Dawson's Family
I will never forget sitting in one of my college classes and knowing I needed to pay attention because it would be my future. This particular class was all about a mama who was raising multiple children with Down syndrome. I still remember calling my husband after class to tell him that raising a child with Down syndrome was in our future. We were stoked. Fast forward and 4 typical kids later... We turned back to God and asked where in the heck our baby with Down syndrome was. We were then guided to adoption and were called by a social worker that week about a baby who was born and needed a home that day. We were not even close to being prepared and had a 4 month old at home. We were devastated to say no, but it was the perfect kick in the butt to get moving and get ready for our little one to arrive. We officially started our journey in 2019 and became an active waiting family with the NDSAN in February of 2020... and then the world shut down.. while we were waiting to be chosen, we too had a covid baby. oops. So we went on hold again until November of 2022. I will never forget getting a call from Stephanie and her telling us we were matched. I am pretty sure I didn't even sound excited because I didn't think it was real. We had been waiting so long for this baby to be a part of our family and it was finally happening.
And this is where our story twists again. Dawson's birth mama and dad were actually undecided the entire way. They loved this little man with everything they had to give and couldn't imagine not raising him. The odds we would actually take placement were pretty small so we changed gears and just became a loving support to mama. When Dawson was 2 days old, we were told they were going to place him in our family and all the stars aligned. We were finally going to meet our son. Having mama place him in my arms is a memory I will never forget and will cherish forever. His first family is the salt of the earth and they gave us the most precious gift. I will never be able to repay them for finding and choosing us to be a part of their story forever.
Dawson was born via emergency c-section from a severe placental abruption. He truly is a miracle to be alive. All the odds were stacked against him from the very beginning, but he is our little warrior. He spent 9 days in the NICU just to strengthen his lungs and then we busted him out of there and finally got to bring him home to meet his 5 siblings! When we told our kids he was their new little brother, they asked "but does he have Down syndrome?" and when we said yes, they all cheered and said "that's what we wanted!"
We all fight over who gets to hold him, feed him, even change his diaper. We are a little obsessed with everything about him! And can't wait to watch him grow and watch his story continue to unfold. We are the lucky ones.
October 2025
Wow! It’s been a minute! First and foremost, thank you so much Joyce and Fritz. Your continued generosity and love for our little man has been such a blessing! We just had a cross country move, multiple hospital stays, and heart surgery the past couple months and getting your birthday card meant so much. It wasn’t so much about the check, but more so the love you have for him came at a time where we were all feeling very lonely and isolated. So from the bottom of this mama heart! Thank YOU! We love you! Ok and now here’s a much needed update on Dawson!
The past couple years have been quite the adventure with this fearless boy. He keeps us on our toes and is the best part of everyone’s day. He tries his very hardest to keep up with his older siblings and is hitting milestones way sooner than any of us anticipated. When he wants to do something, he doesn’t stop until he’s done it. He’s extremely independent, loves to make us laugh, and has the biggest imagination.
Dawson loves horses as long as they don’t come near him, monster trucks to race along the floor, riding his bike and playing outside, LOVES playing in water, but most of all, loves hugs and snuggles from his family. It’s safe to say, we are still obsessed! Dawson had heart surgery in September 2025 and even that couldn’t slow him down. He’s on a mission to do great and big things!
We still have close contact with his birth family and have had a couple visits from them as well. They are such a blessing to us and we are still so grateful for their heart choosing our family to raise Dawson.
