Motherhood is hard

Sometimes being a mom is just hard.  I'm not complaining.  It's the hand I was dealt and truthfully I'm just thankful to have healthy happy children, but once in a while, I just want things to be easy.  We've had a lot going on this week.  I finally got an appointment for Paxton at the Kennedy Krieger Institute for a feeding evaluation.  Today, he had speech therapy.  He's doing better with his speech.  He has a few more words now:  Go, Pop, Mama, Dada, Nana, Night Night, In, Boo...and maybe a couple more that I can't think of right now.  While his speech is improving, his feeding/eating is not.  I have so many questions.  Is he getting enough food/calories?  It's hard to measure when he is still eating baby food.  How can I help him feed himself or better yet, chew solid food?  It is so frustrating when you see your child struggling with something and you don't know how to help.  How can I send him to a learning center/preschool in the fall if he can't feed himself?  I just feel helpless sometimes.  

While Mia does not have any issues with speech (other than backtalk and sassiness), she does have potty issues.  My 3 1/2 year old refuses to poop on the potty.  We've tried everything--rewards, potty charts, prizes, putting a diaper in her potty, giving her privacy, etc.).  She said she is scared because it hurts.   Once again, I don't know how to fix the problem.  We've read all of the books and even gone as far as to offer to buy her an ipad if she starts pooping on the potty.  Yes, we are that desperate.  

Is there anyone out there that has experienced any of these issues?  Is there anything that worked for you?