I remember all so well when our little princess was born. Living so far away I wondered if my granddaughter would really know who I am. When we first got the diagnosis that Amina has Down syndrome it was so shocking and hurtful. Then I thought about it and said God doesn’t make any mistakes. I was so grateful that he trusted our family with Amina, and what a joy she is to our family.

Turns out Amina taught ME so much about herself. She was so much more than my happy beautiful granddaughter with Down syndrome. She was Amina Marie, with her own unique personality. She loved to laugh at my funny faces, dance with me to Baby Shark, wrap her legs around me when she was afraid, and wanted to stay close.

I love Amina’s laugh. She has the cutest laugh! We sing Skidamarink together and laugh. I like singing in the car with Amina too.

While awaiting the results I often looked at her thinking there was no way my baby girl has Down syndrome. Our suspicions were later confirmed at which time the vision seemed impossible. I felt afraid, helpless, sad, and confused. I also felt guilt for denying and hoping for Amina to not have DS as I felt I was denying who she was.

In those early days I worried so much about what it would be like for Julian to have a sister with Down syndrome. Would he be embarrassed of her? Would he resent her and us? Could they ever have a real brother/sister bonding relationship?

Name: Amina

Age: 2.5 years old

Hobbies: Playing with her big brother, listening to Justin Bieber, playing in the sandbox, taking care of her baby dolls, eating snacks.