ready for anything.

The dolphin trainer had to stop her live demonstration. She dove straight down to retrieve a rogue object that was thrown in the pool. It was my phone, still playing the YouTube video Jude was watching just seconds before. She got bored and decided to chuck it into the dolphin tank.

Jude if is the embodiment of the phrase "watch this". She even has a particular small grin reserved for when she's about to go for it.

Special needs parents have to be ready for anything. Our head is on a swivel 24=7. We're watching sharp corners, we're clearing the path for them to walk, we're literally holding their hand. It's part of the job. For our family, it's like having a child that never grew out of the "let's explore everything" phase.

You can certainly try, but you'll never catch everything. Here are some examples.

• I'm typing on Megan's computer because Jude dumped water on my MacBook keyboard to splash around. What is it with this kid and water?

• Jude wears adaptive clothing to bed. It's designed to safely stay on during the night, but she still wakes up naked from time to time. How?

• She ran from Megan in the mall recently, smiling and dodging other shoppers. I think she made it 50 yards before Megan caught up to her. She's surprisingly fast.

• Jude sits on our dog. She consistently forgets that we have a pet and just plops on her.

• She'll dump clean clothes on the floor to sit in the basket.

• She once tried to push a kid down at an aquarium. He was this little toddler with an epic, full mullet. I blame the hair.

Next time you see a special needs parent be kind. Remember they are likely exhausted, but somehow still on full alert. Adrenaline and coffee go a long way.

Also, about my phone in the dolphin tank? It was a work phone and I had to explain what had happened. I'm still not convinced that they believed me.

God give parents like us supernatural energy. And continue to protect our kids from unseen harm. And thank you for the funny stories. Amen.