Special Moms

There it was, nestled in a March 11, 2007, journal entry titled “Brainstorm of Topics for Books on Mothering.”  More than seven years before I left my career as a speech-language pathologist, I set a goal to write at least one book on mothering.

Special Moms was one of many titles I brainstormed that day. I wanted to share stories about moms who had unique journeys to and through motherhood. There’s beauty to be found in any battle, especially motherhood.

When I started dreaming about writing way back in 2003, the original vision was to become an author of real, relevant and raw books on mothering. That dream has since morphed. I’ve never claimed to be a “mom blogger,” but I’m not afraid to blog about motherhood. I no longer envision a future as a sole author of mom books, but I’m sure there’s a book or two about motherhood in me.

While this isn’t a book, the heart of Special Moms is alive and well!

In 2013, I made the Special Moms dream come alive with a month-long guest post series titled Special Mamas. In 2014, I intended to run the series again, but time got away from me, so I wrote a series titled Motherhood Unraveled instead. In 2015, I resurrected Special Mamas as the annual guest post series I originally intended it to be, and went ALL IN with a total of 13 guest posts!

So here we are. It’s time to launch the Third Annual Special Mamas blog series!

During the month of May, I’ll be hosting 10 Special Mamas.

10 Special Mamas will write guest posts.

10 Special Mamas will share their unique stories to and through motherhood.

10 Special Mamas will reveal their hopes and dreams for motherhood.

10 Special Mamas will get vulnerable.

10 Special Mamas will expose bits of themselves that are raw and real.

10 Special Mamas will impart wisdom.

10 Special Mamas will uncover beauty in least expected places.

10 Special Mamas will proclaim the hope they’ve found, the love they’ve shared.

10 Special Mamas will share the newfound perspectives they’ve discovered along the way.

Katie fell in love with a father of twins who lost his wife to Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Click here to read Katie’s guest post, Grace at its Finest.

Lisa’s son was diagnosed with Isovaleric Acidemia, a rare metabolic disorder that threatened his life within days of his birth. Click here to read Lisa’s guest post, Dealing with a Rare Disease Diagnosis. 

Jess became a mama quickly, patiently through international adoption, then unexpectedly after a long road through unexplained secondary infertility. Click here to read Jess’ guest post, Quickly, Patiently and Unexpectedly.

My younger sister, Tiffany, has a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder – bipolar type. Tiffany honored our mom’s unique journey through motherhood with a guest post thanking her for all the ways she’s supported my sister from childhood to current day. Click here to read Tiffany’s guest post, Thank You, Mom! 

One year ago, Cindy and her husband adopted a sweet boy with Down syndrome, which added to their already beautifully-formed family of 2 biological children, 3 adopted foster children, and 1 biological daughter with Down syndrome. Click here to read Cindy’s guest post, What I Couldn’t Tell You Then.

Aprille is a special mama of two. Her son has multiple behavioral diagnoses, and her husband is an Afghanistan veteran who struggles with anxiety. On the best of days, Aprille feels like she’s barely managing. Click here to read Aprille’s guest post, When Your Special Needs Family Wears You Thin. 

Dawn’s 11-year-old daughter has a rare genetic abnormality which resulted in severe neurological issues, severe intellectual/developmental disabilities, neuromuscular issues, G.I. issues, common variable immune deficiency, vision issues, and cardiac concerns. She will require full-time caregiving for the rest of her life. Click here to read Dawn’s guest post, Through the Darkness of Our Challenges, the Light of Joy Prevails.

Jill grew up in a family in which “denial, shaming and blaming were key coping strategies.” When she became a stepmom, she was forced to face the pain of her past. Click here to read Jill’s guest post, How Being a Stepmom Helped Me Understand My Mother.

Caroline and Mike tried for years, met with fertility specialists, tried infertility treatments, and experienced more than one miscarriage. They have now decided to grow their family through adoption! Click here to read Caroline’s post, Our Journey of Loss, Faith and Hope.

Disa is a mom of FIVE, including a set of QUADRUPLETS! She’s discovered many hidden blessings as a mama of quads. Click here to read Disa’s post, Hidden Blessings.

10 Brave Mamas.

10 Special Mamas.

Friends, you are going to LOVE these mamas. I’ve found great authenticity and hope in their stories, and I know you will, too.

Motherhood is beautiful, life-changing, and of utmost importance. Motherhood is indeed a calling. But motherhood is also incredibly real. It tests us and takes us on journeys we never imagined in our wildest dreams. It brings all varieties of special circumstances we never thought we’d have to face. When we whole-heartedly embrace our unique journey to and through motherhood, beauty emerges, hope emerges. Motherhood produces fruit in our lives like nothing else.

So let’s be real. Let’s be raw. Let’s learn together. Because the truth is, we’re all Special Mamas.

This post serves as the landing page for Special Mamas 2016. ALL 10 guest posts will be linked in the post above. I put the Special Mamas graphic in the right sidebar of my blog’s home page. Anytime you want to read a post from the series, go to the blog at amybethpederson.com, click on the Special Mamas graphic, and it will bring you to this post. We’ll be writing a little book here throughout the month! Come. Enjoy. Be filled with beauty, hope and truth about motherhood.