19 Reasons Why Mothers of Special Needs Children Rock...

‎1. Because doctors have told us the worst, and we've refused to believe them. TAKE THAT, nay-saying doctors of the world.

2. Because we’ve discovered patience we never knew we had.

3. Because we... are willing to do something 10 times, 100 t.........imes, 1,000 times if that’s what it takes for our kids to learn something new.

4. Because we never imagined that “doing it all” would mean doing this much. But we do it all, and then some.

5. Because we have bad days and breakdowns and bawl-fests, and then we pick ourselves up and keep right on going.

6. Because we gracefully handle the stares, the comments, the rude remarks. Well, mostly gracefully.

7. Because we manage to get ourselves together and get out the door looking pretty damn good. Heck, we even make sweatpants look good.

8. Because we are strong. Man, are we strong. Who knew we could be this strong?

9. Because we aren’t just moms, wives, cooks, cleaners, chauffeurs, women who work. We are moms, wives, cooks, cleaners, chauffeurs, women who work, physical therapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, teachers, researchers, nurses, coaches, and cheerleaders. Whew.

10. Because we work overtime every single day.

11. Because we also worry overtime, but we work it through. Or we eat chocolate or Pirate's Booty or gourmet cheese, which aren't reimbursable by insurance as mental-health necessities but should be.

12. Because we are more selfless than other moms. Our kids need us more.

13. Because we give our kids with special needs endless love, and then we still have so much love left for our other kids, our husbands, our family. And our hairstylist, of course.

14. Because we inspire one another in this crazy blogosphere every single day.

15. Because we understand our kids better than anyone else—even if they can’t talk, even if they can’t gesture, even if they can't look us in the eye. We know. We just know.

16. Because we never stop pushing for our kids.

17. Because we never stop hoping for them, either.

18. Because just when it seems like things are going OK, they're suddenly not OK, but we deal. Somehow, we always deal, even when it seems like our heads or hearts might explode.

19. Because when we look at our kids we just see great kids. Not "kids with cerebral palsy/autism/Down syndrome/developmental delays/whatever label."
 

I stole this from my cousin's wife.  I found it perfect for my family this Mother's Day!  Isn't my Ollie sweet?  I tried to stamp this tiny hand to capture it this small with her little line for DS & she rubbed the stamp all over her face.  It was an epic fail.  So I captured it on camera instead :)