October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month! Today we are celebrating our friend Caity!

I had a pre-natal Down syndrome diagnosis when I was 3 months along with Caity.  It was a very scary time for Mike and I because we were not sure what to expect. Someone at work passed along information about GiGi’s Playhouse and I found the one in Oak Forest.  I sent out an email to have someone contact me and Diane emailed me back the same day.  She met Mike and I that weekend for coffee and discussed everything about raising a child with Down syndrome.  We felt better, but still a little nervous especially with the health issues we knew Caity was going to be born with.  Fast forward 4 months, and I decided to go to a 2 and Under when I was still pregnant with Caity because I wanted to meet more families.  Diane opened the door and first thing she did was give me a big welcoming hug!  I didn’t have Caity yet, but all the parents were very welcoming and willing to answer any questions I had.  But something happened at the 2 and Under that changed everything.  Chase came up to me and wanted me to pick him up which I did of course.  As soon as I did he gave me a big hug!  He did not know me at all, but he showed me in his own that way that everything was going to be OK.  I realized after that moment that I can handle this diagnosis and it was not going to define my daughter.  Since the birth of Caitlyn Grace, we have had a lot of ups and downs with her medical issues, but when she gives me her smile or smacks her lips because she wants a kiss I know that this is the right journey for my family.  With the love and support from all of my friends at GiGi’s it has made the journey easier and this Community has given me the strength I needed to take care of my family.  I can’t wait for the day Caity is 100% healthy and she can join in on the fun!
-Dyan, Caity’s Mom