Visiting “the big robot” as a 5 year old

Today was Lily’s yearly MRI, and it seems fitting that my “Big Medical Tests – When Kids Have to Be Brave Beyond Their Years” post from last year popped up in my memories on Facebook. This year, her brave pillow looks much more worn, and her face looked super nervous as we entered the hospital for the […]

Where to buy shoes when your feet are two different sizes

One of the questions I’ve been asked a few times is whether I’ve heard of any resources for people who need two differently sized shoes due to two differently sized feet. I’d heard rumor that Nordstrom will sell two different sizes shoes, so I went investigating. And guess what? It’s TRUE! And you know what? […]

A fabulous day for clothes & shoes!

When I think of all challenges we’ve faced over the last 4 years, the two that rear their ugly heads over and over again are clothes and shoes. Clothes: Over AFOs & twister cables Every day when I pick out Lily’s clothes, my mind is running scenarios. “Hmmm… I know these pants fit over her braces, but […]

Big Medical Tests: When kids have to be brave beyond their years

In early November, time came for Lily’s yearly spine and brain MRI. This test starts to stress me out months before it happens. It’s an hour and a half long (so so so long for a little kid), and each time we hope for the best (all is stable), while knowing that one of these […]

What does a peanut have to do with special needs parenting?

When tackling a herculean task, the people I work with will sometimes say “we just need to push the peanut forward.” I know, it’s a strange phrase, but I love the concept. What the saying means is that when a challenge is overwhelmingly large, and it feels like ultimate success may not ever be achieved, we should focus […]

3 Lessons I learned about bravely asking bold questions

One of the tasks I found the most difficult when I was pregnant with my daughter was calling a daycare center to inquire about her attending. I simply could NOT make myself pick up the phone and dial. I delayed… and delayed… and delayed. At that time, it felt like the many pieces of me were […]

Building your “Medical Gut”

A few years ago, soon after starting a new job, I was asked to answer an important business question by a senior leader in the organization. The problem: I didn’t have the right data on hand to answer the question because the report had not yet arrived from the supplier. My manager nonchalantly told me, “Just go with your gut. What does it tell you?” […]