What are the challenges you face as a parent of a child with special needs? What has been the most rewarding aspect?

Because we were first time parents, this was all we knew. It may seem crazy and wild and different, but it was our normal. We didn’t know any different. Yes, there were challenges and having a child with Down syndrome is a whole other ball game, but those first few months and those first couple of years, it was just raising a baby that we have, the best way we know how. Being a parent is a hard gig, no matter what! It’s also an honor. Raising kids with special needs has taught me that so much of life can be both good and bad, exhausting and an honor, difficult and worthy. My kids have given me a clearer glimpse of what it truly means to be human and the true worth of any human. These are truths and lessons people spend their lifetime trying to grasp, and my kids with Down syndrome get it.

Tell us a little about each child.

Truly Star

Truly Star is a fierce word-changer and she’s only 8. Look out world! Truly wakes up bouncing and bounces her way through the day until bed time. She’s full of energy and she’s full of life. She’s so determined and it’s going to get her really far. She’s very enthusiastic about everything and she just wants to jump from mountain top to mountain top – and she tries! She’s an incredible sister and she’s so in tune with her brother and sister. One of the things I love about Truly – and all of my children – is their lack of inhibition. Truly has no problem talking to everybody and getting what she needs and I think she’s very brave.

August

August is totally introverted. He’s also very affirming, he’ll come in the room with his little five year old voice and say, “mom, you’re totally rocking it today”. He’s also very theatrical, he’s such a theater kid, he likes to dress up and he likes to be presented to the room. He’ll ask us to present him. He’s got a great sense of humour and he’ll just throw out random jokes. Like we’ll be driving in the car and he’ll say out of nowhere “Mommy, did you just call me poopy pants?” He’s a dream.

Macyn

Macyn is our little social butterfly and she was born with music infused into her bones. She loves music and she loves to dance, so those two things happen every single day in our house. She’s incredibly resilient and brave but also cautious and I don’t know if that comes from her personality or from her first years when she was fighting for her life. She’s a cautious fighter. She’s also really tuned into the emotion in a room and she loves nothing more than being in a room full of people that want to have fun

Meet The Kids

Truly Star:

How old are you? 8

What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to be a gymnast and a mom.

Who is your hero? My heroes are my mom and dad.

What does adoption mean? Adoption means you were not born from your mom, you were born from a different woman and not from you mom’s belly.

What’s your favourite thing about your family? They always smile when they are happy.

August:

How old are you? 5

What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to be Goofy (from Disney)

Who is your hero? Goofy

What does adoption mean? Adoption means you have two Woody toys who are happy and he’s my favorite toy forever!

What’s your favourite thing about your family? Truly

Macyn:

How old are you? 10

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I want to be a hip-hop dancer.

Who is your hero? My hero is Trista. (a woman with Down syndrome who is a hip-hop dancer)

What’s your favourite thing about your family? Truly and August.

Tell us a joke. Knock, Knock. Who’s there? Interrupting cow. Interrupting cow. MOOOOOOOO