TUC – Did you ever try to write your own mini-bio? You want it to be cool, catchy, and somehow representative of who you are, what you stand for, what you love. What comes first? Are you shaped by the roles you live in? Wife, mother, storyteller, advocate… Are you defined by your passions and hobbies? Philosophy, cooking, scrapbooking, reading, traveling… Does the order matter, does it show where your priorities are?
M – He’s my husband. He’s a good guy. I remember that on the night I met him, I was convinced he wasn’t a keeper. I’m telling you this as proof that I have been wrong on at least one occasion.
TK – She is not my oldest step-child but she is the one that I had the pleasure of half-raising since she was an adorable three year old. She’s all grown up now.
Gecko – He’s my oldest son. He has the most beautiful blue eyes framed with impossibly long dark eyelashes. He loves Legos, reading, and playing computer games. He has a temper. He still kisses me goodbye.
Jade – He is my second born. Jade has that je ne sais quoi that little girls love. He whines and cries, literally cries, at least a hundred times a day. He has a dramatic streak and loves to act on stage. He’s afraid of the dark.
Masha* – She is my oldest daughter. We adopted her from Ukraine in 2010. She is funny and bossy. She loves to sing and dance. She can throw quite the tantrum when you piss her off.
Kimani* – She is my third-born and my middle daughter. She is my broken heart incarnate. She was born with a broken heart of her own. She loves to climb. She is fickle. Her kisses are rarer and more wonderful than truffles.
Autumn* – She is our baby, the caboose. We adopted her from Ukraine in 2010. She is the icing on my cake. If ever there was a perfect child with Down syndrome, it’s her. She is made of unicorn farts and sparkles. She makes me smile.
*All three of our littlest girls have Down syndrome, which means they have an extra 21st chromosome. It is not a disease and they are not suffering from it. It is a genetic difference that manifests itself in various ways, some positive and some negative.