Day 2- Buddy Walk

Two weekends ago we walked in our 5th Buddy Walk.  It may have been one of the sweetest, most laid-back and lovely walks yet.

The sky shone brightly on us all as we walked alongside friends and family in support and solidarity.  

It was a blast.  Cora enjoyed the festivities from the comfort of the wagon at times, and at others jumped out to march along or dance when the music moved her.  Elsa and Anna came and sang, and Cora sat in her Grammie's lap belting out the words to her beloved songs.  At one point a woman came up to my mom and told her how she had not been able to stop watching Cora all day... that she was so luminous and bright.  It is so true.

And there's just something about looking around a crowd and seeing so many individuals with Down syndrome. It's not unusual to be in a crowd and suddenly think about how rare it really is to run into others with Ds out and about in the world... to feel like your child and your family stands out.

So having moments when you can look around and see so many others with extra chromosomes and their families and supporters is really just one of the best kinds of warm fuzzies. Knowing that we are all there to openly and proudly proclaim our love and our pride, and our desire to better this world... it's a pretty amazing thing.

Buddy Walk!

We are wrapping the weekend around here as we celebrated Cora with her 4th Buddy Walk.

I can hardly believe it.  It was a very chaotic weekend, and though we are exhausted and a bit overwhelmed, it's impossible not to feel very loved.



The weekend itself was a little bit crazy.  Miss Ruby decided to scream through much of the walk and the time after, so we found ourselves seeking shade and lying down on a blanket on the cement to calm her down for a good portion of the festivities.  Oh, and I thought we lost Cora for a few minutes (who really was with her dad), so that caused a good panic.  And Cora came down with a new and exciting rash and swelling that took us to the ER instead of home after the walk. (But she is fine.)

But she did walk and run, dance and play, hula hoop and sing. And we loved seeing how far she has come.




Even though the weekend felt like all kinds of damage control, seeing my loved ones come out celebrate Cora is a feeling I don't think I will ever tire of.



I may not have quite the euphoria that other Buddy Walks have brought out, but I can honestly say that I am so grateful for the friends and family that came out to support us, the family members who came into town for the event, and for all our wonderful community friends. 

Thank you.

Thank you: 31 for 21

My heart is full in a way that I am finding difficult to put into words.

How do I explain the feeling of watching a group of people come together to celebrate something so close to my heart?

How do I say thank you to the friends and family who love my child and who have supported her and us on our path?

How do I explain the kinship I feel with the new friends I've made since Cora was born?  The comraderie that develops between people who share hopes and dreams for the children they are working so hard to support?  These people have become my confidantes, my friends, my partners in efforts to enrich our children's lives and offer one another understanding ears when sometimes it feels like the rest of the world can't quite understand.

I am so proud to be a part of such an amazing community.  I am so excited to see these relationships and this community continue to grow.  I am so excited to watch our children astound us and challenge us and teach us all.

I am so thankful for this journey; for this life.  I am thankful for the little soul that introduced me to this whole new world and this different way of looking at everything around me.  I am thankful for you all.

Happy Buddy Walk 2013!

Down Syndrome Awareness Month- 31 for 21

Today marks the beginning of Down Syndrome Awareness Month.

Along with many others, I have once again committed to blogging daily this month to raise awareness for Down syndrome.  Hence, 31 posts for Trisomy 21.  The way life has been feeling lately, this will likely be quite a challenge for me, but if there's any cause that's worth it, it's this girl of mine. 

Right now I'm coming down from the high of a weekend of celebrating our Cora with friends and family who came to town for our second Buddy Walk with the NWDSA.

Although Cora was in dire need of a nap and not ready to socialize until halfway through the walk, it was a remarkable day of inspiration and joy.  That feeling of joining together with so many others so proud of their loved ones with designer genes is hard to describe.



Joy mingled with pride and illuminated by love comes close.  Seeing all the wonderful people who have become our friends in the past 20 months sharing it with us was priceless.  Watching my family love on their favorite little girlie....  aaah.

I'm a little blissed out, in truth.

Thank you so much for all your support and to all who walked and donated.  Team Cora Bean surpassed our goal and raised over $1100.00 this year.

But now we're getting back to the day-to-day and the ins-and-outs of this little life of ours.  I'll do my best to share some of it with you.  My hopes, my concerns, my bigger-than-life love, the things that run through my head, and some glimpses at my precious little Beanie.

And click on the link below and you'll find lots of other people who are doing the same thing: blogging daily to help us all raise awareness.  You can join too, by blogging, or by reading and sharing.

Stay tuned!

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Team Cora Bean is Buddy Walking Again

We are excited to be planning for our second Buddy Walk, which will take place on Saturday, September 29th.

Last year was amazing.  We had about a dozen walkers on our team and raised over $1200.00 for the Northwest Down Syndrome Association!

This year we're off to a little bit of a slow start, with all our vacationing this summer.  And sadly, it seems that many of our Team Cora Bean members can't make it in person this year, but will be joining us in spirit.

We're happy to be getting together with our local T21 families to celebrate our little wonders.  And I'm excited to be more involved with the local Ds group in the past few months.  I've started hosting the monthly playgroup for kids ages 0-5 and have participated in some other fund-raising activities and educational seminars that the NWDSA puts on.  It is a fabulous group, providing resources, informational support, seminars, and social and emotional support.  And it's been a great way to meet other families like ours.

If you're going to be in Portland on September 29th, we'd love it if you'd walk with us in support of our beautiful girl, and in support of the many individuals with Down syndrome that are such blessings in our lives.

To join or team or to make a donation to Team Cora Bean, click the photo above or the following link.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE