My support group

It's dawned on me lately that this blog, and the blogging community at large, have become my "support group."

When I first started this blog in the days following Finn's birth and subsequent hospitalization, my only intent was to create a central place where family and friends could go for updates on Finn's condition and progress, because I just couldn't keep up with all the phone calls and emails. I never imagined then that it would turn into what it has become: a place not only to keep everyone informed about Finn, but a place to try and sort out my feelings, to sometimes rant, have an occasional pity party, celebrate good days and high points, express my fears . . . and get support. I've been a journal-keeper since I was a kid, so writing about my feelings and experiences is not new for me, but receiving the feedback is a new experience. The comments left here after I post almost always lift me up, and I am always so pleased and surprised to find comments left by people who just stumbled across my blog, or maybe found it by searching specifically for blogs about Down syndrome.

But it goes even beyond receiving feedback. When I started this blog, I had no inkling that there was actually a huge blogging community comprised of parents of children with DS - and even individuals who themselves have DS. No idea. So my "support group" is not only the people who read my blog, but also the blogs I have found and now loyally follow. Reading other families' experiences helps me process my own thoughts, feelings, and experiences as a mother of a child with DS.

We're not alone. And there is so much comfort in knowing that.