Florrie’s Story, by her mum, Louise Phelps.
This is Florrie Bluebell and she’s about to turn 4. She is the light of our lives – quite literally! Florrie is the youngest of five siblings, all of whom she adores, and they do her, in equal measures. Florrie’s arrival brought with it a lot of worry and uncertainties. We didn’t know anyone with Down syndrome, and had no idea what this meant to our family.
The doctors went on to tell us all the things they believed Florrie would never do! To date, she’s proved them wrong on everything, and I suspect she will keep on doing so! Our worries were a real waste of energy, because whilst Florrie does have some complex health needs that have resulted in hospital stays and surgeries (some unrelated to Down’s syndrome), what she has brought to our lives far outweighs the challenges.
Florrie has an ability to see the world for all its natural beauty. She can always tell who needs a hug or a pat of the back. She loves with all of her heart and soul, and somehow spreads joy and laughter to everyone that knows her. Florrie’s arrival also allowed us into this amazing community of Down syndrome families who are so welcoming and knowledgeable! Quite frankly, in the early days I don’t know what I would have done without the mummies in my phone (the virtual groups who welcomed us with open arms).
Florrie goes to nursery and swimming lessons, like her siblings did, and hopefully will start ballet soon too. She doesn’t have a huge amount of words in her armoury just yet, but she’s amazing at makaton and never struggles to get her point across. She knows most of her colours and loves to draw. Her favourite thing of all is to dance and to eat (generally not at the same time)!
If I had to sum up Florrie in one sentence, I would say she’s a bundle of fun and energy, who adores all animals and can play the diva to get her own way. Pretty much like many other 4 year olds, really. If you want to see more of Florrie’s stories you can follow her on Instagram at this_crazy_journey
