Bloom

Stop what you're doing.  Stop.  Right now.  You need to rush out and buy this book:

Bloom: Finding Beauty in the Unexpected - A Memoir

This was such a bittersweet book for me... I read it through many tears and much laughter. It's a beautiful story of love and celebration that EVERYONE should read, whether you have a loved one with Down syndrome or not.

From Amazon.com:

"Bloom takes readers on a wondrous journey through Nella's first year of life—a gripping, hilarious, and intensely poignant trip of transformation in which a mother learns that perfection comes in all different shapes. It is a story about embracing life and really living it, of being fearless and accepting difference, of going beyond constricting definitions of beauty, and of the awesome power of perspective."

I saw it featured in People magazine, and purchased it from Amazon that same night. I curled up in bed last night and started Bloom, and I almost made it through the entire book in one sitting. But by 3am I had to put it down and save the rest for tonight.

I sobbed during some parts, knowing EXACTLY what the author was feeling and experiencing... it took me back to those early days and I relived many of my own memories. And then I would laugh so hard at the very next sentence, I'd wake Dave up who was sleeping peacefully next to me. 

The author had a whole safety net of people to lean on and support her.  We had nobody to lean on... we had just moved to San Diego 4 short weeks before hand and had no family, no friends, no family priest, no family doctor.... NOBODY.  I look back at those days and wonder how I ever made it through. But thankfully, I DID. *WE* did. We made it through. And it's been good. :) 

But seriously, stop reading my blog and run out and go get this book!!!

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