Author Archives: Maggie

I've become a self-proclaimed novice in the pursuit of [my own] happiness and in finding pockets of peace amidst the chaos of raising my 7-year-old identical twin sons who were blessed with an extra 21st chromosome (aka. Down syndrome) and my beautiful daughter (ADD) who vacillates between being helpful and being 10.

Christmas Wonder for My Kids with Down Syndrome

This year, like the past seven, we’d been telling my live-in-the-moment Boys (identical twins with Down syndrome) for weeks that Santa Claus would soon be paying us a visit and leaving toys under Christmas trees all around the world for good little girls and boys in honor of Jesus’ birthday. “Why?” Because Jesus is all…

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Antibiotics: How Do YOU Roll?

Need a little help here, PLEASE: My Big Little Man (who is smaller by 5 lbs now than My Little Man) got that back-to-school cold going around. For us, that means an imminent sinus infection as his compressed sinus cavities — a trait common to those with Down syndrome — makes him prone to this…

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TRY To Do Some Good Little Thing Just For Yourself

I was saddened to read that Kimberly and her stories about “the child” will be leaving 5MFSN. I totally understand that her To Do list has gotten longer, and more critical, while the time to actually get all those tasks done has gotten shorter. I’ve been there — haven’t we all? Truth is, I’m not…

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Leaps and Bounds in Baby Steps

The Boys are swimming underwater like frogmen. Doing underwater headstands, flips and dive-toy retrieval as well as sporting an admirable breast stroke… though they clearly prefer being UNDER the water versus on its surface. (They get that from Mom and Dad being SCUBA divers, I guess.)  The Boys are competent dead-man floaters (face down in the water, breath-holding). But…

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Give ‘Em More Credit… BELIEVE!

You and I know, but does everyone else know? Our kids are smarter than we think. So much smarter than even we give them credit for. WAY smarter than what it says on their report card. And, smarter than any test can possibly measure. I know this… I KNOW IT! And, you know it too!…

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Natural Inclusion

I am an inclusionist! It seems to me this has always been so. Long before I had children with special needs, the notion of inclusion was an integral part of my life and who I am… The way, I think, it should be for everyone! I’m sure I’m a better person for it and research shows…

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The Slippery Slope of Sickness

Happy Little Buggers Despite Pneumonia, 2010  This scenario has played out several times over the past two years… ever since that fateful camping trip that culminated with My Beautiful Boys hospitalized with pneumonia for two weeks – one with a partially collapsed lung — while my Old Soul was juggled amongst family and friends developing…

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It’s All About the Choices

I woke this morning at 5:00am to the old dog scratching to be let out. I complied, then laid down on the couch. Sadly, I couldn’t fall back to sleep; my mind awash with all the things I could, or should, be doing. Go to the gym? I’m out of shape and overweight and desperately…

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The Top 10 Best Things About the Holidays (For Me)!

Just coming around the mountain of holiday excitement that’s been building up for months (thanks to commercial advertising), I’d like to share my top 10 list of the best things about the holidays this year, for me. SO, the number 10 best thing about the holidays…. 10. My Boys really got it this year! They felt the excitement…

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Choices!

Every time I write about inclusion, there are as many who reply that it doesn’t/wouldn’t work for their child as there are who share my inclusive vision for My Boys, and another bunch playing around the middle ground by choice or by force. I, personally, advocate for inclusion as I am an inclusionist (not by Wikipedia’s definition). I want…

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