A Little About Us
I am Sandy. I am author, entrepreneur and digital content creator. I have two children: a sweet little boy called Lennox and the precious little girl in the picture, Mara. Mara was prenatally diagnosed with Down syndrome when I was 11 weeks pregnant. Her diagnosis came as a shock, but it only took me 4 days to get back on my feet and take charge of the situation to make sure that my little girl would have all the resources and support she may need.
I spent my entire pregnancy learning about neuroplasticity and how we can improve the physical and cognitive abilities of our babies. Since Mara’s birth, I have spent countless hours implementing a routine that includes daily physical, cognitive, visual, and tactile stimulation. I keep getting surprised by how much we can assist our children and equip them to conquer anything they want if they receive proper early stimulation.
My motto as a mother, and more specifically as a special needs mom, is “information is power”. That is why I decided to create this website. I know that every single child can reach their maximum potential if we, as parents, have access to the right information.
about us
How We Got Started
After repeated requests from many of my loyal @Instagram followers for more information about what we were doing to help Mara in her development, @MaraTheWondergirl Instagram was born. It was a great way for us to share Mara’s progress, her infectious smile, and her huge personality. It was also a great way to connect with other mamas who had questions and were seeking advice.
Little by little, the “How did you do _____?” questions grew. And it was becoming increasingly clear that one-on-one messages did not allow me to serve the needs of our growing community in the way I wanted. We knew that the impact could be bigger and that we could reach more families. And so, MaraTheWondergirl.com was born. It is an important next step to provide a new home for all of us. Thank you for being a part of it.
Glad You Have Joined Us On Our Adventure
Top Posts
As you know, early childhood development has been a big passion of mine since I became a mom, and I am so excited to get to share the things that I am learning along the way. I believe that sensory stimulation in early childhood is often overlooked, so let me share first why I think you want to start stimulating your babe as soon as they are born.
Kids with Down syndrome, as well as many typically developed kids and others with special needs, have low muscle tone in their feet and legs. Bones in children are not entirely developed and if a shoe is not properly fitted, then the child’s body’s biomechanics can be altered. Therefore, careful consideration is needed to support the foot and to encourage proper form when walking.
I hear this over and over: “I just want my kid to be happy!” or “Don’t you just want your kids to be happy?” And yet… I would not say that my goal is to make my kids happy. To be clear, it is not to make them unhappy either.
One of my favorite tummy time hacks early on is using elevation to encourage motivation! Babies can only see very short distances early on & what they can see is often blurry. They are, however, made to see your face best. So, find a way to get eye to eye—on the couch, kitchen island, or changing table (all with hands on supervision) and watch the magic unfold!
One of the things I want my kids to remember about their childhood is how much I loved playing with them. One thing I do with Lennox daily is role play. If you could watch me at home, you would rarely find me speaking in my own tone.
The more I studied as I learned how to help Mara thrive, the more I realized how many lifestyle changes we could make to improve her development. Obviously, anything that I learn and consider good for Mara’s development, I use with my son Lennox, as well. In general, there are two major changes that we have made. I feel strongly that these changes had a significant, positive impact on their mental and physical development.
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