Another way to look at it...

Up until a few days ago, when things where doom and gloom at school with John, I would ask myself, during my monthly self-pity party, "why me? Why John? I did everything right with him during pregnancy. I have never smoked in my life, I do not drink, I took all my prenatals, I ate right, I was on bedrest... why does John have special needs?"

After our committee evaluation the last two weeks, I was told John is "a rare child". His intelligence is MENSA worthy, he is a genius, not just because of his vocabulary but because of the way he has made sense of the world around, of the intricate connections he understands and the way he interacts... Genius indeed...

I knew my kid was smart, but hearing it from the "horse's mouth" after two weeks of every imaginable testing has really boosted my spirits and hopes for John.
So I started looking at it like this: John, as a fetus, faced dire odds. He wasn't supposed to survive as we were told in our 20 week anatomy scan... yet, he survived against all odds for 16 whole weeks and we surpased our 28 week mark by 8 whole weeks... and I got a living, breathing child, albeit bruised and battle scarred.

And this is how I look at it now... BECAUSE I never smoked and never drink... BECAUSE I stayed in bed for 16 weeks sleeping in a sitting position... BECAUSE I took all my prenatals and ate right... John survived in me against all odds.. and because of all that, when he suffered brain damage in utero and his brain was forced to re-wire, something happened then, something developed in his brain and not only he is able to talk and walk with only mild CP, he is also very very smart...

So I did everything right and my son survived... and he is perfect to my eyes... and if his lazy ass teacher and everyone else who shunned him away can't see that... TOO BAD FOR THEM!! my son knows he is loved, he is secure in his knowledge he is unique and I feel sorry for anyone who will not look beyond his awkward gait and the things he can't do, to see the gem he is and the things he CAN do...especially when he is the ONLY one of his peers who can do them, including his twin brother.

I am so happy it IS me who has John :) I am so blessed!! :)