One Extra

In the very early morning of Sunday, Nov. 24th I was blessed to gain another niece. My sister gave birth to Dana Jo - an 8lb 15oz, 21 inch long, dark haired, chunky little cheeked bundle of joy. 

Now any of you who know me know how very special my nephew's & niece's are to me. They don't call my their "favorite Aunt" for no reason! But this new little niece of mine is extra special. Not only is she the last baby my sister will ever have (God willing) but she was born with an extra special gift. You see, my precious niece has something that you & I don't -- one extra chromosome.

We all normally have 46 chromosomes but for some reason an unexplainable error in cell development resulted in Dana having 47 chromosomes. She has 3 copies of her 21st chromosome which is referred to as Trisomy 21 or Down Syndrome.

Her diagnoses was a surprise to us all. Her existence is a surprise in itself as my sister & her husband took great measures to prevent another pregnancy from happening after already having three children. But for whatever reason God had other plans & so she was conceived & has blessed us all with her presence.

Dana spent her first week of life in the NICU due to a low heart rate, low oxygen saturation's, pulmonary hypertension & 2 possible holes in the septum of her heart - a PFO & VSD.

Later in the week an ECHO showed that she does have a small VSD & a small PFO that they will continue to monitor. Her pulmonary hypertension eventually started to decrease, her oxygen sat's began to level off at normal levels & finally she was able to come home exactly a week after she was born.

For my sister's family, having a child with Down Syndrome will definitely be a challenge but it isn’t a tragedy & shouldn’t be treated as such. If any of you are blessed to know my sister, I have no doubt that she will be one of the biggest Down Syndrome advocates you ever did see :) Will there be hiccups? Sure. Will there be tough days? Of course. But we aren't guaranteed much in this life so we have to hold on to happiness no matter what unexpected form it may take. 

My niece is still the little baby that everyone was hoping for - except she has an extra chromosome - no big deal. Down Syndrome is just something she has but she will not be defined by it.

This beautiful baby girl is going to bring so much love into our lives & I know with the help of our family & my sister & brother-in-law's friends she will accomplish all of the goals set before her. It may take a little bit longer but she will do it. There is so much that Dana has to offer the world & we possess the unique privilege of helping her believe & achieve that truth.

This diagnosis is not the end of the world & no one has any reason to feel sorry for our family because my niece was born with an extra chromosome. Dana is a special gift & everyone who surrounds her will be made better because of her. She will be a teacher of humanity, patience, understanding & most importantly compassion.

I hope & pray that everyone who is blessed to meet this precious child will treat her like the child she is & will accept her for WHO she is rather than for what she has. 

This is my niece. She is already so very loved & this Aunt couldn't be more proud!!

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance but the LORD looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7