Of course every mother thinks her children are the most beautiful children in the world, and I am no exception. But if ever there were children that would make me rethink that position, Bethany’s children would be the reason. Join me in welcoming this lovely family to our Sunday interview series!
Tell me a little about yourself and your family.
We are a family of five, living in the DC metro area. My husband {Kyle} and I {Bethany} have been married for almost ten years. After five years of marriage and three years of infertility, we had our first child … a boy {Mason}. Two years later, our daughter {Payton} was born. She was born with a little something extra by way of chromosomes … Down syndrome. She has been the best thing ever happened to us! So much so that we recently added another little girl {Addison} that has Down syndrome to our family through adoption.
Tell me more about your daughter’s disabilities.
We did not find out about my biological’s daughter diagnosis until she was born. We did have a brief time of concern after my 20-week ultrasound when I was pregnant, however all of the concerns were swept under the rug by the doctors.
Fast forward 20 weeks and our daughter was born. We were devastated. We were not sure what that meant for us, for our life, for our son … and most importantly, for her. But, it didn’t take us long to embrace her diagnosis.
You blog a lot about your children’s issues. How did you go about making the decision to blog? What do you personally get out of blogging?
I used to be an avid scrapbooker, but after having kids … well, there is no time for that. So I turned to blogging … I wanted a place to document my kids’ lives .. to have a journal of sorts.
I hope to educate people that we really do live a normal life and we are normal people. If there is one person out there that now understands Down syndrome better, then I’ve done my job. If there one person out there that has been inspired by our adoption, then I’ve done my job.
One other thing that I love about blogging is the community. I have met so many fabulous people through blogging … it really is amazing! Please stop by our blog at www.thebalsisfamily.blogspot.com and say hi … we’d love to see you there!
What do you want other parents to know?
I guess if I were speaking to new parents of a child with Down syndrome, I’d just want them to know that they are not alone.
If I were speaking to parents who have little or no knowledge of Down syndrome, I would just want to let them know that my girls are just as normal as any other little girl out there. They laugh and giggle … they love their baby dolls … they run on the playground with their brother. They are normal! We would just like for them to be accepted for who they are. Don’t stare at them … don’t be afraid of them … treat them like any other kid. Teach your kids about others who might not learn as fast as them … but let them know it is okay! Educate them … so that they will educate others.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
Nothing I can think of at the moment. Hope to see you over at our blog … www.thebalsisfamily.blogspot.com 🙂
Deborah can be found writing here at 5MFSN every Sunday and Wednesday, and can also be found at Pipecleaner Dreams.