Editor's Note: Over the next six weeks, we're following along with the Nipper family as they take the Fit Families Challenge from Special Olympics Arkansas. The program is designed for individuals with special needs and their families, and encourages physical activity and healthy eating for the whole family. Read more about the free program here, and look for more installments from the Nipper family on our blog in the coming weeks.

"Ready, Set, Go" yells my wound-up 3-year-old as he races through the living room, dining room, kitchen and loops back around to the living room. He repeats this over and over and over again until our applause is clearly lacking as much enthusiasm as it had in the beginning. He stops to "stretch" and I can’t help but laugh and be amazed by how much he has picked up from tagging along to cross country practice with me every day.

My name is Christy Nipper and I am the head Cross Country coach at Little Rock Christian Academy and the mom of two sweet little ones -- Miles (3 years) and Molly (9 months). My husband, Luke Nipper, is the coordinator for 4-H ExCEL, a team-building and leadership program at the 4-H Center. We are both thankful to have jobs that keep us active and hope that our children will continue to be influenced by the exposure to physical activity.

My son Miles began his career as my assistant coach at 2 weeks old. Nestled in a front carrier, he tagged along for the team’s second meet of the season…and he has been a huge part of the team ever since. It is so fun to see him try to imitate the runners as they warm up, do drills and run striders. When the workout starts, he changes gears and begins "coaching." He will imitate me by looking at his wrist and pretending to yell out times as the runners pass or cup his hands around his mouth to yell directions. I’m pretty sure Miles thinks he has 55 brothers and sisters as each member of the team will play with him, correct him, chase him, and include him in everything. The 7-12th grade students that run on our cross country teams are so supportive and inclusive of Miles and that means more than they will probably ever realize.

When I was 16 weeks pregnant, I received a phone call from my doctor informing me of some "abnormal" test results. The next two weeks were a blur as we visited specialists and eventually learned our son would have Down syndrome. At the time, it was a very scary diagnosis as I knew very little about Down syndrome and had never really been around anyone with Down syndrome. In those early days all people tell you about is the potential health problems, the cognitive delays, and how much longer it will take your child to accomplish tasks such as crawling, walking, and talking. 

After three years I can honestly say that Down syndrome really is not the scary, hard journey we were warned about. In our experience, the journey has been filled with laughter, joy and some really fun dance parties. Sure, Miles receives 8 hours of therapy a week (PT, OT and Speech) and he does have to work a lot harder to reach some developmental milestones, but that makes the success that much sweeter! I remember and appreciate milestones many people probably do not even notice.

When we found out Miles would have Down syndrome, my biggest fear was how others would treat him. Watching the students on my team interact with Miles each day is a constant reassurance that he will be loved and accepted. The fact that Miles loves to be at practice reassures me that Miles will enjoy being active even with the extra challenges he experiences due to that extra chromosome.

Miles has low muscle tone and a slower metabolism, which makes being active and eating well extremely important. When the fabulous staff at Miles’ school, Access, told us about the Fit Family program through Special Olympics, we were really excited to sign up! We want to start out teaching Miles and Molly the importance of being active, eating well and leading a healthy lifestyle.

The challenge comes with our busy schedules. By the time we get home from work, the kids are hungry and anxious for dinner, and then it seems like we only have about an hour before we have to begin getting them ready for bed. We are going to dedicate these next six weeks to really trying to find fun ways to fit in exercise. Follow us over the next six weeks as we strive to find fun ways to encourage exercise, target therapy goals, and make healthy eating choices!