When our third child was very young, we began to feel a call from the Lord to adopt a baby with Down syndrome. At first, the thought of adding a child with special needs to our already full plate felt overwhelming. However, we quickly realized what an honor it would be to have a precious child with Down syndrome in our family. We knew that this child would have so much to offer and that the Lord would use him or her in our family’s life to teach us many lessons and make us more like Him.

We also strongly believe that every child deserves to be loved and to have a family, so even though there were many uncertainties and unknowns when it came to pursuing this path, we moved forward and began the adoption process with excitement mixed with a little bit of fear. We connected with our daughter’s wonderful birth mother through the National Down Syndrome Adoption Network and we built a relationship with her over the next several months while we anxiously awaited our baby’s birth.

Francie truly blesses our family everyday in more ways than we could have imagined.

Mary Frances Howie (Francie) was born on October 4th, 2014, and we fell head over heels in love with her from the moment we met her. When we looked into her beautiful face, we knew that whatever challenges the future may hold would pale in comparison to the joy that this little girl would bring into our lives. We could not have been more right about that!

Today, Francie is a thriving, energetic, happy toddler. She makes friends everywhere she goes. Her older siblings are her biggest fans, and it has been a blessing to watch their relationship develop. Having a sibling with special needs has been wonderful for our older children, and they’re learning to be kind and accepting of all people.

Francie attends weekly physical, speech, and occupational therapy, and she works extra hard to reach her milestones. She has taught us so much about determination and never giving up. When she reaches a new milestone, whether big or small, we celebrate it. Francie truly blesses our family everyday in more ways than we could have imagined when we first started down the road of adoption.

We wanted to love a child who needed a family, but little did we know that we would be the ones on the receiving end of the sweetest blessing. Being Francie’s family is a privilege, and we are so thankful that we didn’t let fear hold us back from the joy of having Francie in our lives. When we look at Francie, we don’t just see Down syndrome or a diagnosis. We see our sweet daughter with her own unique set of strengths and challenges, just like the rest of us.