More Than an Extra Chromosome: World Down Syndrome Day 2016

Happy World Down Syndrome Day!

March 21 is World Down Syndrome Day, celebrated today because individuals with Down syndrome have a third copy of the 21st chromosome.  Naturally, 3/21 is the perfect date to celebrate how amazing these individuals are that rock that extra chromosome!  (But really, we celebrate them every day!)

If you've been following along on my page for awhile now, you know that Down syndrome awareness and advocacy are two topics very close to my heart that I share about often on my social media and website.  You can read more about the beautiful stories & smiling faces that I've been fortunate enough to capture over the past six months here through our ongoing photo series celebrating children with Down syndrome.  Meeting these families, listening to their stories, celebrating their children, capturing their true personalities, and hearing the ways in which their photos have impacted YOUR LIVES has made this such a meaningful project for me, and one that I am proud to continue sharing each month.

When the opportunity arose to organize photo sessions for children in the Albany area with Down syndrome, I was excited and honored to have the chance to meet so many more inspiring families.  This time, I approached our photo series with a new mission in mind.  So often in stories that focus on these amazing individuals, the word "extra" is often followed by "chromosome".  But there is so much more to these incredible people than just a tiny piece of DNA!  They are more than just an extra chromosome.  They are extra silly, extra brave, extra smart, extra charming, extra chosen...... extra everything!

I hope you'll enjoy their beautiful stories and their smiling faces, and remember to take a moment today to do an extra good deed for someone in honor of World Down Syndrome Day.  Want to take it a step further?

Educate yourself: www.ndss.org
Find a Buddy Walk: http://www.ndss.org/Buddy-Walk/
Contribute to scholarships for adults with Down syndrome: https://rubysrainbow.org

"We had a prenatal diagnosis, and we tried to educate ourselves about Down syndrome.  So much of the information is terrifying, and we were scared.  We decided to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.  KiraLynn is the youngest of 7 children and is the light of our world.  Our journey is nothing but joy, and love.  I wish I could go back and tell myself not to worry so much.  She is happy, loving, goofy, has a terrible temper, and is wildly mischievous.  She is everything."  ~KiraLynn's mom

"Our story is unique, just like Brennan. We got his diagnosis a week after he turned 1. There was shock, sadness, fear and so many questions. I don't remember the day when I realized that I no longer was upset about this. Having a child with Down syndrome is an awesome gift! I feel honored that we were chosen for this, after all, we only had a 1 in 600 chance." ~Brennan's mom

Brennan was diagnosed with Down syndrome after his first birthday, which is much later than when the typical diagnosis occurs. Read his mom's touching story published for GiGi's Playhouse, Inc. here: http://gigisplayhouse.org/syracu…/uncategorized/downsyndrome

Evan's 9 year old sister, Ella, wrote this touching story about her brother for us to share in honor of World Down Syndrome Day.  I love the love!  It's so true when they say if you want to know how to treat a child with Down syndrome, just watch to see how their siblings treat them... just like everyone else!  This is the sweetest.

"Evan is a great brother. I love Evan because he loves me. I love how he loves to play with me. He is so much fun! We like to play a game where we are magicians. Evan is the best magic partner ever! Evan is really good at making friends. When I'm sad, I always want Evan because he makes me laugh. He says, "why sad?" I say, "because." He'll say, "why because?" He knows a lot about me! He knows I love laughing and he doesn't want me to be sad so he makes me laugh. If the whole world knew Evan, then everyone would want to be me so Evan could be their brother." ~Evan's sister

Below, these three beautiful sisters have so much personality: Autumn, Masha & Summer.

"From the minute Coco was born and diagnosed with Down syndrome our lives have been filled with joy. Coco, named before she was born is the perfect name for her because it fits her to a tee...she's fun, sweet, playful, fashionable and yes full of sass!" ~Coco's mom

"Peyton is an energetic 5 year old little boy who loves to play outside and spend time with his siblings. He LOVES to be the center of attention and can be very mischievous but he says he's being "silly"." ~Michelle

"Reese is our 7 year old princess.  She loves anything purple, pink and sparkly.  She also loves music, swimming and dancing.  Anyone who has spent any significant amount of time with Reese has told me that she has impacted their life in some way.  Her smile and her hugs bring joy to everyone that she meets.

"We found out that Reese has Down syndrome the day after she was born.  At that moment, I decided that we would not treat her differently just because she has Down syndrome.  Down syndrome is just one small part of who she is."  ~Reese's mom

"We received Lukas' diagnosis at birth and it was a huge surprise. There were so many emotions surrounding it all but the one that stuck out the most after my love for him was fear. Fear of raising a child with a disability that I felt unprepared for, fear of Down Syndrome and not knowing what it truly meant, fear of how he would be perceived and treated in his life, and mostly fear of the unknown.

"Four years later I am happy to say that I no longer fear raising a child with Down Syndrome for I do not see it as a disability but a different ability. I have a greater understanding of Down Syndrome and see it in a different light than previously. The only fear I have left is the fear of how he will be treated and perceived by others. Lukas is a beautiful, funny, sweet, smart, loving son and big brother. He has brought more laughter and joy than tears and sadness to our life. I never knew I could love someone as much as I love him. I wouldn't change him for the World but I will change the world for him so that welcoming a loving soul with Down Syndrome into the World isn't something to fear any longer because to me he is perfect just the way he is!" ~Lukas' mom

"Allie is an amazing little girl that brings a smile to anyone that meets her. People seem to go out of their way to come to her to say hello. She can make the darkest days just shine! She really is the best daughter, little sister, granddaughter, cousin, niece, and friend that we are all lucky to be blessed with. Allie bear is our darling!" ~Allie's mom

"Our sweet boy Ryland had quite a few surprises for us during his first twenty four hours of life!  Between learning that he was born with Down syndrome and discovering that he had a rare combination of heart defects, it was quite a whirlwind at first!  He's come a long way and fills our hearts with so much joy each and every day.  He is a very social little boy who can brighten anyone's day with his infectious smile and contagious laughter.  Laughing, babbling, playing with his sister, and "dancing", are just a few of the things he loves to do.  Ryland rocks our world and we couldn't imagine life without him.  He amazes us everyday with his abilities and we are beyond proud to call him ours!"  -Ryland's mom

"Oliver's diagnosis came as a complete shock to us 10 days after his birth. At first we were devastated and scared. We didn't know much about Down syndrome back then. I wish I could go back and tell myself how amazing he would be. I wish I could tell myself that I would literally thank God for giving us the chance to be his parents! I wish I would have known how funny and silly and how stubborn and smart he would be. I can barely remember what it's like to not know about Down syndrome now! Oliver has brought so much love to our family and brought so many new friends into our lives. He is taking us all on a new and incredible journey. Even all the way to China to adopt another child with Down syndrome!" ~Oliver's mom

"Oscar is a sweetheart. He loves to be cuddled more then anything else. He has been through a lot in his short life. More than we will ever know. He was found abandoned in North western China approximately 2 weeks after he was born. Most likely because he was born with Down syndrome. We came across his name on an adoption advocacy group page. The agency had chosen the name Oscar and since we already had an Oliver and thought that was cute I decided to click on it.

All the children listed had various disabilities, but Oscar happened to also have Down syndrome like our Oliver. And his birth month and year were the same too! It just seemed so meant to be. As a family we decided to do it and signed a commitment letter the next day. 8 months later we went to China and brought him back home to New York.

Now Oscar is a part of a family. He is one of five siblings. He has two big dogs! He gets to have birthday parties, celebrate Christmas and decorate Easter eggs, go trick or treating, apple picking and swimming and go to school. He gets to wear red on Valentine's Day and hand out cards to his friends and wear green on St. Patrick's day! He has a forever family. So many other children are waiting right now all around the world for their forever family to find them. http://reecesrainbow.org/" ~Oscar's mom

Finally, a very special THANK YOU to our friends at Buckingham Confectionary in Malta, NY for donating these delicious treats in blue & yellow to all of the families that came to our photo sessions for the #WDSD16 photo shoot!  We truly appreciate your generosity, and thank you for supporting our cause! 

Behind the Scenes at Rockin' NDSS Studios

UPDATE:  Our Rockin' NDSS Studios project has been featured in an article on The Mighty!  Check it out here.

Last week's photo shoot at the National Down Syndrome Society in NYC was so much fun!  It was a heart-warming, eye-opening, incredibly collaborative experience that left us all with full hearts, happy souls, and tired bodies.  Overall, it was a huge success and I am truly honored to have played a small part in making this dream become a reality!

You can read my full blog post by clicking here to learn more about these extra special photo sessions, what we're going to do with the photos next spring, and see every single one of our lovely & talented models who rock that extra chromosome.

Here I am sharing many of our behind-the-scenes photos from our two days at the NDSS offices.  We turned their staff's offices into dressing rooms, their hallways into makeup studios and hair salons, and their conference room into a photo studio.  A little imagination goes a long way, and this amazing team of organizers, hair stylists, makeup artists, moms, dads, grandparents, cousins, siblings, models, and photographers truly showed what amazing things can happen when we all work together.

Enjoy a peek into our #rockinNDSSstudios adventure!

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0333

Three photographers excited for sessions to begin: me, Sherri Harnisch and Wendy Zook.

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0334

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0335

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0336

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0337

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0338

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0339

Joey, our Slash model out on the streets of New York City!  He really mastered the hard-core rocker look, tattoos (sleeves) and all!!

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0340

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0341

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0342

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0343

Lady Gaga and Joan Jett in the makeup studio!

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0344

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0345

A little bit of windblown fan action on our very own Mariah Carey!

Sibling love!

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0346

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0347

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0348

Katelynn celebrated her 5th birthday by coming to our photo session as Scary Spice!  What a cutie!

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0349

Kelly Clarkson and her twin sister.  As a twin myself, you know I always have a special place in my heart for twins on camera!

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0350

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0351

Wendy really got our little Pat Benatar to rock out.  We had a full-on dance party in the studio to Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" to get this little one in the spirit, and it truly worked!  Her photos are phenomenal!

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0352

Our Usher had all the moves once we put on his favorite song.

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0353

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0354

Isn't she the most adorable Tina Turner?  I love the missing front teeth!

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0355

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0356

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0357

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0358

Our Buddy Holly was a little uncertain about the camera at first.  His sisters started a dance party with his guitar, and before we knew it, he was rocking out all by himself.  We couldn't resist a few fun photos of his whole family's jam session first, though!

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0359

Sara's presidential duties at the NDSS also include custom makeup application.  This little guy was an amazing band member for KISS!

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0360

Fist bump with Bob Dylan!

Rock on!

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0361

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0362

Mason didn't want to have all the fun by himself, so he pulled his big sister out onto the dance floor at the end of the session.

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0363

More KISS band members and their family's dance party!

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0364

Oh my goodness.  This Elvis impersonator was seriously impressive.  Mickey owns multiple costumes, he performs all around town, and he is REALLY, REALLY GOOD at what he does.  I loved watching him when he was totally "in the zone" as Elvis during his shoot with Wendy.

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0365

Teaching his sister and father how to groove.

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0366

The sweetest sisters!

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0367

Runaway baby!  Johnny Cash and June Carter.

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0368

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0369

Grace was our youngest model, only 11 weeks old.  I insisted that we capture a few images with her gorgeous mama, and I am sure she is going to treasure these forever!  (Don't worry -- we'll send you a copy of the photos, Celine!)

Thank you, thank you, thank you!  From the bottom of our hearts.

A huge thank you to every single person that made this event possible, turning it from a dream into a reality.  It was a labor of love, and these two days spent sharing stories, making new friends, and bringing dreams to life were so incredibly worth it.  This was most definitely the most rewarding professional experience of my year, and it's all because of the incredible individuals that came together to make it happen.

.................................

Now that you've had a behind the scenes look at our NYC experience, don't forget to check out our full blog post here on the Nicole Starr Photography page, too!

To see more of this journey, visit blog posts by fellow photographers Wendy Zook Photography and Sherri Harnisch - Picture Taker.

Rock Star Sessions with the National Down Syndrome Society in NYC

UPDATE:  Our Rockin' NDSS Studios project has been featured in an article on The Mighty!  Check it out here.

The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is just that little "extra".  

Oh my goodness!  My heart is so full right now!  I am wrapping up 2015 with what has truly become one of the highlights of my year -- and this has been an amazing year already, so that's saying something!

I've spent the past week going through my photos and reliving the brief but incredibly satisfying two days I spent in New York City doing photo shoots for the National Down Syndrome Society.  It was an amazing experience, and I'm still so overwhelmed with all of the smiles, laughter, and bonding that we fit into the little hallways and makeshift dressing rooms and studios of the NDSS offices.

This photo sums it up for me.  It's a behind the scenes look from my dear friend, Wendy Zook Photography, and I love the emotion captured in this moment.  There was so much laughter and so much connection between everyone involved.  In the end, we truly are more alike than different, and I LOVED getting to know each and every person that was involved in our sessions.  (Right here is when Judy told me, "Of course, sweetheart! Don't worry -- I got this!" when I showed her the Mariah Carey look we were going for in her shoot.  Such a doll!)

NDSS Photos 2015-424

When the National Down Syndrome Society first contacted me about joining them in NYC for an extra special photo shoot, I was speechless and so, so honored.  They had this crazy dream of bringing together a bunch of individuals with Down syndrome, dressing them up as rock stars, and having two days of photo shoots to recreate famous album covers that would be used as posters at their spring gala, their biggest fundraiser of the year.

They wanted me, Wendy Zook Photography of New York, and Sherri Harnisch - Picture Taker of Nebraska to help them bring this dream to life.  For two days, we worked with an incredible team of photographers, organizers, hair stylists, makeup artists, parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, and models who all came together for our amazing Rockin' NDSS Studios photo sessions.

ndss (1 of 297)

Our models ranged from 11 weeks new to 50 years old, and came in from all across the state and the country for these once-in-a-lifetime sessions.  They shared their stories, their dreams, their struggles, and their goals.  They taught us about their lives, what they were working hard for, and how much fun they were having in the process.  They studied hard to come prepared with the look, the moves, and the music of their idols.  We watched them make new friends in the group photos, shaking hands and sharing hugs while their families rushed to share their phone numbers to set up a get together.  We had dance parties in the studio, and we definitely rocked out to "Shake It Off" a time or two with our cameras snapping to loosen the models up.

It was SO.MUCH.FUN.

These photos are still a work in progress, and will be turned into posters for the NDSS Gala's fundraising auction next March.  We'll get to see these life-sized rock stars on display at B.B. King's Blues Club in Times Square.  I can only imagine how amazing that nightclub will look filled with all of these smiling rock stars' faces.  :o)  I can't wait to see it in person in March!

...............................................

And now, here are the photos you've been waiting for!

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0303

Carter as Justin Bieber

Ben as Buddy Holly

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0304

Caryn as Carole King

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0307

Carson as Janis Joplin

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0308

Auren as Usher

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0310

Emely as Beyonce

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0311

Riley as Marky Mark

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0312

Brennan as Elton John

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0313

Lucas as Kenny Chesney

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0314

Anthony, Race, Sammy & Matthew as The Beatles

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0332

Ryan as Bob Dylan

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0315

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0317

Kailani as Tina Turner

Gabriel, Taegon, Luciano & Mason as KISS

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0301

Judy as Mariah Carey

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0320

Kayla as Madonna

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0321

down syndrome photo shoot

Francesca & Robby as June Carter and Johnny Cash

Grace as Aretha Franklin

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0322

Luke as Billy Joel

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0323

Joey as Slash

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0324

Amber as Ginger Spice

ndss (284 of 297)

Katelynn as Scary Spice (This photo was taken on her 5th birthday!)

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0330

Elena as Joan Jett

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0325

Ameliah as Gwen Stefani

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0326

Janissa as Diana Ross

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0327

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0328

Evelyn as Pat Benatar

rock and roll ndss photo shoot_0329

Christopher as Elvis Costello

This is one of a three-part perspective on the #rockinNDSSstudios experience. To see more of this journey, visit blog posts by Wendy Zook Photography and Sherri Harnisch - Picture Taker.

And, because I couldn't possibly fit all of my photos into one post, be sure to check out some of our behind-the-scenes photos and fun family moments captured that day at the #rockinNDSSstudios by continuing on to this post.

......................................

Love the photos?   View our original photo project for National Down Syndrome Awareness Month with Nicole Starr Photography right here with our local Massachusetts families.

Extraordinary Stories | Photo sessions for the Down syndrome community

As many of you who have been following my Facebook page know, October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month.  Down syndrome is considered the most common genetic condition, and one in every 691 babies is born with Down syndrome.  According to the National Down Syndrome Society (www.ndss.org), there are more than 400,000 individuals living with Down syndrome in the United States. This month I started a photo & community outreach project to connect with local families whose children have Down syndrome.  My best friend’s son, Zack, was born with Down Syndrome 5 years ago.  I'll never forget the night my best friend told me that her brand new baby boy had DS.  I'll never forget the incredible journey of love, learning, and acceptance that this little guy's family and all of his loved ones embarked on. I'll always be SO thankful for that blessing. We count ourselves lucky to love this little boy who is blessed with an extra chromosome and lots of hugs and kisses to go around.  Because of Zack, I wanted to give back to this community and bring their stories to life through my photographs.

This month I decided to offer complimentary sessions to families who have a little one with DS.  When I reached out to this (not so little) community, I was amazed at the overwhelming response from families across Massachusetts and New Hampshire who got in touch with me.  My inbox was flooded with the most amazing, heart-warming stories, and every single one brought happy tears.  They opened their arms to me, welcoming me into their lives and sharing their stories with me.  They allowed me to play with their children, capture their true personalities, and let their little ones shine in the spotlight of my camera.  We shared hugs, giggles, tickles, “peek-a-boo” games and “ready, set, go” races.

The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is just that little “extra”.

These children are not defined by Down syndrome.  That extra chromosome is a blessing in disguise, helping the families to love deeper, dream bigger, and advocate more strongly.  Their stories are the ones that deserve to be heard.  Enjoy their stories:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meet Audrey  (age 9)

“Audrey is a very funny clever girl who has the most wonderful sense of humor. Her smile can light up a room and she has the most contagious little laugh and the BEST hugs that come with a pat on the back.  Some of her favorite things to do are to sing and dance to her favorite, Taylor Swift. She also loves swimming.  She could literally swing on a swingset for hours. She loves to play with her sisters and is great at bossing her dog, May, around.”   ~Audrey’s mom

“The best part of having a sister like Audrey is the way she brings us and everyone that meets her so much happiness. I like having Audrey as a twin because it makes us unique.”  ~Audrey’s twin sister

Meet Drew  (age 3)

“Drew has the ability to make people fall in love with him, his outgoing personality and endless expressions. His sense of humor, curiosity and attention to detail make me smile and fall in love with him even more, if that's possible. He loves to learn, and run around and will no doubt change the outdated perceptions of what it means to have Down syndrome. I will continue to teach him to know no boundaries, and to dream bigger until he reaches the stars!

My experience in the Ds community has changed my life. Quite literally. We were given information on the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress while in the hospital after Drew was born. And they were the first organization to reach out to us when we got home. From them, we were connected with our local Ds group, the Morning Travelers, where I've met dozens, if not a hundred families, many who are close friends now. When you find a community that understands, encourages and celebrates similar life journeys, you never want to lose touch. I've been empowered to step outside my comfort zone in many ways by Drew, one being taking the Chairperson role for our local MDSC Buddy Walk! I was honored to address over 3,000 people in our community this past October, 11th and applaud all of them for being a strong community of advocates. Together with the help of the MDSC, we are bringing awareness, inclusion and opportunities to live fulfilling lives to individuals with Down syndrome in Massachusetts and across the globe.”  ~Drew’s mom

Meet JJ  (9 months)

JJ is a very social little boy with big, curious eyes that are made that much cuter by his new glasses.  He is incredibly expressive, and we captured so many of his little faces on camera during our session together.  He loves to laugh and babble, and it’s clear that he brings so much happiness to his mom, dad, and big sister every single day.  This little guy is a fighter, and he had heart surgery at only 2 months old. He rocked our session together — even the tummy time, which you wouldn’t know by looking at the amazing photos that he’s not the biggest fan of.  ;o)

I just love how he's talking to his little toy in the photo below.  What a sweetheart!

Meet Lucy (2.5 years)

“Well, let me tell you about Lucy... She's very much "a Lucy". She's bright,  hilarious, loving, and clearly the prettiest girl I've ever seen. She loves cats, music, and Frozen! She's incredibly expressive, she's speaking more lately but has about 100 signs.  Sign language has been amazing for her.  She shines brighter than a diamond, and that's what I would most like to capture.

The definition of the name 'Lucy' is 'light', and that's exactly what she is. When we found out that she had Down Syndrome, I can honestly say I was not scared. I have never feared for how her life would be. She's been through so much in her tiny little life, I have no doubt she can and will achieve whatever it is she wants to do. That extra chromosome is part of who she is and I would not give it back for the world. She is exactly the little girl I always knew she would be.”  ~Lucy’s mom

Meet Maeve  (8 months)

“I found out when I was about 6 months pregnant that there was a 99% chance Maeve would be born with Down syndrome. We found out about her having Down syndrome and the fact that she had a heart defect that would require surgery within a couple of weeks. Needless to say, that was a rough time. But we decided pretty quickly that we would do what we needed to do for her and stayed pretty positive for the rest of my pregnancy so by the time she arrived we were more excited than nervous.

She had open heart surgery when she was about 3 months old. Her first 3 months really just seemed like a lead up to the surgery day. But she did great, she was in and out of Children's in 6 days. And now that it's been months, it almost seems like it never happened. I say a lot that I wish we could go back in time to when we first found out about all of this and tell ourselves "Don't worry. You'll love her like crazy and she'll be awesome."

I guess I'm biased but Maeve really is the best baby. She's happy, super chatty, sleeps well, smiles a lot. Honestly, we don't even think about Down syndrome all the time. She may get to milestones a little later than other kids her age, but for the most part she's just like any other baby. She sleeps, eats, cries, poops, smiles, and makes us laugh every day. She just got her first 2 teeth a couple of weeks ago and in the past week she started sitting up on her own! Something new every day.”  ~Maeve’s mom

Meet Liam  (23 days new)

“We love so many things about Liam. His beautiful eyes, that always appear so alert and attentive when he is awake, are adorned with gorgeous eyelashes. He is happy and content to be held and cuddle when he's not eating. He sometimes shows off an adorable pout that may be hard to say no to when he is older.

The first few days were a mix of a lot of different emotions. Much of Liam's arrival was a surprise. I delivered at a birthing center because we wanted an out of hospital experience. My labor moved at a rapid fire pace and only lasted  4 1/2 hours. My husband travels for work and missed Liam's birth by just 2 hours. When I first held Liam in my arms, I had a feeling he might have Down syndrome, but I didn't want to ask the midwife until my husband arrived. I learned later that the midwife noticed physical characteristics right away but decided to wait until my husband was with me to say anything. I will forever be grateful for these first few hours when I was able to meet my son, hold him, and bond with him before I knew he had Down syndrome. I knew him as Liam first, before I knew he had a disability. He was my perfect, beautiful baby boy who I loved immediately and unconditionally. Learning he had Down syndrome did not change any of this.

When my husband arrived we asked the midwife if she thought he had Down syndrome. She explained that she noticed the palmar crease, low set ears, and large space between his first and second toes. Then we discussed being transferred to the NICU to check his heart and lungs. The NICU was an incredibly hard experience as we didn't even want to be in a hospital in the first place.

We drew strength from taking one moment at a time and the love of our family. Our parents flew out immediately to be with us. They shared in our sorrow, but also rejoiced in Liam's arrival. This was so important for me. As a new mom, I so wanted people to celebrate and gawk over my beautiful new baby. I needed to see people delight in his presence. This helped get us through the 10 days in the NICU.

Right now we are still in the process of letting go of some previous expectations we had before we knew he had Down syndrome.  We are making room for new ideas as we begin the journey with Liam. We are trying not to focus on Liam's limitations but all of his potential and gifts.

When I hold Liam in my arms, I just see my beautiful baby boy who is an absolute gift. Sometimes I think, "oh yeah, he also has Down syndrome." But that's never my first nor most important thought when I hold him. I hope this is always the case. First seeing Liam for the amazing person he is, while learning about and embracing all of his unique qualities including the fact that he has Down syndrome.”  ~Liam’s mom

Want to learn more about Down syndrome?  Check out the National Down Syndrome Society's webpage here:  www.ndss.org

Do you know someone who would love this post?  Share it with them!  :o)

25 families contacted me this month about sessions for their little ones with DS.  I'm excited to make this an ongoing project, and I've compiled a list of families that I will be in touch with for photo sessions throughout the year.  Want to share your story with me?  Email me at nicolestarrphotography@gmail.com.  I can't wait to meet your little one and hear your heartwarming story!