It's Been How Many Years?

Welcome to the first day of October and the first day of the 31 for 21 blog challenge: Blogging every day in Oct for National Down Syndrome Awareness Month!

Long time readers of my blog may remember a book that featured a collection of essays (including one of mine) called Gifts: Mothers Reflect on how Children With Down Syndrome Enrich Their Lives

Do you know how many years ago that was? Can you believe it's been ten years since that book was first published?

Not only is this the 10th Annual 31 for 21 Blog Challenge (it's not too late to go sign up at that link if you'd like to join us!), it was also my 10 year 'blogiversary' back in March, and this November is the 10th anniversary of that book being published!

In honor of the 10th anniversary of the publication of Gifts a special commemorative book is being published. This book features 10 new stories as well as a "where are they now" update on most of the children featured in the first book.

Preorders are now available and on sale this month at Woodbine House.

Woodbine House also has all books related to Down syndrome for 30% off during the month of October.

I'm thinking the next book on my list will probably be The Down Syndrome Transition Handbook - because we are inching ever closer to that milestone and I know it will be here before I'm ready for it!

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A Decade Of Blogging

March 16 marked ten years of blogging ... 10! (insert fireworks, confetti, and poppers)

How did that go by so fast?

When I started blogging Kayla wasn't quite 3 yet, we livec in NM, and Lucas wasn't even born.

We've moved twice since then, Joe's also deployed twice and retired from the military, Kayla will be a teenagerthis summer, and Lucas is 8.

A couple of years ago I thought I might be finished blogging, but I'm still hanging around.

When Kayla turned 10 I wrote about my experiences thus far of raising a child with Down syndromeand I still feel the same after blogging for 10 years. No great life lessons from me, no profound knowledge of what life is like for our family through 10 years of blogging. We are, simply, just a family.

I don't feel like I have much to add, at this point in our lives, about Down syndrome. Maybe when Kayla is transitioning to high school ... or out of high school ... there will be a lot of transition topics to blog about. It seems so far away, but I know it will be here before we know it. For now I will keep raising awareness, and acceptance, about Down syndrome.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, Monday is World Down Syndrome Day. Not just here in the United States, but in places all over the world people are celebrating individuals with Down syndrome. Can you imagine that? It really wasn't that long ago that babies with Down syndrome were shuttered away in institutions and their life span wasn't even 10 years. Even though it seems we've come so far since then, and in a lot of ways we have, there is still so much more progress to be made. Babies with Down syndrome are still being shuttered away in orphanages and institutions in Eastern Europe.

Even though progress has been made, Down syndrome continues to be the least funded condition by the NIH despite being the most common genetic disorder. Important research is happening by grants provided by other organizations. Research is so important because you don't know what you don't know ... there are connections with Down syndrome and cancer, Down syndrome and autoimmune diseases, Down syndrome and Alzheimer's. Why not research and find out what is going on, what is the connection, how to help people with Down syndrome and the rest of the population?

One of those wonderful organizations focusing on research is the LuMind Research Down Syndrome Foundation. Once again all donations made to LuMind for WDSD will be matched 3:1.Your $25 donation will turn into $100. This 3:1 matching for WDSD starts TODAY, Saturday, Mar 19 and goes through Mar 21. So three days' worth of donations will be tripled.

A few years ago I started donating $1 for every comment on my blogging anniversary post to LuMind for WDSD where my donation will be matched 3:1 and I am doing that this year as well ... so comment away on this post!

I'd also like to put out a little challenge to any readers, on this, my decade anniversary of blogging, I'm hoping that 21 people will consider also donating to LuMind and have your donations matched 3:1. Donate $10 for 10 years of blogging, or $21 for the extra 21st chromosome. Donate in honor of Kayla, or someone else you know with Down syndrome.

As always, thanks for reading and following along on our journey.  

Lucky Number Thirteen

Who says 13 is an unlucky number anyway? Poor number 13 - always getting a bad rap.

13 is just another number, and today it marks 13 years that Joe and I have been married!

Charleston Restaurant Week ended yesterday. SpiritLine Cruises dinner tour participated in CRW. When we moved here in 2010 Joe mentioned wanting to book a dinner cruise for our anniversary but he wasn't sure if I would want to do that or not what with my motion sickness and all!

This year I decided to give it a shot and booked our dinner cruise to celebrate our anniversary. It was a bonus that this past weekend was CRW!

So we got all dressed up and enjoyed a 3 hr dinner cruise on Saturday night. I have to say the 3 hours passed by quicker than I thought it would ... and happy to report no motion sickness! For the most part I didn't even feel the boat move.

Happy Anniversary to us!