Evie the Extraordinary and Her Mommy: The Journey As We Go

Hi all! It's been awhile!  If you've been wondering what we're up to, try our Facebook page and Instagram account @evietheextraordinary to stay up with the latest.  It's hard for me to keep up with more than a few sentences on a regular basis.  I wrote this post 1 year ago and never posted it, so here it is!  When we were planning our vacation to Grand Cayman, I tried looking up other blogs or videos about traveling there with kids with special needs. I didn't see anything out there. I'm hoping I can help other parents with our experience. It was such a fun trip!  1.  Airline: Right now, only JetBlue is the only airline that flies from Boston to Grand Cayman directly.  It was also very expensive and only flew on Saturdays.  We chose American Airlines, stopping through Charlotte, and it was perfect. 2-3 hours for each leg of the flight.  Our luggage was checked through to our destination.   This was our first time flying internationally a...

It's official! My new children's book, "The Polka-Dotted Penguin" has launched today!  How fitting that my labor of love launches on Labor Day. The writing of the book and putting all the parts together took about a year. It was definitely a pandemic-worthy project.  I wrote this book because I wanted more books available for sharing with Evie's class for World Down Syndrome Day on 3-21 and for Down Syndrome Awareness Month in October. I'm happy to release my new book just in time for October! My hope is that this book will be used as a tool to start conversations with children about how to treat others who may look or act differently than they do. It's all about inclusion and celebrating differences.  This book is perfect for ages 4-9, or any ages who love penguins, or really anyone who loves Evie! Here's how to order: Barnes and Noble (Hardcover): https://www.barnesandnoble.com/.../the-polka.../1140115530 Amazon (Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle) : ...

 Dear Evie Fans, I am so excited to share with you that my new children's book, "The Polka-Dotted Penguin," is coming out soon!  I've been setting up the hardcover, paperback, and electronic versions, and I'm close to the finish line!  Evie has read it and insisted on reading it to ME instead of the other way around. I'm very ok with that.  Here's a sneak peek at one of my favorite page spreads!  The reason I started writing this book was because I didn't feel there were enough books to choose from to read to Evie's class for World Down Syndrome Day.  I also wanted a book that was an enjoyable story that featured my favorite animal, the penguin.  Making the penguin a little different from the other penguins was the start of my book.   I can't wait to share my first book with you all!  I just need to figure out how to have a penguin launch party, and then I will post further details! Hope you all have a wonderful long weekend!

Hi Evie fans!  Our first post-pandemic trip was to the  Storyland amusement park in Glen, New Hampshire !  Evie did well with the 2.5 hour drive--there was a lot of sing-shouting to Laurie Berkner songs on the way there.   About halfway to New Hampshire, I had the sickening feeling of realizing that I had forgotten all of Evie's carefully calculated and labeled blended food. :(   Mom of the year right here!  Thankfully, she isn't on formula anymore, and there was a super Walmart in North Conway, so we made a stop to buy a hand blender and some prepared foods for me to blend!  We stayed the night in Comfort Inn at North Conway . It was packed full of families, and had a mini-golf adventure right next to the hotel.  As soon as we settled in, I painstakingly microwaved a turkey dinner in the kitchenette, threw in some heavy cream, spinach, and cranberry sauce, and blended it all in a plastic Rubbermaid bowl.  Thankfully, Evie agreed to eat thi...

This Youtube video was at first made to showcase Evie's first real jump on a trampoline. Then it became a video with a message about making new friends, because I was just so impressed with how Qole gave Evie the space she needed to feel comfortable enough to say yes to getting on the trampoline.   And then as we were making a paper craft about friendship, and we were pulling out different pieces of color, I was struck with how it became a teaching moment for my daughter that people of all colors can hold hands and can look out for each other. May it be so. The world needs it now more than ever. 

My first memory of really recognizing I was different was in 4th grade in a mostly white town.  I was riding a different school bus with my friend to go to her house.  A boy (whose name I will always remember) started chanting "Ching chong, wah wah..." over and over again throughout the bus ride.  I ignored him. I had no power on this bus . I was stunned that a boy I didn't know would tease me like that. I went home and told my parents, and my dad joked about it, saying next time I should tell him he speaks "Gobble Gobble." We all laughed, and laughing was what I needed that night.   I tucked it away in my memory, but I knew that the incident had bothered me.  My mom found out another time that I was being teased, and she took action and initiated what became a cultural immersion day in my elementary school.  In middle school, a girl in my class made sure I understood I didn't belong at her table, motioning to all the other girls at the table and announci...