Influencer Features – For The Small

Stories. I think that’s why I am here. For the stories. They teach me so much and leave me in awe of the strength a person can have. Today we are meeting Stefanie and she is so, so special. She is the definition of strength and grace. Stefanie blogs about parenting, how play builds connection, and how her training in early childhood development shapes/challenges their life as a family. Her book, Chasing Light, is a memoir about finding hope through the loss of miscarriage. Hi Stefanie!

Why did you start a blog?

I started blogging during my first maternity leave as a way to update friends and family about our growing family. At one point during that year my husband mentioned he wanted to buy a new wallet and I argued if he gets a new wallet then I’d like something new too. I bought a domain name and that’s when ecemom.com came online.

Tell us a fun fact!

I used to be a provincial level 10-pin bowler throughout elementary and high school. I still have my own ball and shoes.

What advice would you give 20-year-old you?

Oh 20-year-old naive, Stef. You think you know, but you have no idea! Life is going to take you to depths of grief you cannot even imagine. Surround yourself with community and find grace and compassion for yourself. Also, finish that bachelors degree because when you try to do that in your mid-thirties, you will have two young children and it will be challenging. Just stay in school because I told you so!

Do you have any advice on being an author?
Continue reading “ECE Mom: Nurturing through love and play” →

Hey! It’s October! For The Small has teamed up with a local non-profit organization, Baskets of Love for Down Syndrome Awareness month. Today we are featuring a fellow mompreneur, Danielle, who the inspiring founder behind this organization.

Danielle, what is the story behind Baskets of Love?

I was pregnant with Conor at the same time as five other friends, colleagues and neighbours we knew. After we received Conor’s prenatal diagnosis, my pregnancy went from being a joy and celebration I could share with those around me to being a very dark and lonely time. No one I knew was going through what we were going through. No one could genuinely say they understood or even able to offer any support or encouragement specific to the emotions and grief we were experiencing. I truly felt alone and it’s an awful thing to feel when you’re about to welcome a child to the world. Our experiences with medical professionals after Conor’s diagnosis only compounded those feelings. At the time of our diagnosis, it did not feel like our medical system was equipped to support new parents with the emotional aspect of receiving a Down syndrome diagnosis. To this day, you’re still handed a brochure or a piece of paper that’s been photocopied a hundred times with some information on Down syndrome and I believed something needed to change. New parents of a child with Down syndrome deserve more. They deserve to be loved and supported. They are welcoming, or have just welcomed, a child. A child worth celebrating. It wasn’t until we met other families of children with Down syndrome that we started to heal. A community rose around us and supported us in a way we desperately needed. It’s scary, yes, but everything is going to be okay and that little extra chromosome is going to be the greatest gift you never knew you wanted.

Continue reading “Down Syndrome Awareness Month: Meet Danielle” →