Amanda Dickinson

While K2 teaches me many life lessons that I never would have experienced without his premature birth and several medical diagnoses, it is K1 that really adds to those lessons. Kaden has such a way with words. My five year old who is really like a little old man, has a way of putting into words the way I feel. I see him so clearly articulate his musings and lessons about his life and his world. It strikes me that often, it is pretty spot on for my life. It goes to show that even though I’m a mom and a working professional, that I am in many ways a kid with so much to learn and stumbling along life trying to learn these lessons. (Sometimes it makes me think of the meme that says, "Sometimes I look around for an adult adulting harder than me"). It makes me think of something he said the other day. Kaden, like me, has a very active imagination. So like many children, darkness and night can scare him. He was still talking to me as I walked to the door of his room after I tucked h...

My nephew Eli, my niece Lainey, and Kaden were playing in the living room floor on Saturday. Eli was pretending to be Superman and Kaden was Captain America. They were drawing up an elaborate plan to stop the rain and bring back the sun. Lainey, who had been playing a lion was told she couldn’t take the chalk to draw up the plan on the board because lions couldn’t draw. So she transformed so she could draw. Kaden- “Who are you, Lainey?” Lainey- “I’m a human.” Kaden- “No, but who are you?” We are often the same way. We are human. But we may wear many different hats, capes, or masks. I can pretend to be super mom and that I have everything under control and there are days I do feel that way. I try to be positive and constantly push through while also trying to push Kaleb to work on skill development but at the same time I am human. I have days where it’s not okay. It’s not okay that I don’t know how I’m going to juggle it all, while already worrying about the pros and cons of...

The following is the video created from my letter I wrote to myself on the second anniversary of our Diagnosis Day.

People may wonder why I spend so much time talking about DSDN. Especially when I have my own non-profit that operates solely on donors and fundraising. DSDN was in fact a game changer for me. I can still recall my feelings of loneliness and heart ache as I sat in Kaleb's NICU room pumping one day. Out of desperation for a connection to anyone I posted in a NICU Facebook group. I began the post; "Okay, feeling very alone."  Another Rockin' Mom shared about a group she was in. She then got me connected with Jen Jacob and by the end of the day I was a Rockin' mom. I joined the group that would walk this journey with me. A group filled with so many friends who have become like family to me. I look forward to our family reunion (aka Rockin' Mom Retreat) in September.  So yes, I talk a lot about  DSDN so that they continue to be a game changer for new families receiving a diagnosis and as they work to support all of their current Rockin’ families. This is the v...

I haven’t written many blog posts in the past year. One, I struggled with finding the time. I know shocker right with two young children, career, and doctorate. The other reason though is I was dealing with an internal battle. I struggled with the line between upbeat and positive posts and how much to share of the harder and tougher posts. Another way to compare it, would be unicorns or also sometimes referred to as unicorn farts. Sure, I’ve shared my fair share of poop stories, after all I am the mother to two boys. But I’m not sure I’ve ever written about farts. However, the unicorn holds a special place in many of my fellow Rockin’ moms. If you want to read of another blog post about the significance of the unicorn click here . The following is my explanation. To explain, right after Kaleb’s diagnosis I would get online and I would find many uplifting and inspirational stories of parents talking about how quickly they came to terms with a Down syndrome diagnosis, how it is the ...

I can’t help but sit here and rock Kaleb as I think back on this day two years ago. September 3 rd , 2015. Tonight I sit here cuddling him as we share in a few last smiles and giggles, and I can’t help but think of the difference in two years. It was two years ago today that in between a rundown of his health I heard the words, “Results came back positive for Trisomy 21.” Two years ago today I thought my life was over. I have often thought about what I would say to myself if I could go to that day and try to reassure and encourage myself. While I’ve thought about it, I wasn’t sure I would have done this even if it were possible. Because in those hours following that statement I wouldn’t truly be ready to hear or believe it. It is also a hard concept because of the belief that I feel the way I do now because of walking through all of those feelings; the good and the bad. However, on this night as I walk down memory lane, here is my letter. Amanda Dickinson Saint Francis Hospi...

Nancy Gianni, of GiGi's playhouse began her talk at the DSDN Mom retreat this past Saturday with a story of her oldest child. One night as a baby her husband brought in their little boy, this little inconsolable baby to her. He was still crying as she took and held him, but then as she laid her hand on his cheek he nestled in and calmed down. Nancy went on to explain the power of the hand; the power of a mother’s touch. Throughout her talk we saw evidence of the power of what our hands can do as we learned the how and why behind the creation of GiGis Playhouse .  Rachel Coleman of Signing Time was our keynote speaker on Friday night. She demonstrated the power of signing, when it came to her family and their story. Life has a way of taking us into uncharted territory but her hands have been an instrumental part of her family’s story. Not only were her hands a big part of opening the world up for her girls, but her hands have turned their story into the Signing Time episodes ...