Mom & Grace hanging out..

Hey everyone! I want to share this great experience I had with my 'mini me' yesterday.. for some mom's it might seem insignificant, but for a Mom with a Special Needs Daughter..it was very significant & will be treasured.

Grace & I went shopping... yup, we picked up another friend, and we went to a craft fair.. Grace in her walker, walked all the way in from the parking lot and around the craft fair like she owned the building.. so much independence and freedom.. she walked around, said 'hi' to people, looked at the different booths of things they were all selling.. picked out new scrunchies, got a halloween bracelet and a spider ring (which we lost :( ), smelled some soaps and candles..

It's not the first time, Grace and I have hung out just the two of us..there's been many of those times (especially in the last 12 weeks, while my husband was laid up from a broken hip) but this was more special.. it was freedom for Grace. One of our favorite people, Auntie Pam always takes Grace's walker when she goes out with Grace.. they walk up and down Walgreens aisle's, walmart aisles and everywhere else.. but usually when Grace goes out with us..she holds our hands in between Husband & I.. but yesterday was different.. I was thinking if we are walking into a building and I wanted the flexibility to look around myself, I didn't want it to be a chore.. I want Grace to have freedom and independence to and that's what she indeed had. And it was an awesome experience for both of us.

The moral of the story.. is that these are the things that Moms want to do with their daughters and maybe even want to do by themselves..but when you're a mom with a child that walks different, or uses something different to get around in it can be that feeling of nah, i dont want to go.. it's "too much".. but you know what.. I'm glad we went together... I felt like I was a mom of a 10 year old girl shopping together.. the best feeling in the world.. and I'm sure Grace felt it too.. independence & freedom to walk around where she wanted to.

Don't take advantage Mom's out there of 'typical' kids.. embrace who they are! :) I know I sure did and will continue too..

--pattie