HI! I'm Mikayla and I have a disABILITY!

The following person in this conversation will remain nameless. Let's just call this person "uneducated." I was talking with Uneducated about Mikayla and her special needs, most of which have suddenly grown worse over the past two months. Uneducated proceeds to tell me that "this is what Kris and I get for adopting a kid from a third world country." At this point, I walk away from the conversation because honestly, everything in me wanted to smack the person and 1.) that is not very ladylike and 2.) that would not have been a good example.

Let me tell you something. Mikayla's special needs consume our everyday life. I do not come on this blog and complain about them. In fact, for the most part I do not even TALK about them. It's not that I have a problem talking about them because in fact, the opposite is true. I LOVE talking about it and educating people. However, most of the time I internally deal with the sadness accompanied by the lack of understanding about Mikayla's conditions and the lack of support from some (not all) of our family and friends.

Mikayla is developmentally nearly a year delayed in her cognitive and fine motor skills. She also has a significant speech delay. Her sensory issues have intensified to the point of craziness over the past two months as she still cannot communicate appropriately and does not have the proper sensory equipment in our house to help her. Each day Kris and I deal with these issues. Each day we watch her play with toys that developmentally she should have quit playing with nearly a year ago. Each day we watch as she spits up her food, chews it into a paste and pukes it out to play with it, or flat out refuses to eat anything at all. Each day we make her formula to drink because besides a SLIGHT tolerance to apple juice she cannot and will not drink anything else. Each day I have to think about what I am doing that is going to throw her into either sensory overload from too much stimulation or sensory meltdown from not getting enough. The list goes on and on and on. Do I complain? No. Do I look at my daughter and wish we wouldn't have adopted her. No. That is just absurd.

This is NOT what we "get" for adopting from Guatemala. We were fully prepared for the things that could happen when we went into this. We knew issues could arise. My gosh! They can arise with a biological child just as easily!!!

My problem? Well it's the lack of understanding from people. There are a lot of wonderful people in my life that care about my children enough to understand their exceptionalities and uniqueness and there are others that don't even try to "get it" and rather either ignore it or don't want to learn.

Please, take a moment to learn why Mikayla is the way she is. She has SENSORY INTEGRATION DYSFUNCTION. She will ALWAYS have this but with therapy it can improve. She does not act like typical children, she does not eat like typical children, she cannot handle social situations (typically) like other children, she does not talk like other children, and she does not handle typical everyday stimulation like typical children. Why? Because that is just Mikayla. Sweet Mikayla who has a disABILITY. She has the ability to do whatever she wants in life in her own unique way. She has touched the lives of many and changed them for the better. Her drive and loving personality are amazing.

But please, don't think we are bad parents if she hits you in the face because you are too close to her and upsetting her. She can't HELP it. And please, when she can't talk don't tell us that it's because she is thinking in Spanish because that has nothing to do with it. Please, when she pulls clumps of hair out of her Dora doll tell her AWESOME because at least it's not HER hair and we have finally been able to divert that behavior. And when she melts down in a group of people don't tell me that we should do this or that because it won't work....the only thing that WILL work is removing her from the situation. And lastly, when she takes the piece of food you gave her, mashes it up and spits it back at you....don't be surprised because that's what she does.

Mikayla attends Eastgate, an early intervention school certified by the NAEYC which is AMAZING. She has made progress...but she isn't your typical little girl...and likely never will be. And that's OK. We wouldn't trade her for anything in the world. We love this little food mashing, hair-pulling, social meltdowning, constantly on the move little girl with all our hearts.

Please love her too....UNconditionally.

I am now stepping down from my platform:-)

READ MY SHIRT PEOPLE....C IS FOR CUTE!