ENCHANTING REAL LIFE
Ashley Zambelli, 24, feels closer to her family more than ever –and it’s not just because of warm hugs!
Spinning in circles, the moment that Ihad walked in on was enough to melt my heart.
As holding each other in a cute ballroom stance, my girls Lillian, now three, and Evelyn, now two, were dancing along to Disney’s Frozen.
And Iknew it wasn’t long before they’d erupt into a chorus, too.
Let It Go was their favourite song.
Yet, as soon as I’d try and get avideo to show my partner Taylor, 29, they’d stop.
However, he didn’t need to be reminded of just how special our daughters were.
That’s something we would see every day – not leaving out Katherine, one, too.
With the girls drawing together, playing with their stuffed animals, they’d hug, hold hands and dress up as Elsa and Anna.
The pair of them certainly had different personalities. Eveyln was logical and smart –you’d find her in the corner with abook.
However, Lillian would be up to something goofy.
She made it her mission to show everyone just how much fun life can be.
Which really meant the most to us as afamily.
Especially as at one point, we didn’t know what the future would look like for her. I’d always wanted abig family, so after meeting Taylor online in 2018, when Iwas 19, we started trying for ababy.
Iknew that Taylor would make the perfect dad and it felt like everything was quickly falling into place.
Especially when I fell pregnant at the beginning of 2019.
My dad Scott, now 50, and mum Stacy, now 48, were over the moon for us.
However, after experiencing amiscarriage at around nine weeks pregnant, not everything was as it seemed.
And finding out more, after foetal tissue testing, we were told that our baby boy had Down’s syndrome.
I was worried about the future
Why would someone my age have ababy with Down’s syndrome? I thought.
The news certainly came as ashock.
However, consumed by grief, Iturned to doing my own research.
‘Some say that having a child with Down’s means it’s less likely the next will, then some are saying the opposite,’ I said to Taylor, conflicted.
And it was athought that lay heavy on my mind.
Especially when we were fortunate enough to fall pregnant at the end of 2019.
‘You are expecting agirl and she does have Down’s syndrome,’ the doctor revealed at our nine-week prenatal testing.
Bursting into tears, Iwas worried.
What’s going to be in store for us?
And even though Taylor is so laidback, not saying how he felt, Iknew he had similar thoughts.
With little to no information given to us, no leaflets or charities that w
