Bloom: Finding Beauty in the Unexpected--A Memoir (P.S.)

As a fan of Kelle's blog, and one who has read (and re-read) the initial post about Nella's birth, I was very excited to get this book. I expected to cry through the entire thing (I did at the onset). The first half (or 1/3?) of the book is beautifully, and wonderfully written. I cried many tears during my reading sessions, and didn't want to put it down.Something mid-way through seemed to change. It was as if the editing or writing took a backseat, and chapters were pumped out to get the book published. They were still great, but just didn't pull at my heartstrings quite as much. I also didn't feel like I HAD to finish RIGHT NOW about half-way through.That being said, I would recommend this book to a wide array of people. I have no children, but am a birth doula and have seen firsthand how unexpected outcomes (negative or positive, a boy ending up being a girl, a health concern etc etc) can be completely shattering. Kelle is inspiring in her quest for making life lovely, which I admire her for.It seems that a lot of the negative reviews on here might be jealous of the life she leads, but I understand where some of the sentiments arise from. People seem to comment a lot on the fact that she needs to grow up or use more professional language. I think her writing the way she does, with openness, honesty and with a sense of playfulness, is what draws people to her. She isn't perfect and that raw openness and clear sense that she STILL has a lot of growing to do is one reason I did enjoy the book so much.Perhaps a later edition could be edited better, or the later portions of the chapters re-worked a bit to infuse some of that raw emotion into it. The photographs are beautiful, the beginning met all of my expectations (and more), while the end faltered a bit.Overall, an excellent read, which I would recommend to many.

I began reading Kelle Hampton's blog shortly after the birth of her second child, Nella, who was born with Down Syndrome. As a mother of a child with autism, I tend to gravitate toward positive, uplifting blogs of families with special needs children. At first, I was put off by the depths of despair Kelle spoke of surrounding the birth of Nella and the realization of her diagnosis. I would have been sad and concerned, aware of the health risks and challenges that can accompany this diagnosis, but admittedly I felt she came across as rather selfish. However, I read on, and came to adore Kelle's blog and her positive outlook on life. She did have a very dramatic low point, but she appears to have bounced back rather quickly and does not play the 'poor me' card. Her efforts to raise awareness have been impressive, as have her fundraising achievements for Down Syndrome. So, when the book came out, I bought it immediately.Bloom retells the story Kelle shared on her blog about Nella's birth, but it delves more deeply into it, including her family dynamic and what it was like going home and adjusting and dealing with her worries for her daughter's future. I like how she discusses stereotypes and how her mind has changed so much, and also how she wants to change the minds of others about children with special needs.We all have our moments where our behavior is less than something to be proud of. Kelle bares all with her brutally honest account of the first days of Nella's life. I cringed, I cried, I read the book cover to cover in one sitting because I couldn't put it down. I admire the courage it took to be so candid where most people would have sugar-coated their feelings or said nothing at all, despite my original reaction to the story when I first read it nearly two years ago. Bloom is a beautiful story, well-written and beautifully captured in lovely photographs.

This book chronicles the first year of a family's life following the birth of their daughter, who was diagnosed with Down Syndrome at birth. As a mother of two daughters myself, I was touched by this mother's raw heartache upon this unexpected discovery.I have the utmost respect for the author's honest portrayal of grieving the loss of the child she expected and eventually falling in love with the daughter she wasn't expecting, but learned to fully accept.At turns touching, shocking, and laugh out loud funny, this is a well-written book and I would definitely recommend it to others, especially for those battling through their own life struggles.I read this as a book club collection and frankly it isn't the type of page-turner that I personally favor (hence four stars "I liked it" rather than five stars "I loved it"), but this is a charming memoir with an enduring lesson.

Great book. Great delivery

Immature and idealistic in tone. Pictures were nice however. Appreciate the things you have and stop mourning fantasies in your head no

In "Bloom" erzählt die Autorin Kelle Hampton von ihrem Leben mit ihrer Familie, mit ihrer jüngsten Tochter, die mit dem Down-Syndrom geboren wurde.Kelle Hampton, US-Amerikanerin, die in Florida lebt, begann 2007 ihren Blog "Enjoying the Small Things", auf dem sie von ihrem Alltag mit Mann und Kind erzählte. In Januar 2010 erwartete die Familie stolz die Geburt des zweiten gemeinsamen Kindes des Ehepaars Kelle und Brett. Sie freuten sich auf eine gesunde Tochter, und der Schock war groß, als Kelle ihre Tochter Nella zum ersten Mal sah und gleich das Down-Syndrom vermutete.In diesem Buch schildert Kelle Hampton ergreifend den Schock, das Nicht-Wahr-Haben-Wollen, das Akzeptieren und letztendlich das Kennen- und Liebenlernen mit ihrer Tochter.In Rückblenden erfährt der Leser auch viel über Kelles Vergangenheit, über ihren Weg, der sie dahin geführt hat, wo sie nun steht.Ich kannte den Blog der Autorin und hab ihn seit einigen Monaten regelmäßig gelesen. Die Geschichte der Familie ist interessant und Kelle Hampton erzählt sie ehrlich und ergreifend. Von daher war mir klar, dass ich auch ihr Buch lesen möchte. Ob es auch auf Deutsch erscheinen wird, weiß ich nicht. Ich hab es als e-book gekauft und kann es auf jeden Fall empfehlen.Viele Farbfotos zeigen die Familie und emotionale Erlebnisse, die im Buch geschildert werden.Das englischsprachige Buch lässt sich sehr gut lesen.Authentisch, ehrlich und sehr emotional erfährt man in diesem Buch Einblicke in Herz und Seele einer liebenden Mutter, die durch ihre kleine Tochter gewachsen ist und die Leser daran teilhaben lässt.Ich kann das Buch auf jeden Fall allen empfehlen, die gerne Geschichten wie diese lesen, emotionale Geschichten aus dem Leben.

I found Kelly's blog about a year ago and fell in love with her and her little family. So as soon as her book was on pre order, I ordered it. It took me three nights to finish her book and it's truly inspirational! She is brutally honest and writes about her journey to accepting the unexpected. Kelly is an incredible writer! Love her book, I'd give it ten stars if I could.

Excellent book! Highly recommended