I’m Shannon and I’m a mom to two beautiful girls that have forever changed my life. Haley is an active third grader, that keeps me on my toes and makes me laugh all day long. Sienna is my smiling baby girl, who happens to have an extra copy of her 21st chromosome. When Sienna was born, we were completely unprepared for her Down syndrome diagnosis. The first years of her life have been full of learning and acceptance. Before Sienna entered our lives, I suffered through four miscarriages and dealt with the challenges of Asherman’s syndrome. The past few years have taught me that you can’t plan your life. You have to be grateful for what you’ve got.
Shortly after Sienna was born, my older daughter came home from school and shared an expression her teacher had taught her. You get what you get and you don’t get upset. I said, “Haley, that’s a great motto. Your teacher sounds smart.” Haley agreed and started to stroke her little sister’s cheek. She turned to me and said, “You get what you get and I like this baby we got.” At the time, I was pretty emotional and I couldn’t believe that something so profound had come from my 3 year old. Inspired by her wisdom came the inspiration for my blog, this life we got. I really love this life we got.
