About Our Family

Like every family whom we have had the privilege to meet, our prenatal Down syndrome diagnosis story is unique. It is a story filled with emotion: the joy of a new life coming followed by the grief of losing the child you thought you were going to have and the fear of the unknown with all of the bumps along the way to get you to the final moment that you would get to hold and see the little one that you knew was changing your life forever in more ways than you'd imagined. But, like all of those same families whom we know, there is one common bond in each of those journeys: love.

When we learned at 19 weeks that our son most likely would be born with Down syndrome, our world at that moment stood still. What would he be like? What did this mean for our daughter? What would our lives be like, our dream and plans for future? But most of all, what kind of a life was he going to have? The pregnancy was grueling, as many women who receive a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome will also tell you. Countless appointments - OB, perinatology, cardiology, genetics, and more. Countless questions. Countless worries. Countless fears. But in the end, when he was placed in our arms, time again stood still as we stared into this beautiful little one's eyes so thankful that he got to hear us say "we love you."

Now, of course, the appointments, questions, worries and fears have not completely stopped. But what I wish that I could say to the me in April 2017 sitting on the exam table having her world come to stop is this: your love is enough. Because it is the love that we have for Mark that has made all of the difference. And what I love most of all about Mark is how he has changed me. In the short 8 months that he has been with us, he has shown me what it means to take things a day at a time. He has shown me that doing things at your own pace is perfection. He has helped us to see how truly amazing and special his big sister is in all of her silliness, imagination, and unconditional love for her "Markie." He has brought incredible people into my life who inspire me every single day, people I otherwise may never have met. And he has shown me, above all, that the best we can do each day is to love everyone we meet, lead by example and be the change. He has been making his mark on our hearts and those of so many people before he was even born, and now we are doing our part by sharing our journey in hopes that we can spread awareness and acceptance for individuals living with Down syndrome in our communities.

Love,

Katie