I really want to support other families caring for children with Trisomy 18 or similar as I can remember only too well the loneliness I experienced.  Walking the unknown was scary  and had I had people to share with I believe our journey may have been a wee bit less stressful.

So this is to let you know I am only too happy to share what we learnt by our experience. Wishing you all a Happy Easter 🙂

This is so amazing looking back - our wee girl and family was assisted by so many services and agencies...we could never thank them enough.

I feel it very important to share those amazing supporters - again a big thank you - in no particular order.

Accident & Emergency, Palmerston North Hospital, ACROSS Social Services, ADNET, All Saints Church, City Doctors, The Correspondence School, CCS Manawatu Horowhenua, Continence Nurse, Dieticians, District Nurses, Dressmaker, Early Intervention Team, Ear Specialist, Eye Specialist, Friends, Family, Family Doctor, Gingerbread House, Grant Irvine Pharmacy, Hospital Stores, Kimberley Needs Assessment Service Levin, IHC MidCentral, Karitane Unit, Lavender Blue Nursing and Homecare Agency,Our Local Member of Parliament, Manawatu Standard, Manawatu Toy Library, Mobile Hairdresser, Music Therapy, Neonatal Ward, Neighbours, Neurodevelopmental Therapist, NZDRC (now Enable), Occupational Therapists, Optician, Orthotics, Options in Community Living, Paediatricians, Parent to Parent, Plunket, Podiatrist, Pre School Support Teacher, Psychologist, Samaraitans, Secondhand Shops,Social Workers, SouthEnd Cycles Levin, Social Welfare, Special Education, Speech Language Therapists, Teacher Aides, Ward 3 Palmerston North Hospital and Willie Weavers, Feilding.

We were so blessed to have your support while caring for Melissa.  Thank you.

I felt a need to do normal things - our life had become stressful walking this unknown journey!

We had to wait until the sun went down before we could take Melissa for a walk around the block - it became a family time with her brother riding his bicycle and Angel (our Doberman) on her lead - for me it was often the first time in the day I felt I could relax!

Our neighbour bought her daughter to play with Melissa providing a similaar experience as a playgroup - important to support ongoing development.

Play dough and water play with Anna were among Melissa's favourite activities.   It was great to see her happily playing with her support person and hearing her giggling - happy memories🙂

Music therapy worked well too - we found several small musical instuments at our local Trade Aid shop.

Clothing needs were an issue from around age 2. It was at times dificult to find age appropriate clothing especially as Melissa became older.  My dear friend Helene turned Tuesday into our craft and Helene would come for the day.  We made special clothes, adapted clothes and then started hand puppets and other crafts.  We made feeder bibs as the bought ones were way to big.  We made several toys for Melissa and to use as gifts.  Tuesday became a fun day to look forward to and we always had lots of laughs.  It helped to balance the difficult and stressful times! 

🙂 what better way but to start 2014 with a happy face.  Christmas can be a difficult time for many remembering those we have lost.

The Toy Library.  wow it was a very special place that had an enormous range of educational toys.  With Melissa we never could predict what toy would work, be usable and of course attract her attention.  Borrowing toys meant she had access to many different toys and we were not wasting money on toys she could not use.