Some people have been asking me why I'm posting so many pictures from Cincinnati. I never made a post about it or anything, but we moved back to Cincinnati in July!
For those who don't know, I was born and raised in Cincinnati. We moved up to Columbus six years ago for Tim's job. I really really liked Columbus, and I'm so grateful for the experience of living somewhere else. I think it broadened me in a way I couldn't have experienced any other way. I wouldn't have traded it for anything! But when we moved up there, I knew I'd want to be back around my family and friends when we had our babies. There's just something about being home.
Luckily, Tim rocks and he knew that my heart never left Cincinnati. When I was pregnant with Alice, we started thinking about putting our house in Columbus on the market, and we started exploring different areas of Cincinnati where we might like to move.
Well, when Alice was born with Down syndrome, things changed a little bit. We had to shift our focus. We needed to be in a school district that would be able to accommodate all of her needs, and be a great fit for Lucy too. So, shortly after Alice was born, I reached out to the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati and got recommendations about school districts.
We finally zeroed in on one certain school district that came highly recommended by various moms of kids with Down syndrome. We went out and looked at houses for a few days and came across a lot of things that just weren't for us. Finally, at the end of our last day of searching, we toured a house that we loved.
It was beautiful, had two great playrooms for our girls, had a nice backyard for our kids and dogs, and it was right next to a park, library, school and church. It was perfect for us. Everything I ever wanted for my girls.
Shortly after seeing the house, we made an offer. I wrote a letter to send along with it because I know how competitive the market is right now, and I wanted to stand out in case there were multiple offers. In my letter, I told the owners about all of the reasons that we loved their house. I also explained that we wanted to be in this certain school district because we just had a baby with Down syndrome and we wanted to give Alice everything she needed to succeed.
I could not believe the response. The owner wrote me back and said...
Dear Ann,
Thank you very much for your thoughtful note. I loved hearing about your family. Your girls are both simply adorable and a true blessing from God! You can see that Lucy has lots of personality and Alice is already your angel here on Earth.
We have a nephew who is 8 years old and has Down syndrome too! Although I know his birth and diagnosis were a huge shock to my sister and all of our family, I can say he is a huge blessing to our family and possibly the favorite cousin. I went to visit my sister early on and talked to her often, so I remember all of the heartache she went through in the early months, accepting that how she thought things would be... would be different. I will pray for strength for you as you get used to this new normal.
I am so happy that you loved our home. It has been a special place to our family for the past 14 years. We had all four of our children here! I'm honored that you can see raising your family here. I do think this would be a wonderful home for you to raise your beautiful girls and maybe even additional kids. :)
I will continue to pray for you and your sweet family.
I could not believe my eyes. What are the odds that she had a nephew with Down syndrome?! (Probably about the same odds that we would have a baby with Down syndrome, haha.)
Long story short... we ended up getting the house. On the day we came in for our final walk-through, right before we closed on the house, we found a stack of things set out for us. The owner's sister had left me a handwritten note (entitled, "To my fellow lucky few!") and a pile of books about raising a child with Down syndrome that she had read when her son was born.
We met the previous owners at the closing, and we became fast friends with them. They are just the best. Lucy and their son now go to preschool together, and she and I are the "room moms." We see them all the time now. In fact, we just came home from their housewarming party at their new house!
She told me that as soon as she put her house on the market, she started praying for whoever would move in. Then, she told me that she had an overwhelming feeling that it would be a family with two little girls. When she got my letter, she knew it was meant to be.
God is so awesome. Tim, the girls and I are all settled into our new house now and we absolutely love it. At the old owners' housewarming party for their new house tonight, she kept telling me that this was all meant to be. It was.
Without Alice, we probably wouldn't have been in this area, lived in our house or met the people that we did. Alice continues to enrich our lives in ways we could have never imagined before. She has introduced us to a whole new group of a people, a whole new way of looking at life and a whole new relationship with God.
I don't stress about many things anymore. The other day, Tim's car broke down. We have to get a new one now. He was so stressed about it and said, "This wasn't the plan! We weren't planning to buy a new car this soon!" I just looked at him and said, "Were we planning to have a kid with Down syndrome?" He just laughed.
God works in mysterious ways sometimes, but He always knows what's best for us... even when we don't. I'm very grateful for that.
"Trust God from the bottom of your heart. Don't try to figure out everything on your own."
- Proverbs 3:5
For those who don't know, I was born and raised in Cincinnati. We moved up to Columbus six years ago for Tim's job. I really really liked Columbus, and I'm so grateful for the experience of living somewhere else. I think it broadened me in a way I couldn't have experienced any other way. I wouldn't have traded it for anything! But when we moved up there, I knew I'd want to be back around my family and friends when we had our babies. There's just something about being home.
Luckily, Tim rocks and he knew that my heart never left Cincinnati. When I was pregnant with Alice, we started thinking about putting our house in Columbus on the market, and we started exploring different areas of Cincinnati where we might like to move.
Well, when Alice was born with Down syndrome, things changed a little bit. We had to shift our focus. We needed to be in a school district that would be able to accommodate all of her needs, and be a great fit for Lucy too. So, shortly after Alice was born, I reached out to the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati and got recommendations about school districts.
We finally zeroed in on one certain school district that came highly recommended by various moms of kids with Down syndrome. We went out and looked at houses for a few days and came across a lot of things that just weren't for us. Finally, at the end of our last day of searching, we toured a house that we loved.
It was beautiful, had two great playrooms for our girls, had a nice backyard for our kids and dogs, and it was right next to a park, library, school and church. It was perfect for us. Everything I ever wanted for my girls.
Shortly after seeing the house, we made an offer. I wrote a letter to send along with it because I know how competitive the market is right now, and I wanted to stand out in case there were multiple offers. In my letter, I told the owners about all of the reasons that we loved their house. I also explained that we wanted to be in this certain school district because we just had a baby with Down syndrome and we wanted to give Alice everything she needed to succeed.
I could not believe the response. The owner wrote me back and said...
Dear Ann,
Thank you very much for your thoughtful note. I loved hearing about your family. Your girls are both simply adorable and a true blessing from God! You can see that Lucy has lots of personality and Alice is already your angel here on Earth.
We have a nephew who is 8 years old and has Down syndrome too! Although I know his birth and diagnosis were a huge shock to my sister and all of our family, I can say he is a huge blessing to our family and possibly the favorite cousin. I went to visit my sister early on and talked to her often, so I remember all of the heartache she went through in the early months, accepting that how she thought things would be... would be different. I will pray for strength for you as you get used to this new normal.
I am so happy that you loved our home. It has been a special place to our family for the past 14 years. We had all four of our children here! I'm honored that you can see raising your family here. I do think this would be a wonderful home for you to raise your beautiful girls and maybe even additional kids. :)
I will continue to pray for you and your sweet family.
I could not believe my eyes. What are the odds that she had a nephew with Down syndrome?! (Probably about the same odds that we would have a baby with Down syndrome, haha.)
Long story short... we ended up getting the house. On the day we came in for our final walk-through, right before we closed on the house, we found a stack of things set out for us. The owner's sister had left me a handwritten note (entitled, "To my fellow lucky few!") and a pile of books about raising a child with Down syndrome that she had read when her son was born.
We met the previous owners at the closing, and we became fast friends with them. They are just the best. Lucy and their son now go to preschool together, and she and I are the "room moms." We see them all the time now. In fact, we just came home from their housewarming party at their new house!
She told me that as soon as she put her house on the market, she started praying for whoever would move in. Then, she told me that she had an overwhelming feeling that it would be a family with two little girls. When she got my letter, she knew it was meant to be.
God is so awesome. Tim, the girls and I are all settled into our new house now and we absolutely love it. At the old owners' housewarming party for their new house tonight, she kept telling me that this was all meant to be. It was.
Without Alice, we probably wouldn't have been in this area, lived in our house or met the people that we did. Alice continues to enrich our lives in ways we could have never imagined before. She has introduced us to a whole new group of a people, a whole new way of looking at life and a whole new relationship with God.
I don't stress about many things anymore. The other day, Tim's car broke down. We have to get a new one now. He was so stressed about it and said, "This wasn't the plan! We weren't planning to buy a new car this soon!" I just looked at him and said, "Were we planning to have a kid with Down syndrome?" He just laughed.
God works in mysterious ways sometimes, but He always knows what's best for us... even when we don't. I'm very grateful for that.
"Trust God from the bottom of your heart. Don't try to figure out everything on your own."
- Proverbs 3:5
Oh my gosh what an amazing story about your house!! You really were meant for it - I love that story <3
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