Everyone Kept Asking Me the Same Question

So Before I Share Her Birthday Photos, Here’s the Real Story About Emma

Everyone kept asking me the same question yesterday…

“Did you take the Down syndrome test?”

Before I share her birthday photos — before the balloons, the cake, the smiles — I want to pause and tell you the real story about Emma. My one-in-a-million birthday girl.

The Question That Filled My Inbox

Yesterday on my story, I shared that Emma has a Down syndrome birth diagnosis.

Almost immediately, my inbox filled up. Dozens of messages. Different people, same question.

“Did you take the test?”
“Did you know beforehand?”
“Was it a surprise?”

I know most of these questions weren’t meant to be unkind. Many came from curiosity. Some came from concern. Some came from not knowing what else to say.

But when the same question keeps coming, you start to hear what’s underneath it.

What People Are Really Asking

That question isn’t actually about a test.

It’s about why.

Why didn’t you know?
Why didn’t you prevent it?
Why wasn’t it caught?

And that’s where I need to gently, but clearly, shift the conversation.

Emma Is Not a Medical Outcome

Emma is not a test result.
She is not a mistake.
She is not a “what if.”

She is a little girl with a birthday.
With a laugh that fills rooms.
With a presence that softens hearts.

Her life does not require explanation or justification.

What Truly Matters

Whether we knew ahead of time or not doesn’t change the truth that matters most:

Emma is wanted.
Emma is deeply loved.
Emma is exactly who she is meant to be.

No screening could have prepared us for the joy she brings, the way she has reshaped our understanding of love, or how she has taught us to slow down and see what really matters.

Before the Photos, the Truth

So before you see the birthday candles.
Before you see the decorations and the smiles frozen in pictures.
Before you celebrate with us…

Know this:

Emma’s story is not about a diagnosis.
It’s about belonging.
It’s about celebration.
It’s about a child who deserves to be seen for who she is, not questioned for how she came to be.

She is not a lesson.
She is not a statistic.

She is Emma.
And yesterday, we celebrated her.