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A Day in the Life of Special Needs

So today I took Kaydence for an appointment for new orthotics. We drove to Normangee because the very friendly orthotist was fitting kids there and we are on spring break, so by going there he didn't have to schedule an extra day to come to Centerville. I was excited to only have to drive as far as Normangee because it feels like we have to drive so far for EVERYTHING. I felt blessed today to be able to load up my three kiddos and drive 30 minutes or less down the road for a very necessary service. I also feel completely blessed that the PT took the time to line this up and I didn't have to. When your child needs a lot of appointments, you just get very tired of making all of the appointments. It's a lot of work to be a personal assistant and schedule it all!

Even better than all of that, is that I had the chance to meet with the PT and PTA who work with Kaydence. When we first began her journey a year ago at the school, we heard some words like "electric wheelchair" to help her be more mobile. I loathed those words because I know that though it may take a little extra time, my daughter will walk because she is so hard headed...I mean, determined. Haha. So in today's conversation, wheelchair was never mentioned. Instead, I heard words like determined, motivated, able, and walk on her own someday. They were so positive and those ladies believe in her. They know she is capable and wants to be mobile and independent. The PT reiterated several times that she has something you cannot teach a child, and that is motivation. She is 100% correct! I work with kids everyday and I know that there are some brilliant kids who have no motivation to do anything with it. They also talked about how smart Kaydence is and how quickly she learns. Talk about warming my heart! I think she is all of those things, but I'm her mother and it's my job to think those things, to believe in her, and to push her.

We also visited about her goals for the next year in school because next week is her ARD meeting at school. I like someone asking me what I think about her goals, even though most of the time I'm not sure what I need to ask for. I'm just so happy with what she gets at school, and what she can do now, that I don't know what else to work for. I also don't know what is available. I am learning everyday, but I will never figure it all out without some expert guidance.

So you might be wondering about the two big kids during all of this. They were great. They watched some, played on my phone some, and Abigail got right in the middle of Kaydence being casted for her orthotics. This opened up some great conversation on the way home about future careers. Wade is focused on the NBA currently, and I won't ever say he can't because that boy has a real passion for basketball, but we talked about what a great career there is in helping kids like Kaydence learn to live independently. I will keep hammering away at thoughts like these because my kids have compassionate hearts and I have a feeling that God will point them to careers where this compassion is key. I look so forward to seeing what they can do. Kids are a blessing and we must take care of these blessings. My favorite movie quote is from Steve Martin in Cheaper By the Dozen, "If I screw up raising my kids, nothing else in life matters much."

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