Wednesday was an emotional day for me. The emotions and memories hit me when Kaitlyn was talking about a drawing on the fridge. It’s one she drew herself. Her teacher wrote a note on it: “Kaitlyn: This is mom cooking tacos for me. This is the best taco in the world. I love it.” Kaitlyn had described to her teacher what the drawing was about. It certainly doesn’t look like a taco to me, but when #YourExtraordinaryKid tells you it’s a taco, you just believe.
I’ve learned to never underestimate her. She’s always seen things differently; better. She adores me. I feel it. I know it. She loves me. Kaitlyn and her triplet brothers had such a hard start in life. They were born three months early at barely two pounds each. You wouldn’t know that by looking at them today. Aside from the many complications they still had related to their prematurity, they were all diagnosed with Autism. They had been receiving a variety of therapy since coming home from the NICU. Soon they had a slew of other therapies. Kaitlyn and one of her triplet brothers began having seizures and the two of them were also diagnosed with Epilepsy. I wanted to learn everything I could about Autism, Epilepsy, and my role in supporting them.
That’s when I started looking for the best resources. I found out that Stanford Children’s Health and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford has been the top-ranked children’s hospital in Northern California for over a decade. Stanford Children’s Health doctors can be reached within 10 miles of most homes in the San Francisco Bay Area. They have made huge strides in Autism research and offer a variety of support services. Whether your visit is routine or rare, Stanford Children’s Health is committed to providing extraordinary care for healthier happy lives. As a mom, giving my children happy lives is my ultimate goal. What makes your kid extraordinary isn’t just the epic stuff. It’s the little things. The small moments that maybe only you see and quietly celebrate every day. For me, it was Kaitlyn’s picture of imaginary tacos the other day. So you see, when my daughter told her teacher that she drew a picture of me making the best taco in the world, and that she loves it; I just melted away. Those are the moments that happy lives are made of. Even if no one else understands why that picture means the world to me, I think it’s extraordinary!
In the last two years, the triplets have all flourished. I will never doubt what they are capable of doing. Kaitlyn and ALL of her brothers are my heroes. I am grateful for happy lives. I bet you feel the same about your child. AND YOU SHOULD!
Your kid, and every kid, is extraordinary. Celebrate #yourextraordinarykid. Share your love, hope and pride for your extraordinary kid by creating a personalized video that captures what makes them one-of-a-kind. Check out the one I made right here!
I hope you’ll come back and share the link to your video in the comments! I can’t wait to see YOUR Extraordinary Kids.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
By: Alicia Gonzalez
