Yo soy La Lay

Here is an ever-expanding list of questions that we are often asked:

Q. Do you ever get tired of people asking questions about Tessa?

A: At this point, no.  As a matter of fact, we really welcome (respectful) questions about our family.  Blogging, sharing, and answering questions is our way of helping others feel more comfortable with Ds.  We hope to normalize the extra chromosome and to help people truly see that Tessa is more alike than different.

Q. Why is Tessa formula-fed?

A. While I think the answer to this question is “why do you care enough to ask?'” I will share that breastfeeding is the most miserable thing that I have ever experienced in my life.  It has nothing to do with Down syndrome and everything to do with my own family’s personal preference.

Q: Why didn’t you know about this before she was born?

A: John and I choose not to do any prenatal testing.  If we are blessed with more children, we will still opt out of the testing.  It’s partly a deeply-held personal belief that our babies are gifts from God as soon as they are conceived.  It’s also partly that we prefer not to live in “what-if” scenarios.  We both feel that it’s easier for us to deal with unforseen circumstances when we’re already holding the baby in our arms.

Q: How does Ellie respond to her sister?  Does she know about her Ds?

A: She adores her.  We have really been blessed to not experience much jealousy at all from Ellie.  She loves to include Tessa in everything!  We do use the term Down syndrome a lot in front of Ellie.  We don’t know if she realizes that it makes Tessa a little bit different or if she knows that most kids don’t have therapists and doctor appointments as often as Tessa, but we believe that if we don’t make a fuss about it, she won’t either.

More questions coming soon!  Let me know if there is a question that you would like to see answered!