Mama Blog

What do you do for a living?

by Diana Collins October 07, 2024

Yesterday I was asked what I do for a living! My immediate thought (but not my actual answer) was “run around like a chicken with my head cut off...

Posted in A different Beautiful, A different beautiful book, awareness, Down syndrome, Down syndrome awareness, DS, heart defect, special needs, special needs kids, spread awareness, the lucky few, trisomy, trisomy 21, trisomy awareness

Our adoption journey: How do you know?

by Diana Collins July 17, 2024

From that moment, we KNEW we had to have her... we had been talking about adoption for years. We are always drawn to families that have adopted, ...

Posted in A different Beautiful, awareness, birth diagnosis, chd awareness, Down syndrome, Down syndrome awareness, inclusion, kids with special needs, special needs, special needs kids, spread awareness, the lucky few, trisomy, trisomy 21, trisomy awareness

The Fight to Survive

by Littlest Warrior April 05, 2024

I often find myself wondering, does Kenzie remember her first year of life?? Does she remember feeling abandoned and alone? Does she recall the v...

Posted in A different Beautiful, Born This Way, chd, chd awareness, Down syndrome, Down syndrome awareness, DS, heart defect, kids with special needs, special needs, spread awareness, the lucky few

Don’t question your MOTHERS INSTINCT!

by Littlest Warrior March 26, 2024

It was one of the worst days I have ever experienced. If I said I wasn’t traumatized by it I would be lying. In my 23 years of parenting, I had...

Posted in A different Beautiful, av canal defect, awareness, children hospital, children's hospital, Down syndrome, Down syndrome awareness, DS, heart defect, inclusion, kids with special needs, special needs, special needs kids, spread awareness, the lucky few, trisomy, trisomy 21

Fully inclusive!

by Trisha Romero February 28, 2024

Research suggests that children with Down syndrome do better, across a range of academic and other measures, in inclusive mainstream settings rath...

Posted in A different Beautiful, A different beautiful book, awareness, birth diagnosis, Born This Way, Down syndrome, Down syndrome awareness, first IEP, holland tour guide, IEP, IEP meeting, inclusion, kids with special needs, least restrictive environment, special needs, special needs kids, spread awareness, the lucky few, trisomy 21, trisomy awareness

Learn with me. Share with me. Play with me.

by Diana Collins February 27, 2024

Dear Friends. Please be patient & understanding of my behaviors. I hit when overstimulated, but I don’t know my own strength. I bite or grab o...

Posted in A different Beautiful, awareness, birth diagnosis, Born This Way, Down syndrome, Down syndrome awareness, heart defect, kids with special needs, nicu, special needs, special needs kids, spread awareness, the lucky few, trisomy 21

One little girl …

by Diana Collins November 03, 2023

Adoption is an amazing journey! It doesn't matter if you are adopting in your home Country or considering International adoption! Adoption is love, adoption is amazing! Some people say, wow you are amazing for adopting a child with Down syndrome, but the truly lucky ones are the people that our little girl gets to meet, they are all better people and happier because of her kind spirit! Read about our adoption journey, started on Reece's Rainbow, took us over 6,000 miles away to Ukraine and came home with our amazing daughter. Even if Adoption isn't right for you and your family, there are still so many ways you can help an orphan find their forever family!

Posted in A different Beautiful, awareness, birth diagnosis, Down syndrome, Down syndrome awareness, holland tour guide, kids with special needs, special needs, spread awareness, the lucky few, trisomy 21

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“Advocate like a Mother”

by Diana Collins October 25, 2023

“Advocate like a Mother” Hey mamas, nobody knows our kids better than us. We may not be perfect, but we know what they want or need. We know their...

Posted in A different Beautiful, awareness, children hospital, Down syndrome, Down syndrome awareness, heart defect, holland poem, holland story, holland tour guide, inclusion, kids with special needs, special needs, special needs kids, spread awareness, the lucky few, trisomy 21, trisomy awareness

Our Down Syndrome Diagnosis Story

by Trisha Romero October 24, 2023

"Our Down Syndrome Diagnosis Story" Five years ago on Tuesday, October 24, 2017, I first heard the words that my unborn child was likely going to...

Posted in Down syndrome, Down syndrome awareness, holland tour guide, kids with special needs, prenatal diagnosis, special needs, spread awareness, trisomy 21