Pay It Forward (31 for 21)

I was almost at the end of topics for Down syndrome awareness month, but thanks for my fabulous friends on Facebook, I have a long list to work on over the weekend.  When Hailey was born, I had a large number of people reach out to us.  I was given names, numbers and email addresses to a great deal of friends of friends that I have never met.  Seems like everyone had been touched in their lives with an individual with Ds.  It was strange for me.  I hadn't known about any of them just a week prior.  Little by little, I contact these women and families.  I would email or message them in the late hours of the night when I was sitting up worrying about my little bundle of joy.  I would bounce ideas off of them and ask for advice.  I am very grateful for them.  Their support was invaluable!  I will never forget them.

Time passed and I started getting friend requests from people I didn't know or from people that I thought I knew.  Within minutes, I would get phone calls or emails from family and friends..."I have a friend who had a little one with Ds.  Do you mind talking to her?  Can she email you?"  I was so excited.  If I can pass on information that we have gained or experiences we have gone through, I'm paying it forward for all the greatness that I had been given.  I'll be honest, moms that have children with Ds get quite excited when other babies are born with Ds.  We will always have a special spot in our hearts for them.  They are the cuddliest, cutest babies in the world.  Their low muscle tone makes them curl into your body and you could snuggle for hours with them.  We know the magic that will follow.

A friend of mine recently had a new niece with Down syndrome.  She sent me a message thanking me for sharing Hailey with them.  That Hailey had already impacted their lives and they were grateful for that.  It brought tears to my eyes.  I'm so happy that I could pay it forward.  I hope we can continue doing so.

Modeling her Halloween pjs

I love winter, footed pjs!