So...

"How do you do it?"

I probably get this question at least once a day. 

They are referring to raising an autistic 3 year-old with seemingly boundless energy, and a spirited(to use a nice word) 16 month-old.

What kind of question is that?  What do you mean how do I do it?  I do it because I have to.  Am I just supposed to say, "ah, forget it, this is too hard."  While any mother would admit that she has had moments where she was close to that point, something happens that makes it all worthwhile.  All the crying, yelling, hitting, breaking up fights, the days where you feel like you are just a set of udders for your nursing baby, when you can't remember that last time you peed without an audience, when you are so close to that breaking point, it happens. 

Your baby cups your face, looks into your eyes and says "Momma".  Any mom will tell you this is one of the best things about being a mom, but my "baby" was 3 when he did this, which made it all the more worth it.  And it is just as special when my daughter says it. 

So, I guess that is my answer to that question.  Yeah, it is hard sometimes, and I don't have the fairy tale life I may have imagined, but those little moments that take mere seconds, those are how I "do it".