A Letter to my Daughter on her First Birthday

Life is about choices and I chose to love, protect, and be your advocate, Savannah Lanier! There isn't anything I would change about you, my daughter! You are perfectly imperfect and worthy of life and all opportunities! 

We are thankful for our DS diagnosis and the lessons we have learned and all the ones ahead of us. We are thankful for the spiritual growth and inner strength we are gaining daily... all because of you! God has already used you, and this is just the beginning! He has so many wonderful blessings for you and to provide through you, showing others what pure love is without discrimination. 

Every stage, like any child, has its challenges! I have seen during the 13 years of parenting, the reward is worth any challenge. We are the ones that grow and seem to develop more than our children, gaining spiritual growth, inner strength, and wisdom! Our babies are an inheritance from God and a blessing, worthy of life, no matter what society has conditioned so many to believe. 

I had fear and a desperation in my heart to know things would be great after our prenatal diagnosis. I clung to The Lord and had head knowledge that He makes no mistakes, but emotions clouded my heart knowledge of this fact for a while. You just turned 1 last week and you are a beautiful example of God's love and deserve a chance for countless opportunities! My heart's desire is to educate and encourage others as I am being educated, with hope and love! There's still so much I don't know and I am learning as I walk through this journey with you. We will both learn together. We will laugh together and cry together. We will experience the beauty in life with love with compassion for one another. 

Down syndrome is a wonderful journey within our journey. Life in general comes with challenges, some more than others, but what if we really tried to see beyond challenges and our differences with compassion and love? What if we realized we are more alike than different? The impact that would make on the world would be unmeasurable! We are only at the beginning of this journey, but God is molding me and revealing so much about acceptance, sensitivity, inclusion, and what true love is. 

Emotions are not easy at times when given a prenatal diagnosis. Standing up for life and wanting to scream to the world the worth of your child after trying to be convinced to terminate because of an extra chromosome is something I will never get over. I look at my three precious children and see lives that God has allowed with a plan and purpose... three lives that are already His, He has simply given me the privilege of loving, teaching, encouraging, and taking care of them. One thing I want for you, Savannah, and your two sisters, is for you to have compassion and love for others, whether one has an extra chromosome or not, and to show the world there is "NOTHING DOWN ABOUT IT"! 

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