Kelle, Author at Enjoying the Small Things

Contentment

January 12, 2012 By Kelle

Last week’s return home initiated a jolting change of pace. I hate to say it, but I’m busy. The last few nights, I’ve debated whether to stay up and knock things off my list or head to bed to make me clear-headed for tomorrow. Sleep usually wins, and I thank myself the next morning.

There are a lot of projects on my plate right now, but they are all important. They make me happy, and I’m not willing to give any of them up. I have learned so many times before not to stress–everything always works out. Jobs get finished, things get done.

Yesterday was nuts. The to-do list on the side of my keyboard began with a bulleted list and grew by the hour with scribbled add-ons and reminder notes. And so I did the only thing I knew to do–I walked away to spend an hour with my kids, the most effective motivation stimulant I know.

We took an afternoon bubble bath.

Followed by a walk to the mountains.

That one hour–that renewing break of stepping away from the list and into what matters most–replenished my balance and settled my uneasiness. Sometimes that’s all it takes.

Lainey’s been “babysitting” Poppa’s puppy, and it hasn’t left her arms in two days.

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We are once again humbled and inspired by the momentum of generosity for Nella’s 2 for 2 Fund. Thank you, sincerely, for your comments, for sharing, for giving. We (you!) raised $20,000 in 24 hours. Less than two weeks to go…let’s keep it moving.

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And finally, a fun Thursday giveaway. I have a few galley copies left of Bloom. What’s a galley, you ask? A galley is a pre-publication press copy that gets printed before a book’s final edits and release. It’s not as pretty as the real thing (the hardback “real” book will have over 100 full color photos printed throughout), but it’s the story which is the most important part.

Three commenters on this post will be mailed a galley copy of Bloom: Finding Beauty in the Unexpected, and I’ll write a little note in it for you. Nella read through it and approved it for release, so we’re all good now. It’s a go.

Pre-order a copy of Bloom at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indiebound or Books A Million.

We did this last year and I loved it, so tell me…if you had to focus on one word for 2012, what would it be?

Mine? Contentment. No matter what we are doing, how busy we are, what we have or don’t have…I will be content in the moment.

2 for 2: Pay it Forward

January 10, 2012 By Kelle

I’ve been trying to write this post all day. I’ve promised myself that I will never write something that’s important to me unless I really feel it. Well, this is important.

While the easy current of everyday life may make us forget about Down syndrome a lot, we are two weeks away from the anniversary of a day when the idea of Down syndrome weighed so heavily on me, I lost myself for a moment.

The word anniversary just doesn’t do that day justice now. It’s a celebration. Of her. Of how we’ve changed. Of all the beauty in the world we overlooked for so long.

I was recently asked what my favorite post from 2011 was. I thought about it for a moment, scanning through memories of old posts–personal things, funny things, happy things–and then it dawned on me. It’s the post I wrote to launch Nella’s ONEder Fund last year. Why? Because I learned from it. I was nervous to set a $15,000 goal, thinking we wouldn’t get there. And the impact that followed? Over $100,000…because of you. How much I learned those weeks–about the other families in our D.S. community, about the generosity of people I had never met, about the magnitude of effect we all possess.

We’re doing it again–asking for your help, setting out to remember January 22, 2010 in a way that will help make life better for anyone who possesses the magic of the extra 21st chromosome.

This year, we are launching the 2 for 2 Fund–hoping to raise $200,000 by the time Nella turns two. We’re more than half way there, thanks to you. A little more than $75,000 to go.

Every dollar given to the 2 for 2 Fund supports the NDSS whose mission is to to be the national advocate for the value, acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome.

Things are changing in our society, but it’s only because people are working hard to change stereotypes, to recognize abilities and to tear down walls of discrimination.

I come to you as a mama.

What does any mom want for her child? Hope. Hope for a successful future, happiness, the opportunity to fulfill dreams.

And when you’re told your child has Down syndrome, for a moment, you think you have to give all that up.

Thanks to the NDSS and many others that join our cause, there is hope. We want the world to know that people with Down syndrome are doing great things with their wild and precious lives.

Just ask Leah.

Or Michael.

Talk to Jon about adventure.

Or Josh & Nicole about love.

I am ecstatic about the potential for what our kids will do in twenty years. What will the future hold for Nella’s friends?

Like Millie.

And Drew.

And Sophia Rose.

And Kayla who, by the way, can read. Big words in big books. And she can write. Because Sister is amazing.

I know these families. I’ve shared e-mails and phone calls and have met many of these kids and their parents, and all we want is for the world to see what we see.

That Lily is just like any other kid.

And George? Well, ask his siblings. One of them recently told his mom, “Mom, does it ever bother you that everyone in our family loves George best instead of you?”

Perhaps the best spokespeople of all for these kids are their brothers and sisters.

Kate and her brother

Nora and her family

I don’t want anyone to ever tell me that my child’s dreams are limited because of an extra chromosome.

Aaron

Alex

Sarah & Levi

And so I’m asking you for something. For Nella. For our family. For all these beautiful capable children and their families and thousands of others.

Please give back. If you are a regular reader of this blog, here’s an opportunity to pay for a subscription. Whatever you can give. A whole ‘lotta $5 and $10 donations went a long way last year. We can do it again.

For her birthday, we ask you to help us make a home run. 2 for 2, Baby.

Join with us in raising awareness and creating more opportunities for individuals, more hope for families.

Share on your Facebook, e-mail it, spread the word.

We are sincerely grateful as are the hundreds of other families who celebrate their own little magic.

Two years ago, right now? I had no idea what was in store. How could I ever had known how much joy that baby was going to bring us? I want the world to know that joy. Help me do it.

Two Weeks. Two Hundred Thousand Dollars. We can do it.

Click on any of the links to the 2 for 2 Fund in this post, click on the 2 for 2 banner at the top of the site, or click on the 2 for 2 logo in the sidebar to give.

Thank you, thank you.

Stream of Consciousness

January 10, 2012 By Kelle

I did a lot of writing this weekend. Enough that I want to step away from structure and focus and just fall into a heap on my favorite stream-of-consciousness pillow.
Which is exactly what I think I’ll do.

There’s this thing I discovered tonight that rocked my world. It’s the “Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong” station on Pandora. Lawd, I done lost my jazz-lovin’ mind. Five seconds into Dream a Little Dream of Me and suddenly my pajamas transformed into a slinky black dress, my bun into pin curls, and my lukewarm beer into an Old Fashioned. All of this is a fantasy of mine. I’m thinking theme party someday.

Changing subjects.

Since Friday, I’ve spent most of my time like this:

Nella got my flu bug Friday night, recovered by Saturday night, and then backslid even worse into Fluville again last night and slept/whimpered/clung to me all day today.

Then, out of nowhere, the veil lifted late tonight. She raised her head off my chest, smiled and said “Yeah!” And then she ate a bowl of popcorn, and we cheered “She’s back!”

Which is fantastic. I missed her spirit.

While she was sick, Brett and I alternated single child care so that we both spent some rare quality time with just one. My just one time with Lainey last night had us heading to the beach, an excursion I’ve been craving since returning from its Michigan contrast.

I miss the snow but really, this isn’t so bad.

An African drum group circled in the sand and beat out this enchanting rhythm that not only transformed the sunset into even more of a spirtual experience but called to all the bikini wearin’ girls like the sirens so that, by the time the sun hit the horizon, there was all sorts of crazy going on. And by that, I mean gyrating bouncing breasts. I spared you the photo.

I begged Lainey to dance with me–maybe not the breast bouncing kind, but I at least wanted to give the African thing our best shot. When in Rome, you know? I barely put my hands in the air and threw a hip out there, and she yanked my arm and loudly whispered, “Please stop dancing.” I feel this is only the beginning of mother-embarrasses-child moments.

Little Child has much to learn. Little Child must learn to dance. I will teach her.

The full moon was obviously a’comin, because African drum dances weren’t the only beach entertainment. There were sunset hula hoopers too.

We reigned it in with a rainbow sherbet/strawberry cone toast at the Beach Store post sunset.

And today? Well, it called for paper boat sailing.

We started fancy–me impressing my child with my boat-making skills and upping the ante with my brilliant idea to shove a bamboo skewer in the sail and add some flashy tape to jazz it up. For a moment, she forgave me for busting a move on the beach.

But my relationship with physics pretty much blows, and between the thin paper, the bamboo skewer, all that tape and the fact that I failed to plan this out–well, let’s just say the boat never made it out. It tipped and sunk.

We’re determined though. We talked it out and redrew our plans. We went for simple and streamlined with just a touch of added flair in Lainey’s handcut orange sail. It worked.

The ugly ducks applauded.

The remainder of the weekend was spent enjoying periods when Nella felt good, when the sky was vivid and locals posted versions of “what a beautiful day” all over their Facebook walls.

‘Tis true. It was lovely.

The last of our Christmas decorations have been packed up, and I am feeling invigorated to clean, upturn, throw away and rearrange. Finally, things feel back to normal, minus a half-unpacked suitcase.

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Tomorrow, I will return with a special post in honor of a sweet girl’s upcoming birthday.

Happy Monday, Y’all!