As I watch my son work harder than he’s ever worked before I catch the eye of the child’s mom on the next mat over. She gives me a kind smile and as our eyes meet we both instantly share thoughts without saying a word. My son isn’t shy about letting his therapists know that what they are doing is hard, uncomfortable, and something he’s never done before. The mom and I occasionally glance at each other and give one another imaginary fist pumps. We are here. We are pushing our kids to achieve their full potential. Surely that’s worth a fist pump or two. The 3 week long intensive…

A letter to my son on his third birthday, If there was a picture next to the word joy in the dictionary your smiling face would be next to it. There is nothing better than seeing you grin from ear to ear. Your giggle is even better, there’s a piece of unearthly magic in it. I have to say that the only thing better than seeing your smile is the feeling of knowing I put it there. If there was a picture next to the word strength in the dictionary, again it would be your face. I am in awe of how hard you work day after day for things that…

Our 5 year old has no idea his little brother has a rare genetic condition. He is completely unaware of the term “special needs.” He doesn’t realize that his younger brother is not “typical.” He likely thinks that a stander in the middle of the living room is normal. He may think a high chair is only used for messy play. He probably thinks that gait trainers are how children learn to walk. He understands feeding tubes are for providing nutrition to his little brother and never questions why he doesn’t eat orally. The other day as we were packing up to see one of our many specialists I heard…