Tessa

 What can I say about Tessa. She is sweet, funny, smart, stubborn, strong & perfect!
Tessa is the little girl I dream of, I wished for, and thought I would never get.

She melts her brother's hearts & has them all wrapped around her tiny little fingers. She was the part of this family we never knew was missing. She has taught us all so much and changed the way we see the world.

If someone had asked me when I was younger if I could handle having a child with Down syndrome I would have said no. It has always been my biggest fear & yet , her she is!!
I love her more then ever. I am so proud of her & would not ever change anything about her.

But, I would be lying if I said I have always felt positive & perfect about her, Down syndrome, and life.
I cried a lot after she was born. I felt sad, and guilty of possibly ruining our lives. I felt guilty for bringing her into a world where some people still don't accept "people like her", that can be mean & hurtful.
I mourned the loss of the little girl I had always imagined I would have, I mourned the loss of the grandchildren she will never give me, I mourned the loss of her never feeling the love of her own child.

But then I realized, she has so many great qualities, and we don't know what she can do, or what she will become. I figured out if she is to have all the best life has to offer, I need to make sure to show her how to get it. I need to work just as hard as she does for everything she wants, needs & deserves. She will walk, talk, read, write, go to school, maybe even live on her own & possibly get married.

Tessa makes this family complete!!