GEORGE, IA (KELO) — According to the CDC, about 5,700 babies are born with Down syndrome in the United States each year.

For some parents, learning their baby has Down syndrome might lead to mixed emotions, but one woman living in rural George, Iowa, is working to make that diagnosis a celebration.

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Five-year-old Bellamy is a little ball of energy.

“She’s quite the spitfire,” Bellamy’s father, Lonnie Egdorf, said.

“We have a good time. She brings a lot of joy,” Bellamy’s mother, Leah Egdorf, said.

Bellamy is the second of two daughters. Leah and Lonnie found out about Bellamy’s Down syndrome diagnosis at ten weeks gestation.

“At that point, we went into all the questions of the unknowns, the ifs, the thats, the not having an idea of what this could look like,” Leah Egdorf said.

“The first initial diagnosis that we got left us with a lot of questions, a lot of what ifs and a lot of how are we going to handle this? When we received our Jack’s Basket, it was kind of somewhat of an eye opening that there are resources out there for us, and and we’re not alone,” Lonnie Egdorf said.

Jack’s Basket is a non-profit based in Minnesota. Leah helps as a parent volunteer.

“There’s literally a basket that’s full of toys, gifts and resources,” Leah Egdorf said.

The baskets are given to families welcoming babies with Down syndrome into the world. The goal behind it is to make the moment a happier occasion.

“Instead of the kind of the old school, ‘I’m sorry, your child has down syndrome,’ it’s a celebration just like any other neurotypical baby because ultimately, they’re more alike than different,” Leah Egdorf said.

Leah’s time delivering the baskets has allowed her to build some strong connections.

“As a parent in the down syndrome community, there’s just this bond, there’s just this automatic bond. There’s so many parents that I have never met face-to-face that I know I am automatically best friends with them, and I think if you ask any parent, they would agree,” Leah Egdorf said.

Leah has enjoyed preparing families for the life ahead of them.

“It’s just brought a lot of joy to watch those families kind of go through their journey and to help them and support them,” Leah Egdorf said.

In that time, the Egdorfs have been busy with their own journey. The last five years have brought about plenty of physical and speech therapy appointments, but they have loved raising Bellamy and forming new friendships along the way.

“I’ll say looking back on me then versus me now, everything that I’ve learned, the joy that she’s brought to our family, they talk about within the Down’s syndrome community, the lucky few. That is exactly the definition of her and us as a family in the community that we’re involved in,” Leah Egdorf said.

And they will continue their goal to make sure Bellamy and other kids like her are celebrated.

“They deserve every chance that any other kid has,” Lonnie Egdorf said.

“Because they should be absolutely no questions asked. They should be. They are beautiful and wonderful, and they deserve they deserve that,” Leah Egdorf said.

For more information on Jack’s Basket, click here.