I am Overwhelmed

...that so many people took the time to read and comment here yesterday.

For a tiny little blog like mine to get three or four times my usual daily number of visitors in just one day is...well...just a bit overwhelming.

Thank you to Jennifer and Pinwheels for sending folks our way.

Just like the tough times, waves of gratitude come unexpectedly. (I wrote about this in response to the tremendous amount of support we received through my brain surgery in '04 and during our first Buddy Walk last year. You can find that here.)

I started this blog and continue to post writing and pictures to show just how much we love and celebrate Bridget, and to help others see that a diagnosis of Down syndrome is far from the worst thing in the world. (I could keep it all for myself, but I feel selfish not sharing Bridget and all we have learned through knowing and loving her.)

I hoped that someone, somewhere would find this blog at a time when they really needed a boost.

I hoped that people who did not know someone with Ds would visit here and see my daughter--our love--and understand that she has potential and value just like everyone else.

I hoped that people in the "special needs" community would come here for information about Bridget's development and our experiences with her--as well as for support.

What I didn't expect was the incredible sense of connection I would develop with other parents traveling the same path. I didn't expect that I would be reading, almost daily, about other children and families who are working their way through so many of the same issues we're dealing with--that I'd be so invested in their lives and gaining so much myself. Thank you to everyone else who is searching, writing, learning, loving & sharing.

I am grateful for all of it...