As everyone knows by now, buddy walk season is here. And in lieu of current events regarding the extinction of babies like my precious daughter hannah grace who was born with ONE extra chromosome, this isn’t just a fun little walk we do to parade our miracles around, ITS OUR BATTLE CRY. Sure the buddy walk is fun and the incentives for our teams are amazing and much appreciated but this event is so much more than that.

We MUST raise funds for our Down Syndrome Commuity. Why is this significant? These funds could mean the difference in an expecting Mother choosing LIFE over termination. I recently attended a Mentoring Meeting for us Mama’s and Daddy’s who are part of the DSAMT First Call Program. We are like a hotline for expecting and new families of children with DS. We are in place to be that first beacon of light, that voice of “CONGRATULATIONS! your child is beautiful”. We are positive reinforcements, the community army of families who want you to know that your child IS worth having. Worth a chance at life. Worth fighting for and worth being loved.

DSAMT is made up mostly of Volunteers, ones like us parents who are in the First Call group. Volunteers who bring meals and sunshine bags to the hospital. We pray with you, cry and laugh with you, and share our stories. We’ve been there. We know. We deliver sunshine in big yellow bags. and that wouldn’t be possible without the funds to fill those bags. To have the backing and support of someone who’s been in your shoes is not only priceless, but hope giving. You know you and your child will be ok. You have help. You have hundreds along side you cheering you and your little one on through every aspect of their lives and we clap with you every time a milestone is met, heck some of us create our own holidays for it lol! This is just ONE of the MANY things DSAMT does. THIS is why I love this non-profit and everyone in it. Alecia Talbott, Faithe Logan, Anne-Marie Clark, April Richardson Booten, and sooooo many more who have not only been my support, but my friends, and also like family. So when you donate to DSAMT, you are donating to your community, not a building. Your money can potentially save the life of a child, it can be the hope a mom and dad need to hear. So please join us on Nov. 4 at The Hermitage and march with us! It cost NOTHING to join Hannah’s team in the link below, but we ask for a donation of any amount to her team. We are looking for cooperate sponsors as well. Also please reply in the comments to order our amazing Team Shirt (pics below).

Please Donate HERE and register for Hannah’s buddy walk team. Thank you in advance!

It’s beautiful individuals like the ones you see below that you are supporting. There are babies who deserve to be born every day so they can live out their lives just like you and me and as you can clearly see, they love their lives…

“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” Psalm 139:14

“INCREDIBLY magical/mystical/BEAUTIFUL! You certainly have the eyes to see in ways others often miss. YOU are a TRUE photographer/ ARTIST in every sense of the imagination. I can’t begin to fathom your CREATIONS as you continue to evolve! WOW!” 

-Kim W., TN

“Where do I start? From the very first time I saw Stephanie’s photographs, I knew we had to take a trip to have her do a session with my 17 month old granddaughter. When the opportunity presented itself, we were thrilled! We immediately went shopping for the perfect outfits and Stephanie built her sets with the outfits in mind. Her creativity is over the top….and when we arrived the day of the shoot we were blown-away by all the time and effort she had put into preparing the perfect settings to photograph Ellie. Not only does she go out of her way to make things unique and special for her clients, she is also just a joy to be around! Her enthusiasm and genuine kindness is heartwarming and we left wanting to spend more time with her. She did an amazing job capturing Ellie’s personality and made it just about impossible for us to choose a favorite because every single one is absolutely adorable! I’m so thankful to have met such a fantastic lady to photograph our precious granddaughter. I can’t wait to have another session with her! The experience and the results made the trip from Pennsylvania well worth it!!! Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Stephanie!” -Tracey J., PA

“As I went through the images you just sent me, I found tears coming to my eyes. They made me so happy. It touched my heart. Beautifully done and so very professional in every way! I’ll treasure these photos long after I get them printed. Such a great session and great memory for my boys. Fantastic with children and got the images back to me in a very fast time. Highly recommend her!!” -Leah P., TN

“Stephanie is amazing. She takes her time and takes beautiful, memorable portraits. She’s exceptional. Her work is breathtaking. She takes her time and truly loves the subject of her photos!” Sondra M., TN

“Stephanie was so great-she captured our whole ungainly party of seven family beautifully. Even the outtakes were awesome!Not only did she create beautiful photos of all of us, she took the time to make sure we got some extra special shots of our littlest two who each have “something extra”. Amelia P., TN

“Hands down one of the nicest people and best photographers in Nashville. Her work is breathtaking!” Chelsea Arnold, TN

“Hardest working photographer you will find! She’s absolutely amazing!!!” -Lori S., TN

“She captures the essence of the beauty of our sons and daughters. Talent plus love = perfection!” Vivian R., TN

“Stephanie has an incredible gift of creating personalized sets and capturing the most beautiful pictures. I fell in love with her work and knew I wanted her to photograph my daughter. We traveled from out of state to make it happen, and Stephanie did not disappoint. She will “wow” you with her creativity and passion. She is lovely, amazing, and very talented. ” -Satori B., AK 

“Stephanie is an awesome photographer!!! She did so good with my little wild one and captured great pics. I highly recommend her. She’s the best and will definitely be doing a lot more business with her…..” -Tara S., TN

“Stephanie Ann is an amazing talent with a huge heart! My 3 year old daughter had a session with her, the experience was perfection from start to finish, and we are absolutely thrilled with her photos! Stephanie went above and beyond to accomplish my vision, and the resulting photos well demonstrate that. Stephanie holds a very special place in our hearts, and we will certainly be long-term clients.” -Anne-Marie C., TN

“Stephanie Ann was such a pleasure to work with. Not only are her pictures gorgeous but she really does have a way with children. As I am sure most of y’all know, kids are not the easiest to photograph. However, Stephanie Ann just goes with it and captures such special moments. Plus, you will walk away with not only beautiful pictures, but also a new friend or two. Highly recommend.” -Amber L., TN

“Stephanie will do whatever it takes to capture the best pictures! She is fabulous with a unique eye and heart! We love her!” -Tammy C., TN

“We had so much fun! She certainly captures the best moments & makes your heart melt when you see it!” -Traci C., TN

“Very talented young woman,captures with her heart. So very sweet,professional and amazing with people.” -Betty D., TN
“We got family 4th of July photos taken ‘& Easter photos’ And we absolutely love them! Stephanie you are very talented we love you and miss Hannah Grace!!” -Elizabeth M., TN
“Every picture from every session she’s done with my kids have been gorgeous! She has the eye and talent for capturing the perfect shot. Highly recommend her if you want quality work.” -Trista W., TN

You all know Roman Josi and Mike Fisher as a couple of the star players for the Nashville Predators. You know how hard they fight along side of their teammates. But there is another side to them that you may not know about. Let me introduce you to their hearts…

Roman Josi is a huge supporter of our special needs community and has donated in multiple ways to help grow our Best Buddies Organization here in TN who fight for inclusion for special needs individuals. The Best Buddies events is where I ‘met’ him, aka ‘photographed him’ as I was volunteering to shoot these events. Seeing him in action first hand and everything he’s done for us is just astounding to me. At age 26 he is mature beyond his years. He and Mike Fisher have hearts that could melt the very ice they skate on. Let me explain why…

I’ll introduce myself for those of you who do not know me. My name is Stephanie Mullowney, owner and founder of Paperdolls Photography. I specialize is special needs Portraiture and began a Limited Edition Collection last year called, “The Ribbons Collection”. It features anyone at all who represents an awareness ribbon of any kind. 

There is a little 2 year old boy in our community named, Trip, who has been fighting an aggressive cancer called, Rhabdomyosarcoma. We thought he had beat it, but then it came back with a vengeance only 2 months later. It started in his bladder and has spread to his lungs. There was nothing else the doctors could do and they sent him home to hospice care. His grandmother and I arranged a photo session for Trip and also for his little brother who has Down Syndrome (who will later be involved in the DSAMT community) so I can add them to the Ribbons Collection. Trip was unable to sit up during his session due to the size of his tumor and the pain it caused so we opted for ‘lifestyle’ type shots for him to make him most comfortable, and just let them all enjoy each other while I took the shots. These are very real images, no fluff, no photoshop to remove tape and tubes from his face, but a very real perspective of what this family is fighting. Here is where Roman Josi and Mike Fisher come in…

I saw a video Trip’s grandmother had posted of Trip cheering on the Nashville Predators as they played in their Stanely Cup finals, calling them, “his friends”, as he was in the hospital hooked up to a smorgasbord of machines. So I wanted to make his session even more special for him so I contacted Roman knowing it would be a long shot for him to even see my message among his plethora recent fan mail, but I tried anyway and hit the send button. Just a few hours later I get a message back from him saying he would love to come to make this little boys wish come true! I immediately broke down into tears knowing how much this would mean to this family. The Preds landed in Nashville after playing their big game in PA , and literally drove straight to this families home almost an hour away. Not only did Roman Josi show up, but he brought Mike Fisher with him, 2 autographed hockey sticks and a puck! Needless to say, they surprised us ALL!!! 

This sweet 2 year old boy got the surprise of his life in this VIDEO  you can find on the Paperdolls Photography FB Page and an unforgettable photo session his family will never forget. Our hearts were all gushing over the immense love these two hockey players have for others. These are the types of things you never really hear about in the news so I want to shine a light on these two amazing gentlemen along side 102.9 The Buzz and WVLT TV KNOXVILLE. These guys took the time out of their Stanley Cup games to take time to spend these precious moments with this family. The Nashville Predators do not need a Stanley Cup to win us over, their hearts have already done that <3 #standwithus #gopreds! I am a fan for life!!!

You can donate to Trip HERE and help his family with the overwhelming medical bills they have incurred during this tragic time. For special planning services for any individual going through similar difficult times please take a look at ENABLE.

” My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26

“A friend loveth at all times” Proverbs 17:17

” God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1

“But those who hope in the LORDwill renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 43:2

“He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3

 

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.” Psalm 84:11

I find it so amazing how the Lord shows favor to his children. He continually watches over us and knows our needs before we even ask him in the same way that we know the needs of our children. Our kids never really have to ‘want’ for anything…it’s simply just provided for them without them even having to ask for it. Clothes? Already there. Food? Let me put that on your plate for you. Sleepy eyes? Let me rock you to sleep after we say our prayers. 

God is such a good Father to us. We are taught how to love by Him-and we do it unconditionally and always. We only want the best for our children as does He for us. He knows what we need today, tomorrow, and everyday after that. He’s already made provision. Nothing we could ever do surprises Him. He knows our story-He wrote it. He knows our beginning and our ending. “Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.” Psalm 139:16 He’s seen me fail-yet He loves me. He knows I’ll fail more-yet He hasn’t left me. 

And on this Christmas Eve I will thank Him for sending His Son Jesus to be born only to die- for me. For me and for you. Me? A person who is unworthy of such sovereign love. An imperfect human being made perfect though the blood of Jesus when I accepted Him at age 11. And no matter how imperfect I am as a human (because I’ve had to ask forgiveness plenty of times)  at the end of the day, My Daddy is the King of the Universe and He loves me without condition. He is gracious and merciful and forgives me when I fail. If that’s not the greatest Christmas present a person could receive I don’t know what is. 

Merry Christmas from Paperdolls Photography & Hannah ‘Amazing’ Grace!

 

 

 

Well here we are in October. Month of Down Syndrome Awareness! Here’s what I can tell you about it to make you “Aware”…

It’s unconditional. It’s happiness. It’s a celebration. It’s ONE extra chromosome. It’s loves purest form. It’s exciting. It’s not a disability- it’s a different ability. It’s part of what makes my daughter so amazing! It’s a miracle. It’s God’s gift. It’s encouraging. It’s my whole world. It…is…life…changing. It is something I would never change. It is precious. It is cherished. It is heart melting. It is Beauty personified. It is part of my sweet, Hannah Grace, and I wouldn’t want her any other way.

There you have it! Consider yourself schooled;)

 

“Mother”. What a beautiful word. What an honor and a privilege to be given the ability to produce another life. We become a Mom from the moment of conception until the end of either our lives, or tragically, sometimes theirs. 

Remember when you saw those 2 pink lines on your pregnancy test? Yeah, me too, and I actually have mine tucked away in a ziplock bag in a keepsake box:) Yeah, I’m THAT mom. The one who has to keep every little thing that plays a part in her child’s existence as if its some puzzle piece I can’t loose as if it’s a part of my memory that will disappear if I do.

After I tested  positive,  I immediately placed both hands on my stomach as if to cradle my tiny growing daughter and quietly say, “Hey, this is your Mommy”. I just knew she would be perfect and so of course I bought all the books and almost caused google to crash. I had the preggo apps on my phone, you name it. I wanted to know exactly what she was doing each month and what parts were forming at the exact moment in time and so on and so forth. I was obsessed. I would post things on FB like, “She has toes today!”

I was already a die hard health nut as it was, but as soon as I knew I was a Mom, BAM crazy town Mom took health to a whole other level! Isn’t it funny how we moms have those protection instincts right from the get-go? Everything from what kind of music is soothing to the baby to checking the mercury levels on every type fish on the planet before it comes anywhere near your mouth! Grocery store runs turn into 3 hour trips because you have to google every ingredient you can’t pronounce to make sure its safe to eat.

We all wanted to be that perfect mom. We had this 9 month ongoing movie playing over in our heads of how life with our little one was going to play out. Toddler running towards you in slow-mo, big smile, open arms,…you know the one (like a Pampers commercial). Then you fast forward to pre-school, then middle school where you’re beating up bullies (but wait, you won’t have to worry about bullies because you’re kids the ‘cool kid’ phew, but wait, what if your kid is the bully!?), then off to college, and before you know it you’ve already got them married off to some famous celebrity after they’ve graduated Harvard with a docterate in brain surgery briefly preceding their campaigning for the presidency and your still in your first trimester throwing up that well- done hamburger you just had for dinner (grass-fed of course)! Geez! No wonder we get so exhausted, we can plan an entire life in about T minus 5 minutes!

Next thing ya know, your water breaks, you think you’ve pee’d on yourself…Again. Pain starts, screams sound like you’re being murdered by the hospital staff (in my case I had zero pain killers,s so yeah, Ouch.) Then you hear the cry of that little human you and God have been so carefully building all this time and your screams of pain are replaced with smiles and tears of overwhelming happiness and thankfulness as your baby looks at you and you just know he/she is thinking…”So, you’re my Mommy, I love you so much”. Of course they are probably just wondering where the milk is but I’d like to live in my little Hallmark world for a moment. 

Your child was perfect, just as you knew they would be. They were ‘Fearfully and wonderfully made’ just exactly how they should be. You’ve worried about them, prayed for them, hugged and kissed them, and cried over them too many times to count. You’ve kissed boo-boo’s, wiped green snot, got pee’d on, cleaned up poop from weird places (in my case, the bath tub). We do crazy little dances in public to cheer them up. Promise them candy they’ll never get if they just “be good this once”. You’ve watched them sleep and checked their pulse just to make sure they were breathing properly. We’ve replaced days of sleep with prayers as we kneel on cold NICU floors begging God, “Please don’t take my baby just yet”. You’ve sang to them, read to them, snuggled them, and loved them UNCONDITIONALLY. That’s what we do. We are Mothers. Entrusted with another humans life from the Creator of life itself. So yeah, no pressure right Moms? 

We will make mistakes, we will do the wrong things, we will say the wrong things, and we avoid messing up like the plague because we only want the best for our kids, and nothing else will do and anything less than that makes us feel like we have failed in some way but still we try our best. We push forward and do what we must to give our children the best lives imaginable. We stress and push ourselves until we are like walking dead “Mombies” just to make sure that last tiny piece of crust is cut from the sandwich or that the one tooth our kid has is brushed til it shines like a diamond. We are multi-taskers and are doing 50 different things at any given millisecond. We can make tears dry up with just one ‘Mommy’s all better kiss”. We are a force to be reckoned with if need be. We can be the ‘worlds best room-mother’; and just bless your little heart, but if you mess with our kids, well…we can turn into a whole other kind of mother. We are what we have to be at any given moment. It seems like we are constantly saving their lives. I thought the whole finger in the light socket thing was just an old wives tale, but no, Hannah has actually tried to do that. We save them from walking into tables, from falling down (or up) the stairs, the list goes on and on…

If you really think about it, our kids have super heros for Moms. How awesome is that? I mean, we may not be saving the world (God sent Jesus to do that so we can all relax on that one) however, we do have a responsibility to “Train up a child in the way he should go..” (Pro. 22:6) . We do our part and let God do the rest:)

HAPPY MOTHERS DAYS MOMMIES! I hope you guys laughed, cried, nodded, and maybe even hugged your kids extra tight and told them how blessed you are to be their mom. Some moms reading this aren’t able to do that anymore and by the same token, some sons and daughters visit a grave on Mothers Day. Some moms are wishing they still had a mess to clean up or a runny nose to wipe or a sibling rivalry to calm.  So lets cherish our precious moments even if they are crazy moments, and take mom/kid selfies til your phones go dead this Mothers Day:) You are all precious to me. Keep up the good work Moms, we are all turning out pretty darn great:)