Don’t ask me to predict the future 

It’s hard to believe that just three years ago, I was pregnant with the girls, just trying to get them to be born, not much thinking beyond that. I assumed if they could just be born, just make it that far, that all would be right in the world, and I’d have two adorable, chubby […]

To preschool and beyond 

I had a really difficult decision to make in the spring-to keep the girls together for preschool or to separate them and place Ella in a reverse-inclusion school for kids with different abilities, or special needs. Ultimately, I decided what was best for Ella was to place her in the specialized program, even though it […]

She believed she could, so she did 

I think it’s pretty safe to say that I’ve always been Ella’s number one fan. I never believed she would be anything less than incredible, and she’s proved herself to be just that, as well as sassy and hilarious. Her giggle is infectious and her sentences are so observant. Listening to the girls talk to […]

Would I still have taken the same path had I known its destination?

Every now and then I find myself thinking about life and how strange it is, how you think you’re heading in one direction then the course veers and you go with it, unsure at first, slowly taking steps until you get comfortable and break into your stride.  When I was 20, I was told I […]

Little ray of sunshine 

I would say that I generally fall under the umbrella of optimistic. Not so much that I live with my head in the clouds, but not so pessimistic that I can’t see the forest through the trees. When I first heard that Ella could have cerebral palsy, I mourned, but I also could not accept […]

Yes, I am staring at your child

The other day, I saw a girl out walking with her parents. Doesn’t really seem like anything out of the ordinary, and yet it was extraordinary. This little girl, probably about eight years old, was walking holding onto her mum’s hands, who was hunched over behind her, and rocking some lovely AFOs. Most people might […]

Happy Mother’s Day from the other side

According to marketing execs and those in advertising, what mums really want for Mother’s Day is to sleep in followed by breakfast in bed and completed with a lavishly over-the-top designer gift that will instantly make her feel like the hottest mama on the block.  Of course, for any of that to be possible, one […]

Don’t try to know my story

Before I had kids, I remember there were certain parents I would see and I would just wonder how they did it. Maybe they had a bunch of kids close in age or multiples or a kid with special needs, but I would just marvel at them, their skill, their smiles, but I never understood […]

I want to walk

   Navigating life as a special need parent can be simultaneously exhausting and overwhelming. Even just realizing how inaccessible the city is can feel downright depressing as you start to think about how much it will effect your kid as they start to grow up. We definitely take our triumphs wherever we can; Ella started […]

Just a trip down hospital memory lane

Last week Ella got sick. And I mean, they’re all in daycare so germs and sickness are pretty standard fare, but she seemed really sick; hot and clingy and having trouble breathing. A trip to the doctor turned into a trip to an outpatient pediatric clinic in a hospital. But, when the clinic was closed, […]