It’s tough being an adoptive parent. And a parent of special needs kids. I’m both. And today reminded me of one of the most frustrating aspects of our situation: other people romanticizing it. Sitting on a counselor’s couch at a residential treatment facility where one of our girls has been for 6 weeks, life doesn’t…
Category Archives: Conditions and Diseases
2 Years Later, How Do I feel?
Saturday marked the 2 year anniversary since Jillian was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. Those first few days were a blur. Focusing mostly on survival and knowledge. I would stay up super late (like 3am) to research on how I could “fix” this problem. Oh poor naive me. There is no “fix”. We just have to…
Spina Bifida Awareness Month
Every day in the United States, an average of 8 births are affected by Spina Bifida or a similar birth defect of the brain and spine. Spina Bifida remains the most commonly occurring complex birth defect in this country. The root cause of Spina Bifida is unknown and the effects for each person are different….
Special Exposure Wednesday – Julianna
Meet Princess Julianna, or more accurately Pixie Princess Julianna. Don’t let the angelic face fool you, the girl can hold her own against two brothers. Get to know her in her mom’s own words. Share what you managed to capture this week. Please spread the comment love around. *This is part of a month long…
Waiting…. Waiting…. Waiting….
I don’t like waiting. Which is kind of ironic because I’m a mom, and a mom of multiple developmentally delayed kids. For years we’ve been waiting with one of our daughters – waiting for meds to kick in, for her moods to stabilize, for her mind to find balance. At our meeting with the counselor…
A Dream Is A Wish, Your Heart Makes
As parents, we all dream about what our children’s future will be like. Will they be happy? Will they get married? Will they make me a grandparent? I’m a dreamer, I always have been and I always will be. Lately, I’ve been having a lot of uncertainty about how Jillian will grow up. I’m not…
It’s Not a Race
I think we are about to hit an interesting phase of our family. The younger apparently neurotypical siblings are about to reach certain developmental milestones before their big sister does. Little boy has just about mastered his daytime toilet learning. One of our first signs that he was physically ready for this achievement was that…
Special Exposure Wednesday – Big Blueberry Eyes
The first thing I noticed about Kayla is her big blueberry eyes. She has the biggest, bluest eyes I have ever seen. When she smiles, they just seem to light up. The fact that she has Down Syndrome just seems so secondary to who she is. Get to know Kayla more in her mom’s own…
Thrive with Autism – Tips for Those Looking to Understand
Andrea Richardson and Andrea Warner are two teachers who want to help parents Thrive With Autism. We love these tips from www.ThrivingWithAutism.com that they are sharing; both for parents, and for the community who is trying to understand Autism. Have you ever been in a store, movie theatre, or, yes… even an elevator, and your…
Soothing An Anxious Child
Some kids just pop out of the womb self-assured and confident. Mine, not so much. Raising 2 former foster kids, assurance is like a foreign language in their minds! It’s been a huge learning process for us to figure out what works and what doesn’t in helping them find confidence in stress. And I know…