Three!

She is three.

She starts pre-school Monday.

She is smart.

She is funny.

She is trouble.

She is independent.

She loves pooh.

She loves Yogurt Creations.

She wants to do everything her sisters do.

She makes me smile.

She has opened our eyes.

She has made us better.

I am not sure what to say (or write). I have so many thoughts racing through my mind. I wanted to post on the eve of her birthday when my emotions were flowing and I could articulate my feelings as they were happening. However, like Christmas eve, once Christmas morning arrives, the excitement and emotions diminish. On the eve of her birthday, I was up late, baking, decorating, wrapping, there was no time to blog. :)

I want to make her birthday all about her, but I can't help but celebrate for me. For all that I have been through in three years. My strong marriage, stronger. My tight family, tighter. My broken heart, transformed and bigger. My smile, brighter. It's been three years...

I am so fortunate.

I am so grateful.

I have amazing friends.

I have an amazing family.

I have a GREAT husband.

I am the luckiest mom in the world. (because I have four of the most amazing girls)


Her Birthday Dress for her birthday dinner.




Celebration at the park!



















I have embraced my life and it is so beautiful!

"Poop bad!"

I can't stop giggling as I type...

We are constantly encouraging Kamryn to use two words. She has developed a vocabulary and is talking, but is not consistently putting two words together.

She has a few combinations: "Mama's ouse" (Grandmas house), "Me go?", "Thank you", "all done", etc.

The new one, "poop bad!" has me cracking up. As I sit here, I can't believe I am blogging about this. But if it weren't for our girl with the extra chromosome, I wouldn't be blogging at all.

She is fast approaching three and I have not started "potty training." We talk about it and she sits on the potty. However, I never "potty trained" my girls. I know that sounds terrible, but potty training was one thing I never pushed. I wasn't the mom that stayed home for a week so I could put them on the potty several times a day until they "got it". I waited until I felt they were ready and we went straight from diapers to underwear. No pull ups and no accidents. EVER. They were all three years old...I know many people think that's just CRAZY and some people couldn't believe my 2 1/2 year old daughters were not potty trained. To date, I have never read anything that indicates if you potty train earlier than 3 you're super smart. So to me it was no big deal.

I realize, from the little reading I do about Down syndrome, that potty training for Kamryn may take longer. Since her sisters didn't potty train until three, I plan to give her until 3 1/2 before we get aggressive with "training." She is already showing sings of readiness with her two words. She will tell us, "poop bad!" and tap the back of her diaper. We take her to the potty and she sits there for about 10 seconds, says "done" (although nothing has happened) and then about 15 minutes later, we can smell her and she needs a diaper change.

What is exciting here is that Kamryn is using two words! And it is so funny to see her stop, look up, and shout "poop bad!" with urgency and excitement in her voice. This girl makes me smile. More than I ever knew possible.

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Today Jaden completed her three weeks of Junior Guards Camp. This year she jumped from the pier! This is the pier she jumped from! Then swam back to shore!


We spend a lot of time at the beach....



Kamryn has graduated from Early Start. Early Start is the program that provides children ages 0-3 services for their special needs. She will be three the end of this month and transitions out of the program. She will begin preschool the end of August. (That is something I really need to write about. We have decided not to put Kamryn in the government offered special needs preschool. She will attend a private preschool that we have found.)


Her speech therepist since she was 3 months old.

So proud!



Summer is quickly moving into fall...in the meantime, we eating as much watermelon as possible!

Summer time...

It has been a month since I last posted something. That bugs me! I really wanted to post at least once a week. I made a commitment to blog and share-because the first year after Kamryn was born, I craved seeing families living life. My life felt shattered and it gave me hope to see families, who had children with Down syndrome, smiling, playing and living. That time of sadness and despair in my life seems so far away. I get frustrated because my memory is fading and there are moments I think to myself, it wasn't that bad. But it was. I have shared in previous posts, the depth of my sadness and fears, and they were real. And it HURT. So I want to write, post pictures and share, in case just one mom finds this blog and can gather a little hope.

Not only are we in the middle of a glorious summer, we have had some important meetings with Kamryn's therapist and case workers and are preparing to transition from Early Start support to school support. This is huge and I must write and share about that. But not tonight. :)

Tonight it's all about summer! As the girls get older (I can't stand that they keep growing), I find myself loving summer more and more. I can find great things to love about all the seasons. I find summer to be the needed break from all the activities taking place the rest of the year. It is a time to breath deeper, relax and spend time doing things we can't seem to squeeze in the rest of the year. We have been to the park, zoo, beach, playing in the back yard until dark and to our favorite summer hot spot...Palm Springs! And we are only half way through!

Palm Springs:













I conquered my fear and we took a tram ride up the mountain. WE LOVED IT! OK, not everyone...poor Kamryn :(






















Summer, summer, summer time. Time to sit back and unwind. (That song is classic)!