Two and half years ago when I gave birth to Mary Margaret, we did not know she would be rockin’ an extra chromosome.  There was a blood test needed to be done and we were sent home from the hospital with a lot of unanswered questions about our little girl.  One thing I did know, I was on Team Mary no matter what the outcome.  Once I knew she had Down Syndrome I wrote an email to my close friends. In those first few days, I was going through a lot of emotions, so it was easier to write how I felt rather than to speak to everyone, plus I was exhausted, since my husband and I decided to move during all of this.  What I told them was not to tell me that they are sorry, because I am not sorry.  That was not how I was going to look at our lives.  The same holds true today.   Mary is an amazing little girl.  She brings our family so much joy and love.   I have already learned so much from her.  
  
When I stumbled upon Ruby’s Rainbow through Kelle Hampton’s blog “Enjoying the Small Things”, it got me thinking that Mary should have the same opportunity as her big sister. This is a fantastic idea.  By donating $21, it can have such an impact on someone’s life, and that someone could be Mary one day.    Education is very important to me, and Mary should have the same opportunities as everyone else.  I feel that Ruby’s Rainbow promotes this cause and in turn makes our kids lives better.   
What I have learned on this journey:
We are not sorry, we are not different, we are a family raising two girls (my beautiful step daughter Gianna (7), and cutie pie Miss Mary(2.5)) who have our ups and downs, and it may take us a little longer to get there, but we will get there.  Mary goes to daycare/ preschool full time, since I work, and her teachers think the world of her.  They took her on when they didn’t have any experience with a child with DS.  They have not “singled” her out, or tell me they wouldn’t take her. This was the support I needed at the start of her education.  I know things won’t be this easy the whole time, but it gives me hope.  Ruby and Liz give me hope. The stories Liz posts about the young women who have entered college to pursue their dreams, they give me hope.   There is a bright future for my daughter. 
What I want to tell other moms out there:
Hope and dream for your little one, so they know this is the normal.  So they know to hope and dream too.  Don’t stop fighting for them.  We are all in this together, and we will fight for our kids together.