You know you have a child with special needs when...

1. You view toys as 'therapy'
2. You don't take a new day for granted
3. Everything is an educational opportunity instead of just having plain old fun
4. You cheer instead of scold when they blow bubbles in their juice while sitting at the dinner table (that's speech therapy), smear ketchup all over their high chair (that's OT), or throw their toys (that's PT)
5. You teach your child HOW to pull things out of the cupboard, off the bookcases, and that feeding the dog from the table is fun
6. Your vocabulary consists of all the letters OT, PT, SP, ASD, VSD, IFSP, etc
7. You keep your appointment with the specialist even though a tropical storm is raging because you just want to get this one over with.....you waited 8 months to get it.....and besides, no one else will be there!
8. Fighting and wrestling with siblings is considered PT
9. When the Doctors/Specialist/Hospitals etc. all know you by your name without referring to your chart
10. His medical file is several inches thick and growing"

**I found this posted on a message board I belong to.

Smash Cake

Happy Birthday to our sweet baby boy!

March for Babies!

As you might be aware, our family has been touched by the March of Dimes mission to prevent birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. That's why we have formed a Family Team to raise money and participate in March for Babies. Please join us in our fundraising efforts by making a donation to our walk.

Your gift will fund research and programs that help moms have full-term pregnancies and babies begin healthy lives. It will also be used to bring comfort and information to families with a baby in newborn intensive care. Evan was born at 41 weeks with an increased respiratory rate and spent 12 days in the NICU. We will be walking in support of the March for Babies because of how grateful we are for the care he received at the hospital.

Please support this important work. Contributing to our team online is fast, easy and secure. You can make a donation with your credit card, or if you prefer, cash or a check is fine, too.

To make a donation, visit my personal web page at http://www.marchforbabies.org/ejm

If you would like to learn more about March for Babies, visit the web site at marchforbabies.org.

Evan's 1st Birthday

Our sweet baby boy turned one years old. We celebrated his birthday with our family and friends at Gymboree. Evan was just getting over a cold and unfortunately was not feeling too great so we decided to wait to do the smash cake until he was feeling better. I will post pictures this weekend of him eating his cake. I can't believe it has been a year already. I can't wait to see what this year brings!