We all started somewhere… actually go back even further. When I was a kid, I didn’t know anything about forestry (my future college major) or the name of Seattle’s major league baseball team. Heck I probably never even thought about Seattle.

In third grade, I visited Washington D.C. and thought I’d like to end up on the east coast not the west coast. And certainly not in Ecuador, South America for a couple of years in my early twenties. I couldn’t speak Spanish when I was young but did study German in high school. At that time I was still thinking I’d head east and onward to Europe, even.

I had heard about asthma but I didn’t know anyone that actually had it. I respected people with disabilities.

I just didn’t really know much about them.

Myself, I had scoliosis surgery but never considered it a disability and instead it was just excuses to get out of school and go out to lunch with mom after my mid-day orthopedic appointments.
I didn’t know children could have strokes and I definitely didn’t know they could have them in-utero, a word I learned after my first pregnancy.

I didn’t learn about mitochondria until my college biology class. And I never knew the real importance of those little itty-bitty mitochondria until I had my third child who has mitochondrial disease.

Now, I know Spanish and I love Seattle’s baseball team, the Mariners.

I also know words like left-hemiplegia, mitochondrial disease, gastronomy-tube, complex IV, genetics, prednisone, orthotics, gastroenterologist, neurologist, neuro-developmental, Apraxia, albuterol, occupational therapy, physical therapy, hippotherapy, therapeutic horseback riding, etc. I know wheelchair brands, youth diaper brands, youth formula brands, and even names of different types of syringes. I know what FRC, IEP, SLP, OT, PT, and an assortment of other acronyms mean.

I know all this and so much more because I am a mother to three awesome children,                        two who have disabilities.

This blog is my chance to share my world of being a parent of children with special needs with those in the world that want to learn more, need this kind of thing and for those that need to know they are not alone.

Being the parent to my three kids is an amazing experience I could never have dreamed of when I was just starting out in life. I know I never dreamed that one day after I met my wonderful husband that we could have three kids, two with special needs.

Nope, I didn’t dream that dream but I get to live it with one of the best little families (yep, I’m biased) in the world. By living this life, I have not only become an awesome mother (remember, biased, here) but I have also become an expert.

I am THE expert of each of my children with special needs.

And with this blog, I hope to show how parents of children with special needs are truly the best expert for their children.