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
During my pregnancy with Mara, I found myself having to educate doctors about they way to deliver certain messages they believed I needed to hear to prepare to have a baby with Down syndrome. “You must know that 40% of babies with Down syndrome are born with a heart defect” was the first warning I was given about the apparently terrifying life that was awaiting for me. Right there and then, with my little baby still in my belly, I decided to change the conversation.
Quitting is not an option because my dreams are important to me. My dreams are always bigger than my pain. When it gets hard and I think about quitting, my dad reminds me of my dreams and my dreams always win. I think if I didn’t have big dreams, I would probably quit.
I get asked how to handle tantrums so so often on my Instagram account, so a few weeks ago I decided to invite an expert to talk about the subject. And this now she is back to share some more insight on dealing with tantrums when there is more than one child needing your attention.
I know, I know. The title is shocking. That is exactly how I felt when I first saw the video from this chiropractor stating that we have been changing baby’s diaper the WRONG way all along. Even more shocking, the incorrect way of changing newborn’s diapers featured on the video may be the cause behind common digestive issues among babies, colic and reflux included.
According to a press release by Global Down Syndrome Foundation, an important new educational resource was released today by a consortium of national Down syndrome organizations. It has a great deal of undated information related to the impact of COVID-19…
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.
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