Bloom: Finding Beauty in the Unexpected--A Memoir by Kelle Hampton

In her tender and genuinely beautiful memoir, Kelle Hampton encourages us to not simply accept the unexpected circumstances of our lives, but to embrace them like the things we wished for all along. -Matthew Logelin, New York Times bestselling author of Two Kisses for Maddy Bloom is an inspiring and heartfelt memoir that celebrates the beauty found in the unexpected, the strength of a mother's love, and, ultimately, the amazing power of perspective. The author of the popular blog Enjoying the Small Things-named The Bump's Best Special Needs Blog and The Blog You've Learned the Most From in the 2010 BlogLuxe Awards-Kelle Hampton interweaves lyrical prose and stunning four-color photography as she recounts the unforgettable story of the first year in the life of her daughter Nella, who has Down syndrome. Poignant, eye-opening, and heart-soaring, Hampton's Bloom is ultimately about embracing life and really living it. Editorial Reviews Bloom is one of the most emotionally stirring books I've ever read.... This story is a reminder that perfect, when it comes to human beings, is such a relative (and irrelevant) term...and that a mother's love for her child is a powerful, eternal, unshakable force. - Ree Drummond, New York Times bestselling author of The Pioneer Woman Cooks Kelle Hampton...reminds us that life may not always look pretty or perfect, but it is always beautiful.... She has indeed made of her life something ‘wild and precious' and her book, like her two beautiful girls, is a bundle of joy. I finished it reluctantly and with a full heart. - Claire Fontaine, national bestselling author of Come Back: A Mother and Daughter's Journey Through Hell and Back In her tender and genuinely beautiful memoir, Kelle Hampton encourages us to not simply accept the unexpected circumstances of our lives, but to embrace them like the things we wished for all along. - Matthew Logelin, New York Times bestselling author of Two Kisses for Maddy A constitutionally positive person...Hampton makes a convincing argument that grief and disappointment can be transformed into compassion and joy. - People (3 stars) #11 New York Times Bestseller - New York Times A USA Today Bestseller - USA Today Bloom is not only about a particular young mother working through the place of hurt ...it is about all of us.... [A] powerful meditation on loss, perspective, challenge and opportunity. Give it to anyone you know who is hurting. - Fort Myers Florida Weekly In Bloom, a searing and brave portrait of her baby's first year, Hampton opens up about her fears...jubilation, and...‘the throbbing pain of losing what I had expected.' Filled with personal photos from the delivery room through Nella's first birthday, Bloom gives...new meaning to the term ‘open book.' - BookPage Winner of 2012 Mom's Choice Silver Award, Biographies & Memoirs - Mom's Choice Awards - From the Publisher #11 New York Times Bestseller - New York Times Bloom is one of the most emotionally stirring books I've ever read.... This story is a reminder that perfect, when it comes to human beings, is such a relative (and irrelevant) term...and that a mother's love for her child is a powerful, eternal, unshakable force. - Ree Drummond Bloom is not only about a particular young mother working through the place of hurt ...it is about all of us.... [A] powerful meditation on loss, perspective, challenge and opportunity. Give it to anyone you know who is hurting. - Fort Myers Florida Weekly Kelle Hampton...reminds us that life may not always look pretty or perfect, but it is always beautiful.... She has indeed made of her life something ‘wild and precious' and her book, like her two beautiful girls, is a bundle of joy. I finished it reluctantly and with a full heart. - Claire Fontaine A USA Today Bestseller - USA Today A constitutionally positive person...Hampton makes a convincing argument that grief and disappointment can be transformed into compassion and joy. - (3 stars) - People Magazine A constitutionally positive person...Hampton makes a convincing argument that grief and disappointment can be transformed into compassion and joy. - People A USA Today Bestseller - USA Today In Bloom, a searing and brave portrait of her baby's first year, Hampton opens up about her fears...jubilation, and...‘the throbbing pain of losing what I had expected.' Filled with personal photos from the delivery room through Nella's first birthday, Bloom gives...new meaning to the term ‘open book.' - BookPage In her tender and genuinely beautiful memoir, Kelle Hampton encourages us to not simply accept the unexpected circumstances of our lives, but to embrace them like the things we wished for all along. - Matthew Logelin Winner of 2012 Mom's Choice Silver Award, Biographies & Memoirs - Mom's Choice Awards A constitutionally positive person...Hampton makes a convincing argument that grief and disappointment can be transformed into compassion and joy. - People (3 stars) After her daughter was born with Down syndrome, Hampton has been an advocate for her and for all individuals with this condition. Since 2007, her award-winning blog, Enjoying the Small Things, has had more than 15.4 million page views and more than 6.8 million unique visitors from almost 200 countries. Some parents will really need this; affecting for others. With a 75,000-copy first printing. - Library Journal A mother's optimistic account of the first year of life with her daughter, Nella, who was born with Down syndrome. Photographer writer Hampton is the author of a popular blog, Enjoying the Small Things. The Florida-based mother of two has received national recognition and media attention for her blog's personal writing and, reflected in it, her perpetually glass-half-full disposition. In her debut, she provides expanded versions of stories from her blog and other details about her life, marriage and parenthood. In 2009, the 31-year-old author and her husband, Brett, already parents of a two-year-old girl, Lainey, welcomed their second daughter, Nella. Hampton describes her immediate shock and distress at Nella's diagnosis, but those feelings were quickly replaced by an overwhelming sense of gratitude. I feel there is a plan so beautiful in store...and we get to live it, she writes. Wow. The author's positive attitude and enthusiasm remain unchanged throughout the book, which may illicit admiration in some readers and mild irritation in others--Hampton rarely reveals her own vulnerability. The author's descriptions of people and events are clear and easy to follow, but it's her beautiful photographs that bring them to life. A few of Hampton's summations--e.g., I not only hugged Fear and Sadness that night at the computer, but I let them unpack their bags and stay awhile--come across as slightly disingenuous, if not simplistic. However, the author's mostly appealing optimism will make this book a comfort to other parents facing difficult circumstances. Sunny and inspiring. - Kirkus Reviews