3 1/2 and almost 6. Best of friends. Constant agitators. He tattles on her.She smacks him around. He’s daddy’s boy.She’s mommy’s joy. Both love jumping on the bed, parks and French fries. Both hate cheese, bedtime, and being left out. When they get to giggling together it’s the best. When they can get into everything within minutes it’s the worst. I love that they […]
Category Archives: down syndrome

In honor of #WorldDownSyndromeDay I wanted to share a few thoughts about sharing life thus far with two amazing people who are rocking their extra chromosome. Abel and Isla are the heart and glue to our family togetherness. It’s really hard to explain honestly, but they just are. There is rarely a day that goes […]

The other day a friend posted a question in a support group for mom’s with a child who has Down syndrome… “What are some hurtful things people have said regarding your child with Down syndrome?” Here were some of the over 500 responses: “He must not have a bad case of it, you must really […]

A lot of us will be seeing relatives and church friends and neighbors and their relatives and undoubtedly come in contact with people of all abilities and backgrounds…. So I wanted to share about something that I have learned and have come to really find very helpful in loving people well. When it comes to […]
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A few years ago, Gabe Lyons published a moving piece in the Huffington Post about his oldest son, Cade. He said the following: It’s no secret. People with Down syndrome have been targeted for extinction. In November, the New York Post heralded “The End of Down Syndrome“ and profiled a new, safer test for pre-natal […]
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Update on our sweet Isla Rose: Heart: We JUST got the word that they are NOT going to do a heart cath on her!! The cardiologist team have done multiple heart echoes and it keeps looking better and her heart is performing great! She still has the holes that will need surgery to be fixed […]

We are now T-Minus 3 weeks!! As of yesterday She’s FULL TERM! I’m doing everything I can to settle down and WAIT WELL. For a few days we thought she was coming early due to her heart rhythm “not having much variance”… but then after an overnight stay her heart beat got “happy” again and […]
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I wonder.I truly wonder if OB Doctors/nurses/medical staff handled the diagnosis of Down Syndrome differently….in utero and at birth, if they viewed it as just different and to be celebrated vs. acting like it’s a death sentence and talk in hushed tones and then come into the room and deliver somber news and walk out. […]
Summer 2013 Highlights from Casey Nichols Chappell on Vimeo.

These months have FLOWN by!!! Month 1: Abel Darling, you spent the first week and a half in the hospital. When we showed up to meet you all the nurses huddled around because they couldn’t wait to meet the parents who were going to get to take home this treasure! You were super popular in […]

We are totally smitten with this little guy!!! I can’t wait to blog his whole little story. (and I’m waiting only because I have some more questions that need answering and and I want to know the details better before I compile his incredible story of how he came to be a Chappell) Our hearts […]