Having a daughter with special needs changes the landscape of parenting from day one.  What came naturally for our boys over a matter of weeks ends up being a multi-year victory for her.  Take, for example, potty training.  How amazing is it to say to our daughter “time to go potty!” and have her lead the way to the bathroom?  Answer: very.  The internal parental dialogue goes like this: you mean to tell me you strategically held on to your urine until this moment?  That’s amazing!  (Applause!)

These are the little victories.  They make the next steps, which seem so tall, truly reachable.