“All is well. All is quiet-ish. And I’m back in my bed, when from the far side of the house I hear… beep.”
‘My daughter looks like she’s seen multiple ghosts. ‘It’s OK Toodleboot. Ignore your parents on the ceiling and that it sounds like the world is on fire. Just GO BACK TO SLEEP.’: Mom’s hilarious struggle with fire alarm
‘Will Nash be a baby forever?’ There are days where it hits me like a ton of bricks. More than the pain, I feel joy.’: Mom shares son’s journey with rare ADNP syndrome, ‘I can’t imagine a world without him’
“We waited for the phone call that would change our lives forever. The first words out of my mouth were, ‘Is it fatal?’ A giant wave of relief washed over my whole body. I thought this was the end of our worries, but it wasn’t.”
‘You’re just a worried mom. I’m sure he’s fine!’ She placed the probe on my belly and gasped. ‘How did you know?’: New mom shares ‘powerful’ intuition about son’s cleft lip, ‘I’ll continue to stand up and say something’
“I’d never met anyone with a cleft. I’m not sure if I’d seen one in person either. I had no knowledge of them, but I absolutely knew my son had one. The tech gave me a big hug. ‘You have a powerful gift.’ I knew I was ready to tackle anything.”
‘She stood at the microphone and whispered, ‘Thanks, Dad.’ I wasn’t the only one crying. SHE was teaching ME.’: Daughter with Down syndrome exceeds expectations, ‘She inspired each of us’
“She pulled her fist back toward her waist whispering, ‘YES, I did it!’”
‘In my day, they didn’t have all this autism and ADHD stuff.’ I wasn’t sure how they’d react to the news. It wasn’t something they grew up with.’: Mom to daughter with autism worries about ‘generational gap’ with grandparents, ‘You’re never too old to be educated’
“I braced myself for what I thought would be a skeptical, potentially offensive reaction from them. They were shocked and concerned, as I expected.”
‘My daughter went to the toilet today. On her own. She’s 4. They WILL get there in their OWN time.’: Mom to daughter with autism urges ‘you’re doing GREAT’
“She woke up today and decided she was content to wear underwear and go to the toilet. It was that easy. Actually, it wasn’t easy; that’s why I’m telling you.”
‘We carry a heavy load. Our bags and purses are full. What’s even harder is going to bed and unloading our shoulders.’: Special needs mom says ‘there are plenty of beautiful extras we gladly carry’
“Every morning, I walk to our son’s room to pick up his 40-pound body and carry him downstairs. With each step, I can feel it. As I make my way down the stairs, I start carrying more than just him. I carry gratitude.”
‘Sell your body, since you dress like a prostitute.’ I found my belongings on the driveway. At 17 I was FINALLY seen as a blessing.’: Adult adoptee shares foster journey, ‘I was ALWAYS their daughter’
“‘Sorry I ruined your birthday,’ I said. ‘No, you’re one of the best gifts I could ever receive!’ Her words instilled confidence in me, but her actions spoke even louder.”
‘She’ll catch up in her own time!’ My instincts told me more was at play. It’s my JOB to protect her.’: Mom becomes advocate for daughter with KAND, neurological disorder, ‘We’ll ALWAYS celebrate who she is’
“‘You’ll now be Colbie’s medical experts.’ I didn’t want to hear it. I wanted to hear ‘this is how we can make it all go away.’ I chose to focus on how amazing she is.”
‘You look HOT!’ They’d say. ‘I guess this is my life now.’ I was a dimmer set to the lowest setting.’: Woman overcomes eating disorder, ‘My body is designed to keep me alive, not look a certain way’
“I felt ALIVE again, and I used this as motivation to move forward. It was my ‘aha’ moment.”