Thanks!!!

I agree…my almost 12-year old son ALWAYS tells me he loves me, every day, multiple times. But he hears his dad and I say it to each other, and we say it to them every day.

When I married my husband, he had three children that I have helped him raise for the last 15 years. The oldest had severe ADD, the youngest Down syndrome. We went through genetic counseling and were advised that any future children would have no more of a chance of being disabled than any other couple. Our son, however, was born with a cataract in his left eye that required weekly eye doctor appointments and daily patching until he was 18 months old, at which point he had surgery, got bifocal glasses and continued patching until 4th grade. When he was 2 1/2, he developed a seizure disorder that almost killed him and he has blood work done every 6 weeks to 3 months to monitor the seizure med levels. Last year, he was diagnosed with Asperger’s and continues to be challenged with all of the ramifications that come with that, and several months ago, we discovered he had PICA (severely low iron levels) for which he must take two pills a day and have regular blood tests.

My point is, I wouldn’t change a thing. Each of our kids has presented us with challenges and placed demands on our lives that I never could have foreseen being something I could handle, but the joy and pride and undiluted, unconditional love I’ve experienced has made it all worth it – I would have ten more if I could!

That being said, YOU can decide whether or not having more children is right for you. You are an amazing mom, doing the best you can with your child, and if you need your energy to meet your baby’s needs and don’t think you should have another child, then that’s what is right for you…and no one should judge you for that!!