Hercheeky
littlegrin
charms
everyone
shemeets
ason
Wiltshire, wants to show the
world his beautiful daughter
WORDS
BY
HATTIE
BISHOP
IMAGES:
SWNS
little
G
azing at my wife Hannah,
41, as she held our
newborn daughter Rosie
in her arms, I beamed
with pride.
Rosie was our fourth child.
We already had Leo, six, Poppy,
four, and Ixia, two.
With three children already, we
thought we knew what to expect.
Only, as I looked down at our tiny
girl in July 2014, we noticed her
hands seemed smaller and broader
than our other kids’ had been.
Her eyes were slanted, too.
‘She looks different,’ Hannah
said to the midwife.
Later, blood tests confirmed
Rosie had the genetic disorder
Down’s syndrome.
As the doctor reeled off a list of
physical and mental delays he
expected Rosie to have and
what we’d need to do, I
could barely breathe.
Heart problems,
difficulty walking
and talking,
physio, special
schools,
carers...
Her whole
life was
mapped out
with obstacles
already.
Floored by
the unexpected
news, as the dayswent on, I went into autopilot.
I kept myself busy at home,
looking after the kids and our dog
Wilson, while Hannah and Rosie
stayed in hospital.
I’d never met
anyone with Down’s
syndrome before, and
had no idea what to
expect for my new
little girl.
Only, from the
minute we got Rosie
home, she filled our
lives with so much
love and laughter.
With her cheeky grin and
mischievous giggle, she charmedevery one of us.
Growing older, she’d get excited
just going downstairs for breakfast.
There would be a look of
amazement across her face.
She was joyful just to be alive.
As a toddler, our girl went on to
learn sign language.
And, with the help
of a teaching
assistant, she
started going to a
mainstream school.
In September
2017, Hannah and
I had another son,
Zebedee, now
almost two.
Our perfect family
of seven was complete.
When you have kids with Rosie’s
condition, doctors give you very
scary information.
But they never tell you about the
positive side.
So if you’re wondering what to
expect if you have a child with
Down’s syndrome, it looks a
little something like this...
April 2016
Sticking out her
tongue, pulling funny
faces, Rosie can make
even the most serious
person erupt into
peels of laughter.
Nearly two, she’s
found the strength in
her legs to pull herself
up, and now there’s no
stopping her!
She’s into everything,opening cupboard doors,
stealing packets of crisps...
Quicker than lightning!
Once, I was making a
pizza and left the dough on
the kitchen counter.
Returning five minutes
later, I found Rosie gobbling
down a chunk of raw dough sh
ripped off.
‘Rosie!’ I cried, trying my b
not to laugh.
Staring up at me with her bi
brown eyes, tomato dripping
her chin, I melted.
So naughty!
But you can’t stay mad with her
for long.
18 September 2016
Her big brother and sisters were
instantly smitten with Rosie the
minute we got her home.
‘I like her cute, sticky-out ears,’
giggled Poppy, kissing her rosy
cheeks over and over.
Over time, our fun-loving little
Rosie quickly became the kids’
favourite playmate.
Our neighbour owns an owl,
named Beauty, and today he
brought her round to show the kids.
Leo wasn’t too sure, hiding
behind the girls.
But incredibly, Rosie was the
bravest of them all.
Gently touching Beauty’s soft
feathers, she was awestruck by this
amazing bird.
May 2017
We’re camping for a week in
Durdle Door, Dorset, and Rosie has
been mesmerised by the beautifulI had no idea what
to expect but it
couldn’t be better!Rosie is so loved
by her siblings