It was a snowy winter's night in January 2004 when our beautiful angel was unexpectedly born at home. She was so eager to make our family complete, she arrived on our livingroom couch only minutes after Mommy went into labor. Daddy helped to deliver her and shortly thereafter, she and Mommy were riding in an ambulance to the hospital. Her siblings followed in the car with Daddy, eager to meet their new baby sister. But once we arrived, we were separated and abruptly told "The baby has Down syndrome." With no knowledge of what to expect, we were shocked at the news, and afraid of the unknown. But right away, Autumn taught us she was more like others than different, and she made it impossible not to fall in love with her. And that is what happened. Everywhere we went, people stopped us to tell us how beautiful she was, how her eyes lit up the room, and how her smile melted their hearts. For the 15 short months she graced us with her presence, life was a joy.

Shortly after she was born, we came to realize she would need some extra guidance to learn things we took for granted. She regularly attended speech therapy, physical and occupational therapy. She attended play groups and made lots of new friends. Life was scheduled around doctors' visits and therapy appointments but it was a life we thoroughly enjoyed. In addition to having Down syndrome, Autumn was diagnosed with a ventricular septal defect (VSD) in her heart. At 14 months, she had open heart surgery at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. She came out of surgery a fighting trooper and was strong enough to come home only 4 days later. After her surgery, she blossomed even more. Everyday she managed to teach us more about life, and appreciating the little things. She taught us to slow down and enjoy the world around us. Although she could not yet talk, she spoke volumes with the love she showed in her everyday life. Every day was a great day, an opportunity to value life in all its beauty.

Then, on May 7th, 2005, she woke up a little fussy with a fever we attributed to her getting her first tooth. The fever wouldn't go away so we went to the hospital as a precaution. They were monitoring her for what they thought was pneumonia. A few hours later, she went into cardiac arrest. We later found out, she had an infection that surrounded her heart and she simply wasn't strong enough to fight it off. That day, Mommy had to tell her brother and sisters that she is an angel now. That was the hardest thing we've ever had to do. We planned her 'celebration' (funeral) which was attended by hundreds of her family and friends. At her grave site, we released balloons and blew bubbles (one of her favorite pastimes) to symbolize her becoming an angel.

We miss her deeply each day, but we will never forget the lessons she taught us. Value life, in the simplest of forms, and enjoy every moment you have. Learn to see the beauty in things and take nothing for granted. For that, we are forever thankful.