Last week, I attended Kay’s IEP meeting to discuss any updates or changes that needed to be made, as well as her placement for kindergarten. I honestly can’t believe Kay is already old enough to be starting full-day school next year. It feels like such a big milestone for her (and for us too). Kay…
There’s a certain kind of helplessness that comes with watching your child go through something painful when you know it’s necessary, but that doesn’t make it any easier. Recently, I had to take Kay back in for more bloodwork. We had already gone the month before, but because there was a limit on how much…
There’s a version of motherhood people are comfortable with—the inspirational one, the “she’s such a warrior” one, the “God gives special kids to special parents” one. It’s the version that’s easy to share, easy to celebrate, easy for others to understand. And then there’s the version that lives in the quiet. The paperwork. The waiting…
Recently, Kay had to get blood work done, which is something we do on a yearly basis due to her having Down syndrome. Kids with Down syndrome can be more susceptible to certain health conditions, so routine lab work is really important. It helps us stay proactive—keeping an eye on things like thyroid function, vitamin…
We recently had another three month follow-up appointment with Kay’s endocrinologist, and like most of these visits, it came with a mix of emotions. Endocrinology appointments are never just “routine” for us. They’re a snapshot of everything we’ve been navigating behind the scenes—the highs, the lows (literally), the adjustments, the sleepless nights, the second-guessing, and…
We had a follow-up visit at the dentist for Kay recently, and this one felt like such a full-circle moment compared to last month. This appointment was a quick check-in after her cleaning, mainly to see how everything was progressing—especially since we were expecting some big changes with her teeth. Between possible adult molars coming…
The past week has been a lot. Kay recently came down with what we can only describe as a very random viral infection. It started off subtle, nothing too alarming at first, but then she developed a rash that definitely caught my attention and led us to a visit with her pediatrician. After examining her,…
Back in February, I started the process of trying to get insurance to cover pull-ups for Kay. What I didn’t realize at the time was just how long, frustrating, and exhausting that process would be. Denial after denial came in. Each one asked for more information than the last. Each one felt like a subtle…
Low blood sugars don’t just show up as a number on a screen—they affect everything. Recently, Kay dropped into the 60s, and it took 4 glucose gummies and an applesauce pouch before we finally started to see her blood sugar start to rise. In those moments, you go into “fix it” mode, you’re counting grams,…
Sunday gave us another one of those days that just felt so right from start to finish. The GiGi’s Playhouse Dash for Down syndrome was this past weekend, and somehow we lucked out again with beautiful weather. It was sunny, comfortable, and honestly perfect—aside from the wind doing its own thing and keeping us all…
