To all of Boo's "Mothers"

I have mentioned many times about all of the wonderful people we have had in our lives, but this Mother's Day, I really want to say "thank you" to all of Boo's other "mothers".  In roughly chronological order...

Miss W came into our lives when he was almost 2.  She was his preschool teacher, and so much more.  She helped potty-train him, diagnosed his chicken pox, and loved him unconditionally.  When he was in the ER from a nasty fall, she and her cousins (who also loved Boo like family) overran the place and refused to be told that there was a limit to the number of people who could come back to the exam area.  All they needed was to see that he was OK.

T's and J's mom, S, was always there for him.  For a few years, we were both single moms and regularly pooled resources.  We shared meals, laughs and tears.

Stacy, my best friend from HS, has always been  there for us, but became an even more awesome resource when Boo entered school.  She is a special education teacher, and fellow mother, so she was able to give me very practical advice on how to prepare for the dozens of IEP meetings we have had over the years.  On a more personal note, a very large portion of my AT&T minutes have been spent on the phone with her venting about the trials and tribulations of my life. 

I have mentioned Kellie before, as well as her complete lack of maternal desires.  (Frankly, I was shocked when she got a dog, and dogs are WAY less work than kids!)  She has known Boo since he was about 6, and has always been his buddy.  A few days before I got married, and Boo was freaking out about a variety of things, she was amazing.  We sat in her car outside a restaurant a few days before the ceremony and she was encouraging him to vent and get it all out before we went in to have dinner with some folks.  He would rant for a minute, then pause, and she would ask "Is that all?  Are you done, or is there anything else you are thinking?"  He would take a deep breath, and spew some more.  Finally, he had nothing else to say, we went in, and had a fabulous evening.

C and his mom L are still such a big part of our lives that their whole family adopted us.  C's grandparents have had us at their farm for Thanksgiving several times and there have been too many great memories to ever put in a single list.  L's sister-in-law (J) and I have decided that we are probably sisters separated at birth!

I have mentioned Boo's teachers, Mrs. V and Mrs. G before in True Thankfulness (sans the snark).  As his senior year comes to a close, I cannot help but really gush about them.  They love him so much that they put in hours of work to help him and his date (K) get ready for Prom.  They met with them to answer all of their questions and prepared a Social Story.  Since neither of these kids drive yet, they picked them up, took them to dinner, and then dropped them off at Prom.  Mrs. V sent me a couple of text messages and posted a few pictures during dinner to assure me that they were all having fun.  When I picked him up, he even said, "I had a great time!" and he meant it.

These are just a few of the amazing women that have become my sisters in this journey.  They are Boo's other mothers and are a big part of the reason that he is what he is today.  I love you, and more importantly, Boo loves you.