Why I blog....

I started this blog soon after we found out Bennett would have Down syndrome. I was about 19 weeks pregnant and I remember telling my sister I may start a blog. The concept (almost 2 years ago) was so foreign to us at the time. We laughed about it because it just seemed so strange.

But as the months went on, it became very therapeutic to write what I was feeling and I started "meeting" so many other moms that had been where I was. Seeing their families and their little ones with Down syndrome gave me great comfort. It made me smile when I honestly didn't think I would smile again, it made me look forward to meeting Bennett.

Of course blogging has also been a great way to "capture the moments" of my children's lives. I think it will be fun for them to look back one day and see what their life was like. They'll probably laugh at how crazy their mom was at times and looking at pictures will hopefully bring back good memories.

But I think the most rewarding part (and please don't think I'm tooting my own horn here because that's not my intention) has been the many pregnant or new moms that have emailed me through these last 2 years. Telling me their story and how our story has helped them. I remember being in their same shoes and finding blogs, reaching out-I had no one else to turn to, no one who really had been there and knew what I was feeling.

In the last month, I've received 3 emails from expectant moms and I'm so thankful these moms contacted me and are wanting to give their babies a good life. Like me, they have found out their babies have Down syndrome, as well as the same heart defect Bennett had. They are nervous, scared, unsure but this blog and others has given them hope. And there are so many other wonderful blogs about children just like Bennett. Seems like I come across a new one every day and it makes me smile. Some of the kids have even become Bennett's buddies in real life;)

So where is all this going?

Well there's been recent talk of a new test to screen babies for Down syndrome- a very early test, early as in: the first trimester. A test that specifically targets babies with Down syndrome. A non-invasive test that won't bring risk to the baby or the mom. But it will be able to tell the parents with almost 100% accuracy whether or not the baby has Down syndrome. I think we're talking at 9 weeks. You know where I'm going here. But let's get this straight: I'm not saying that all parents that choose to take this test are doing so because they will abort, if it comes back positive.

However, this test is easy, "risk free" and the baby is just "barely there" (according to some). This test could give women an even easier choice to abort their baby that has Down syndrome, after all the baby is only 9 weeks, (barely there) right?

Oh, this breaks my heart and I'm not going to get into an abortion debate and whether or not this test is right but what I can hope and pray is that someone that finds themselves in that situation will come across this blog or the many other wonderful blogs and see that there is most definitely hope, that their baby deserves to have a life, that it's a life worth living,

that their baby will bring them joy that they can't even comprehend.

To me, God made Bennett just how He wanted him. And I've just learned time and time again that God knows best. I know everyone doesn't believe this.

But I'm pretty sure God doesn't make mistakes!! He's God!

No one ever said it would be easy to raise a child with Down syndrome. It can be frustrating, emotionally draining-just hard. But raising typical kids isn't easy either!!

I just think so many fail to see how rewarding it can really be, probably because they don't know. And probably because they've been told otherwise. Hopefully I can share how rewarding it can be from time to time, here on this blog. Hopefully it can continue to bring a scared mom hope. Hopefully it can even change a scared mom's mind.

So yeah, this is a big reason why I blog.