Skip to main content

Why Valentine's Day cards are extra special to me

This year was Evie's first Valentine's Day as a preschooler.  I found out that her class wasn't swapping individual Valentine's Day cards, but that there was an option to put them on the cubbies for each child.  I've been waiting for a very long time to be able to do Valentine's Day cards for my daughter, and darn it, it was going to happen!

This is actually for a friend, but shown here for demonstration purposes.  What's inside?  Party sized Playdough!  Envelopes and stickers from jane.com.
I want to share why Valentine's Day cards are extra special to me.  Ever since little Evie was at just 10 week of gestation in my womb, I had to process a lot of fear about what it would be like to have a child with Down Syndrome.  One of those fears was that she wouldn't have any friends.  

Yesterday, when she came home with a pile of Valentines, I was pretty excited to go through them.  The ones that unexpectedly most touched my heart were the ones that said Evie's name on them.  My daughter was thought of and included.  Someone took the time to write her name personally (and when you're 3, that means the parents did).   I completely understand that getting valentines done is just another part of parenting when you're busy.  But I want to share how much it meant to me that they took the time to individually address these cards.  They spoke to my mama heart and were just another piece of evidence that Evie will be ok in this big world.  

A sample of some homemade cards addressed to Evie
 Evie, on the other hand, was most fascinated by the holographic My Little Pony valentine.  Oh well.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Repost with a giveaway! From Straitjacket to Starfish: A Shark Tank win

Update:   Hi all, I am doing my first giveaway! If you read my blog post the other day on the miraculous Zipadee Zip, then you know how this thing has changed our lives as parents.  The makers of Zipadee Zip liked my review so much, that they offered to help me do a giveaway. All you have to do is 1) "Like" their Zipadee Zip Facebook page and 2) leave a comment about why you could use a free Zipadee Zip on this post! The contest begins Wednesday, May 27 at 12:00 AM and ends on Sunday, May 31 at 12:00 AM.  Good luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway  ------------------------------------------------------------ Original post: There was a point in time when I was just proud I could swaddle teeny tiny Evie with a hospital blanket. Then she came home and started busting out of the blankets, and woke herself up all the time. Her arms flailed and her legs kicked while she was sleeping, which of course woke her up. But then she got bigger and craftier, and I needed to fin

It's Official! The Polka-Dotted Penguin book has launched!

It's official! My new children's book, "The Polka-Dotted Penguin" has launched today!  How fitting that my labor of love launches on Labor Day. The writing of the book and putting all the parts together took about a year. It was definitely a pandemic-worthy project.  I wrote this book because I wanted more books available for sharing with Evie's class for World Down Syndrome Day on 3-21 and for Down Syndrome Awareness Month in October. I'm happy to release my new book just in time for October! My hope is that this book will be used as a tool to start conversations with children about how to treat others who may look or act differently than they do. It's all about inclusion and celebrating differences.  This book is perfect for ages 4-9, or any ages who love penguins, or really anyone who loves Evie! Here's how to order: Barnes and Noble (Hardcover): https://www.barnesandnoble.com/.../the-polka.../1140115530 Amazon (Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle) :

Jumping and Friendship Crafts with Evie

This Youtube video was at first made to showcase Evie's first real jump on a trampoline. Then it became a video with a message about making new friends, because I was just so impressed with how Qole gave Evie the space she needed to feel comfortable enough to say yes to getting on the trampoline.   And then as we were making a paper craft about friendship, and we were pulling out different pieces of color, I was struck with how it became a teaching moment for my daughter that people of all colors can hold hands and can look out for each other. May it be so. The world needs it now more than ever.