Hello 2016!

Have you heard crickets lately from this blog?! Millions of excuses as for the lack of entries, but a smart reader who knows our family, doesn't need an excuse. We are busy, life is crazy and blogging/writing has taken a backseat. 

BUT, I couldn't let 2015 pass by without a recap post. I love looking back on our recaps (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014), and for my own keepsake the tradition must continue. 

This year I couldn't pick just one picture per month because I have shared so little on this space, it was hard to choose. Instead, I didn't limit myself, and hopefully this post helps summarize our year. The kids are getting older, life in some ways feels easier, in other ways not so much, but honestly, all in all, 2015 was a great year. 

January:

January started like it always does; a fun long weekend to the waterpark with family and friends. This trip always helps us to get through the long, cold winter, and the kids have really come to enjoy the tradition. 

In mid-January we gathered for a family party to celebrate my dad's 64th birthday. It doubled as a Packer play-off game party, though without the ending we wished for, the Packers season ended that day. 

One word described the winter of 2015: cold. We spent a lot of time inside while wind chills reached dangerous levels and outside play and snow fun was nearly impossible. Books, movies, and games overtook a lot of our January weekends. 

February:

We usually try to schedule most of Charlotte's annual check-ups early in the year. In February she visited the cardiologist, gastroenterologist, and ENT doc. All three gave her a clean bill of health, and we are now able to go two years between visits to the cardiologist and GI doc. Whoo-hoo!

In mid-February Katherine & Mike attended the father/daughter dance; the last time Mike will attend with only one of his daughters, as in 2016 Charlotte will be able to go as well! It was during this month that Katherine's interest in swimming increased, and she joined the swim team. Swimming has become a big focal point in her life this year, and has really given her a positive team experience to look forward to each week. 

March:

March was a tough month for my extended family, as a a health crisis hit someone close to us. Luckily, treatment would go well, and and despite a rough few months, the outlook is positive. Our family rallied together and tried to help in anyway possible, including going on with life as "normal" (as per the wishes of the individual) and celebrating family birthdays. 

This year it has been fun to watch Charlotte & Jack's relationship grow and change. Jack, our "spirited, wild child" keeps us on our toes, and has become Charlotte's best bud and worst enemy. They can get into some major trouble together, but their relationship challenges them both to grow and explore together. 

April:

We are always anxious for warmer temperatures to arrive after months in the tundra. This year was no different, and the first week of April we enjoyed milder temps during the kid's spring break. We stuck close to home and visited the zoo and a few parks, as well as gathered with family for an Easter celebration. 

Towards the end of the month we started to prepare for Jack's second birthday which falls on the first day of May. Since birth, Jack has tested our ability as parents. Very needy, hard to please, and oh so active. We were/are a bit scared to see what the "terrible twos" hold for Jack, as every other stage we have passed through with him has been so much harder than it was with any of our other three kiddos. 

May:

And though Jack keeps us on our toes, he also brings us so much laughter. Katherine and Jack seem to have the closest bond at this point, as she really cares for him and loves to mother and take care him. We celebrated Jack's second birthday early in May with a family party at our house; luckily the weather was beautiful and we were able to spend a lot of time outside. Our truck-loving newly turned 2-year-old walked away with a fleet of new vehicles, much to his delight. 

In early May, I went with Missy to a two day inclusion conference in Illinois. While I was one of the few parents there (most who attended were teachers), I came home armed with an arsenal of new information and lots of inspiration. Charlotte's 4K year was coming to a close, and I was determined to make 5K a better experience for her. 

While I was gone, we had family helping at home with the kids; Kate sent me the photo below one morning during school drop off, and I couldn't help but wonder when did my baby grow up?! 

May also brought Mother's Day. A day usually not filled with much rest and relaxation for me, but rather a time to reflect on how incredibly blessed to be a mom to these four. 

Charlotte and her good friend Quinn started a dance class in May, which continued throughout the summer. She had a great time, made some good friends, and really enjoyed it. We ended the class when school started this year in hopes to make the transition to full days easier, but it may be something we revisit in the future. 

My eldest son is always excited when baseball season arrives, and the rest of us enjoy an occasional game as well. The Brewers had a pretty awful season this year, but Will is a devoted fan and never seems to mind. 

During the last week in May we experienced THE scariest event I have ever had to go through as a parent. We were eating dinner, (stir fry--something we have almost once a week) and Jack asked to try a cashew off of my plate. He ate it, and within a couple minutes became pretty cranky. Katherine glanced over at him and notice a red rash forming on his face. We quickly realized that he had hives, and they were spreading fast. We determined he needed to go to urgent care, so I quickly got him in the car to leave, and Mike stayed with the other three. Not more than two minutes from home he started to wheeze, vomit, and looking in the rearview mirror I saw him trying to cry but couldn't get the sound out. I pulled over and called 911. The seven minutes I spent on the phone with the 911 operator waiting for the ambulance to arrive were the longest of my life. He never stopped breathing, thankfully, but continued to wheeze and gasp for air. Thankfully, the ambulance arrived and were able to give him a dose of epi. After four hours in the ER, a few more doses of meds, he was feeling much better. 

In the following days we found that he not only has a severe allergy to tree nuts (and mangos...because they are considered a tree nut! who would have thunk?!), but peanuts as well. We now carry an epi pen where ever we go, read labels like crazy and are careful to avoid all nuts and food processed in factories with nuts. Our house is "nut-free" and we have become accustomed to informing others of his allergy in an effort to make any environment he visits safe for him. Unfortunately a 2-year-old doesn't understand that he is allergic to nuts and needs to avoid them, so we have to be incredibly careful of his surroundings.

 Our family is now the crazy allergy family that requires gluten-free, nut-free items whenever we visit...oh, and I am a vegetarian on top of all of it too...makes ya want to invite us for dinner, doesn't it?! 

June:

As with most times in life, the stressful times in May were quickly followed by more relaxed celebratory times in June. We celebrated Charlotte's 5th birthday (and my 35th!) with a "tutu dance party" the first week of June. Homemade tutus for all! It honestly was probably one of my favorite birthday parties we have had; the pure joy on Charlotte's face the entire day was incredible. 

It is hard to believe that is has been five years since Charlotte's arrival; five years of this blog, five years since our world changed into something we never expected. It is amazing the evolution that occurs after you have a child with a disability; it is definitely not static, we are constantly growing, learning, and changing in an effort to discover what works best and provides Charlotte with the best opportunities. We are in a good place; we have surrounded ourselves with good resources, good friends, and good schools & educators. We have no idea what the future holds, but it is definitely not a source of constant worry as it once was. 

We trekked on through June...the kids finished school, and summer camps and classes started. Charlotte was able to attend summer school for the first time with the big kids, and with all of my part-time jobs on break for the summer, I was able to spend my mornings with Jack (and Missy/Bennett) doing fun 2-year-old things. It was *almost* relaxing,  and such a change from the past two summers! 

In mid-June Will had the opportunity to be the "play ball kid" for the Brewers. This is what I wrote on FB about this super cool experience: "You know those times in your life when you get to witness your kid(s) experience something so cool, it almost brings tears to your eyes, as you know how exciting it is for them? Tonight was one of those nights. Will was chosen to be the "play ball kid" at tonight's Brewer game. Pretty sure it was the best night of my 7-year-old, baseball loving son's life. This kid knows every player, every stat, and faithfully watches every game and highlight even though the Brewers are in the midst of a not so great season. He will be talking about this one for a long time." 

The last week in June we spent up north with my family. We rent a big cottage every summer and spend the week skiing, tubing, swimming, fishing, kayaking, jet skiing, and more... we had a great time, despite the 36 hour power outage ;-). We are looking forward to a repeat of the week this coming summer. 

July:

We headed to Mike's parents for the 4th of July weekend. All of his sisters also come for the weekend, and it is a great mid-summer trip. We enjoyed fireworks, cookouts, and hiking at a nearby state park. The kids love spending time with their cousins and always comment they wished they lived closer. 

Summer school continued into July, in addition to little league for Will and long-course season swim for Katherine. Katherine also spent a week at Girl Scout camp; a first for her, and an experience she loved. A week with her best friends spent canoeing, swimming, lacing, and a whole lot more. She can't wait to go again this year. 

With all the summer activities, some of the best days were the ones we didn't have to rush out the door in the morning, and instead could hang around and play in the pool. We spent some lazy summer mornings with friends; the adults drinking coffee on the patio, the kids entertaining each other in the yard. 

Mike and I celebrated our 11th anniversary during the last week of July. We did a kid swap with Missy & Chris and were able to escape for TWO whole nights, something we haven't done since I was pregnant with Katherine. We visited a winery, bummed around Madison, and binge watched the current season of "Orange is the New Black" while enjoying good food and drink.

(The absence of nuts in our house due to Jack's allergy has been tough for me. I took advantage of our getaway and indulged in some of my favorites... )

We returned our end of the bargain and had Missy's boys for a couple nights upon returning from our getaway. We ended the month by a visit to a local petting farm, always a favorite for the kids. 

August:

Summer school ended in July, as well as all other activities. We spent the first few weeks of August catching up on fun activities around town while highly anticipating our big vacation which was quickly approaching. 

In mid-August we packed up the mini-van and drove a mere 20 hours to visit the Atlantic Ocean. We traveled caravan style with Missy and her family, and had an amazing 10-day vacation. It is hard to imagine a trip with 7 kids ranging in age from 2 to 9 to be relaxing, however, it truly was. The kids all had a great time, and our only complaint was how quickly the week was over. 

All good things must come to an end though, and another 20 hour drive home awaited us. Thankfully we found out on this trip that all four of our kids are great car travelers (Jack included...which shocked us!), and we are excited to plan our next road trip. 

August ended with a couple low-key weeks with not many planned activities before school started. The last weekend in August was Will's annual Brewer Game birthday party with four of his good buds. 

September:

Ahh! September has arrived, and with that came the beginning of a new school year. 4th grade, 2nd grade, and Kindergarten this year awaited our older three. To say the nerves were high  for Mike & I as Charlotte started at the "big school" is a bit of an understatement. However, after a couple tough transition weeks, she has settled into a routine and is having a fantastic first year of elementary school. I don't blog a whole ton about the details for respect of her privacy when she gets older, and that of her school/team & peers, but know that she is learning a ton, growing a ton in all aspects, and has an amazing group of people working with her. I am sure we will hit bumps in the road, but for right now, we are enjoying what has been a relatively smooth ride. 

Fourth grade has treated Katherine well, and the same for Will in second. So far, so good this year. We are thankful the kids love school, and love their teachers. 

With the big kids all in school, my part-time jobs started back up. One of them being watching B a few days a week while Missy works; Jack and B are the same age, and like the Jack/Charlotte dynamic they are also each other's best friends and worst enemies ... they fight like siblings, but entertain each other and have a great time together as well. 

September 12th marked Will's eighth birthday. Our empathetic, sensitive concrete/literal thinker makes us so proud and brings us so much joy; for his big day he choose to have the entire family over for a baseball-themed celebration. I bet you are surprised to find out that someday he wants to be a baseball player?!?

October:

October always seems to be a busy month. Short-course swim season is in full force for Katherine, and Will started basketball. Throw in a few plays, and weekend playdates and it seemed every weekend was full. 

October 13th our eldest turned ten. One decade has passed since I became a mother, which in some ways seems impossible as it is hard to remember life before. Katherine is the textbook definition of a first born; responsible, self-motivated, ambitious, and a little bossy. She aspires to be a writer someday and spends most of her free time typing story after story on an old laptop in the corner of our living room. And though a lot of times she seems so much older than she is, she still possesses that innocence of childhood which I hope sticks around for just a little bit longer...I don't think I ready for what comes next! wink emoti

Halloween brought a bunch of fun activities, and the kids all thoroughly enjoyed it. Charlotte talked for weeks about being a witch and turning everyone into a frog, and all the kids had a great time trick-or-treating this year. The biggest bummer was not being able to bring the majority of the Halloween candy into our house due to nut contamination...the bigs were bummed, but we made a deal and replaced their candy with a Costco case of gum (an obsession of theirs). 

November:

It was in November that Will finally lost his first tooth! Our kids are slow with teeth; slow to get them and slow to lose them. So even though he is eight, and most of his peers started losing teeth in Kindergarten, he has been anxiously awaiting this day for a long time. Thankfully the tooth fairy rewarded his patience nicely. A few days ago he lost a second tooth as well, much to his delight. 

In early November we took a weekend trip to Minnesota to visit Mike's family. His sister had a baby 11 weeks early, and we wanted to be able to attend the baby shower and congratulate everyone in person. Mike & I were able to go to the NICU and meet Natalie, who is now home from the hospital and doing well. We anxiously awaiting another visit hopefully sometime soon as Katherine is dying to meet her cousin since she couldn't go into the NICU. Our eldest has a huge soft spot for babies! 

The day we returned from Minnesota, Mike celebrated his 36th birthday. Getting closer to 4-0 ...though I am not far behind. 

Jack's favorite place to go during the day while the kids are in school is Trader Joes. Unfortunately the other customers aren't always exactly happy to see him pushing his own cart down the always busy aisles. We are working on walking not running while shopping. 

In 4th grade, the kids learn about immigration, and in doing so participate in a simulation where the kids come to school dressed as someone coming through Ellis Island, and learn about what one may have experienced during that time. Katherine proclaimed this to be her favorite part of 4th grade so far. 

During the past few months Charlotte has been bitten by the Barbie bug...bad. She loves, loves, loves her Barbies and is building quite the collection (thanks to inheriting Katherine's old collection, as well as a whole ton of new ones for Christmas!).

Maintaining holiday traditions when you have kids with food allergies, to but it bluntly, sucks. It is such a struggle to find safe treats, baking supplies, and other seasonal food. As illustrated below, sometimes we get lucky and something we thought would be forever banned from our house, we discover in the least likely of places. It is almost like a game now, and Katherine has become quite the label reader. We now shout "jackpot!" when we find the nut-free AND gluten-free label on the same package. 

December: 

December is always a blur, as it seems to go so fast. Weekends were packed full of swim meets, basketball games, zoo class, and the usual Christmas traditions. Tree decorating, breakfast with Santa, Christmas concerts, and time with family. In addition to all of that, a few weeks ago, Mike's youngest sister got a job in our area, and stayed with us for a few days while looking for an apartment. We are super excited to have her close by, and loved having her here. 

A few last pictures before I sign off for the night...

I am a sucker for matching Christmas pajamas. 

This year was the first picture we have ever got with all the kids and Santa...usually at least one is upset and doesn't want to go near him (something we never have forced). Jack didn't want to sit on Santa's lap, but was happy to stand near him. 

Running off energy with these free spirits during weekly open gym. 

They both love fancy, sparkly Christmas dresses. And so do I. 

Best impulse buy of a Christmas present for Charlotte; matching outfits for her and "baby boy" her beloved doll who comes everywhere and is usually naked. We are all happy to see baby boy clothed now, however, the cashier at Costco looked confused when she asked Charlotte her doll's name and she replied, "baby boy." 

Merry Christmas, 2015. 

*****

And there ya have it...another year has come to a close. As usual we look forward to what 2016 will bring, as life here is never boring. Happy New Year everyone! 

Hola.

Our dinner conversation tonight:

Me: "Charlotte, what are you learning in Spanish class?"

Charlotte: "Rojo is red."
(surprised looks from all of us, as a lot of time her answers aren't usually as accurate in nature)

Will: "Wow. Good job. How do you say blue?"

Charlotte: "azul is bluuuueee...." (singing)

Will: "How about green?"

Charlotte: "Green is verde!"

Will: "Yes! How about yellow?"

Charlotte: <silence>  (and a confused look)

Will: "Do you know how to say yellow in Spanish?"

Charlotte (giggling): "Hola?!"

*****

Quick Kinder update.

Kindergarten is going well.

Most days Charlotte wakes up, super excited to go to school. She has had good days as well as a handful of not-so-good days.

She comes home starving and exhausted, but surprisingly in pretty good spirits.

More to come in the days ahead.

Happy Fall!

Kindergarten Eve

Tomorrow, Charlotte starts Kindergarten. To say I am a bit nervous is an understatement. I remember similar feelings four years ago when Katherine started Kindergarten, and two years ago when Will stepped on that bus. However, this time it is a little different, and the feelings are much more intensified.

I could list all my worries and concerns, many of which I hope will become completely unfounded, but really, what good will that do?

What I have tried to remind myself during the past week is the number of times in Charlotte's five short years on this earth I have laid awake worrying about her; whether is be surgeries or her health, meeting milestones, or her first day of preschool...and guess what? Most of my worrying, was completely unnecessary.

I also remind myself of what I know. She has a team of a spec ed teacher, three therapists, and an aide who are absolutely amazing and know her from 4K. A couple weeks ago, we met her new Kindergarten teacher who is equally awesome and I know is going to be a great fit for Charlotte. And while I worry about her be accepted by and fitting in with her peers, I remind myself how lucky Charlotte is to have older siblings, because we already know so many families in our community, and there will not be a shortage of familiar faces in the halls of her new school.

And then there is that dang bus. Oh, the bus, the source of most of my anxiety. From the day Charlotte was born, I vowed I would never limit her. I would never say she couldn't do something, until she let us know in some way it wasn't working. Charlotte will get on the regular ed bus tomorrow morning with her siblings. My head is racing with all the crazy things that can happen in her ten minute ride to and from school, but honestly, I need to let her try. Because, oh my goodness is she excited. All day today, and yesterday, and heck, all last week, she would randomly blurt out, "I'm so excited ride the bus!" And frankly, if worse comes to worse, I had a nice talk with Katherine tonight at bedtime about bribery... "if Charlotte refuses to sit in her seat, or lays on the floor and won't get up, just whisper in her ear that if she sits nice, she can have a BIG butter cup when she gets home" ...yep, I'm an awesome mom who not only resorts to bribery, but is teaching my almost 10-year-old my methods.

This afternoon, I was in the kitchen with the kids' backpacks lined up on the kitchen table, putting in last minute items. Charlotte was sitting in the living room playing her iPad. As I picked up the backpacks to bring them back to the mudroom, Charlotte looked up, did a little hip shimmy in her seat, and yelled "I'm so excited about school!" ...and then looked right back down and continued her game.

School ID makes it official ;-)

Lately, every time I tell Charlotte to "be careful!" or "watch what you are doing!" she answers with "I'll be fine, mom." ....Maybe I should listen to her...I am sure she is going to be fine...and I will too.

Rosemary for Remembrance

I often write blog entries that I never publish. For varies reasons, but usually just because I know that when I hit that "publish" button, the post is out there for the whole world to read, critique, criticize, assume, etc...so in order for a post to get to that point, it has to be perfect. No spelling or grammatical errors (or at least very few...I am human after all!), no incomplete thoughts, or anything too controversial or assuming.

Last year, almost to the day, I wrote a post that I never posted. I wrote with tear-filled eyes and a heart so heavy it was hard to breathe at times. When I was done, I reread it, and decided it felt incomplete and unfinished. During the days that followed, I tried to go back to it, but couldn't, and so that post has sat untouched for the past year.

My grandma died a year ago today. Charlotte's great-grandma, the one she affectionately referred to as "Peg!" has been gone for a year. As the old saying goes, gone but not forgotten. I am reminded of grams often, and many times over the last year have had to stop and remind myself she is no longer here. When the Price and Princess named their new daughter, Charlotte, I immediately thought that I needed to tells Grams. She loved the royal family and would think that it is the perfect name. While reading Katherine's newest piece of writing, I have caught myself thinking that I needed to have Katherine share this with Peg; Peg always loved that Katherine has a large interest in reading and writing. Or man, how I wished she could have been there to see Charlotte singing "Rainbow Connection" at her 5th birthday party.

Today, we had breakfast to celebrate Grams. Breakfasts with grams became such a big part of her last year on this earth, so it only seemed right to celebrate her that way. Kate made an almond cake for dessert; no meal for Grams was every complete without a good dessert, and she would have loved this cake.

Here is the post I wrote a year ago; it is untouched, unedited, and incomplete in parts, but encompasses so much of who she was and will always be.

*****

This past Sunday, I said goodbye to the smartest lady I know. My grams.

Grandma had been dealt a pretty rough hand these past few years; a laundry list of diseases and conditions that slowly took away her ability to be independent. And despite knowing she is now at peace and no longer in pain, her death has hit my family hard. You see, even when you know it is coming at some point in the near future, when you lose someone like my grams, everyone who knew her suffers.

My grams wasn't your typical grandma. She truly was a brilliant woman; a librarian by trade, and a lover of books and poetry. She could answer any question on Jeopardy, and taught me more over my lifetime then I think she ever knew. A few years back, after being amazed by my "little black phone that could answer anything I asked it to," I convinced her to buy an iPad. We spent time together, practicing how to use it, and me assuring her that she would not break it no matter what she did. We nicknamed the home button the "oh shit" button. With grams, and occasional curse word was okay, as was discussing some of the taboo topics that most would never dream of discussing with their grandmother.

My grams was incredibly generous. We always kidded her that she printed "$20's" at her house. When Katherine was a baby, we would go and visit and take her to lunch every Friday, often stopping at the grocery store on our way home. She would have me pay for her groceries, always insisting I take a $20 for myself. She liked having a bunch of cash on hand just in case she needed it; once she left a few workmen painting while we went for our weekly lunch, and told me to remind her she hid her $20's in Sherlock Holmes in case she forgot.

She was generous in not only what she gave, but praise as well. She told me frequently what a great mom I am, and what a kind man I married.

My grandma's sense of humor is was what I will miss the most. This past week, it seems as every time I sit and think about her, I close my eyes and hear her laugh. Her chuckle as I would read her Katherine's newest piece of writing or share Charlotte's latest antics, or as she would listen to Jack's jibber jabber.

She spent the last days of her life at a hospice facility, surrounded by those who love her most. It was a hard, hard week as we prayed for her to leave us peacefully, and shared some of our fondest memories. We listened to her favorite songs; everything from "Scotland the Brave" to "Rainbow Connection" by Kermit the Frog to Rod Stewart. I took both Jack and Charlotte to visit during her final days; some of her last laughs were at Jack as he sat next to her in bed and babbled away. During the past few years as she slowly lost her ability to live independently, read the newspaper, walk, care for herself, enjoy a good book, and finally after her last stroke her ability to fully communicate with us what she was thinking, we would visit often and she would get a kick out of watching the kids play.

*****

Tonight of my way home from work, I promised the kids I would stop and get 49ers (a.k.a. McDonald's 49 cent ice cream cones) to celebrate great grams. Katherine asked if I thought it would be okay if she had a McFlurry instead. I told her I was positive Peg would approve, the bigger the treat the better, especially if it meant making my kids happy.

Keep calm and carry on.

Five.

My dear Charlotte, 

Five. A whole hand. A half a decade. However you say it, I still can't believe it. FIVE years old? It feels as I blinked and time has flown by; like just yesterday you came into our world and changed it for the better. 

It has been a fun couple days. As usual, the combination of your birthday and my birthday, plus a big ol' party means 4 days of straight celebration; and I wouldn't have it any other way. Your birthday party this year was themed "Tutu Dance Party"...we made 20 tutus for our closest friends and relatives, and we put together a grand party for a grand little girl. You had an absolute blast and it was so fun to watch, as the joy that radiated from your little body was infectious. 

This morning you woke up and came downstairs to your birthday present from your daddy & I; a new bike, a 2-wheeler like Katherine and Will's. Daddy was hesitant when we picked this present for you, as we weren't sure if you were ready for a big bike. We were wrong, and once again we underestimated what you are made of...we should really learn, my dear, not to underestimate you. You rode that bike today all over the driveway, and then tonight you decided you needed to ride along with us for part of our nightly walk instead of taking your usual spot in the stroller next to Jack.

This year you loved when we sang "happy birthday"...and requested it at least four times today. We did candles twice; in your pancakes this morning and then tonight in your birthday cake. You shimmied in your seat with excitement and then blew out those candles. Leading up to today, we tried to prepare you for turning five, by prompting you when someone would ask how old you were to say "five" instead of "four." Every time, you still answered "four" when we asked...until this morning, when sitting on your new bike, I asked you how old you were and without thinking, you said very calmly, "I'm five." There was no tricking you into telling us you were five before you actually were. 

You have spent some time at your new school these past two weeks, in preparation for Kindergarten this fall. I would pick you up after an hour of hanging with your teachers and the other kids, and you wouldn't make eye contact with me, but rather just file into line with the kids and walk down to the cafeteria. I am pretty sure you would have stayed all day if possible. Sometimes it floors me how independent and grown-up you have become this past year. I am so proud of the little lady you have become and excited to see what this next year brings. 

I love you more than you can imagine, my dear Charlotte. 

Mommy

Celebrate Difference.

A few weeks ago, I overheard Katherine talking with one of her friends about Down syndrome. She was explaining the science behind it; I heard her talk about chromosomes, what they are, and how Charlotte has 47 and they have 46. She also explained what Down syndrome means for her little sister, and how Ds is the reason Charlotte is sometimes hard to understand. Her friend was very receptive, nodding her head and asking questions in all the right places; because at age nine, a candid discussion like this is no big deal.

My heart swelled as I listened to the two girls talk. Katherine, spreading awareness and acceptance for her sister without knowing the magnitude of what she was doing; her friend listening, understanding, and asking questions about something that was unfamiliar to her.

Today is World Down syndrome Day (March 21st each year ....3/21, which represents the 3 copies of the 21st chromosome). Six million people across the world have Down syndrome, but that is just a fraction of the people who have some sort of disability which makes them different. Something I have come to understand with more clarity since Charlotte's birth; disability is much, much bigger than Down syndrome. And difference is much, much bigger than disability. And though today the focus is on Down syndrome, I urge you to think bigger.

Acceptance comes from understanding. Understanding comes from being educated. Education comes from asking questions and learning. We all need to take a lesson from 9-year-olds, and know that it is okay to ask questions and learn more about what makes each of us unique.

No two people in this world are the same; difference is what makes life interesting. Today, don't just celebrate Down syndrome, celebrate difference.