Dealing with delays

In everyday life we can encounter all sorts of delays. Flight delays, appointment delays etc. etc.
Everyday I deal with a much more serious delay, one that effects every member of my family. Myself, my husband and all four of our children.

That brings me back to the day I welcomed our first baby. Here I sat, looking into those blue eyes in total awe of this precious baby I help create, carried in my womb(us mommies) and now spent countless hours in labor. What a reward, the hard work was over....or so I thought. I lived having a small baby, one so dependent on myself and husband. The weeks passed and I found my self looking forward to her milestones. That first smile, coo, roll, sitting up, first tooth, crawling, walking and talking. Weeks turned to months and my first born was hitting all those big milestones right on track( as on track as society has laid out) I was beaming!
Our second was born, this time a son and like my first those big milestones were just as big! Like big sister, he did it all on time. I was now 2 for 2.

This brings me to our third born, another daughter. She was perfect. A 7 pound baby, with her own personality and I love her as much as the older two. Time flies when you have kids, and she was getting older. I sat back and waited for her to hit those baby milestones. Im guilty for expecting her to be just like her big siblings.
I know that no two babies are the same, not even identical twins.
After she smiled later, coo'd later, sat up later, even crawled and walked a lot later I never have up hope(after all her middle name is Hope) that she would talk right on time. Two very fast years had passed, red flags flew up left and right. Deep in my gut at this point I knew something was going on. She is/was delayed. To this day it breaks my heart and we struggle all the time. Today, she's a very active and for the most part normal and well adjusted three year old. But, she's severely delayed in her speech, and it's just as frustrating for her as it is for the rest of us. Trying to understand what she wants and needs is so hard!
When society sees a child with a delay in speech they all want to diagnose said child with autism. Is she? Maybe, but I've not found myself at the ends I work with her daily, she's been in speech and soon will be go to a preschool aimed at children with developmental delays. This will be great!

I still find myself questioning above, asking why?! But, I get put in check real fast. There is so much more that could be wrong, and as hard as it is....I'm thankful this delay is all we face(for now).
I'm hoping someone whose been in the same situation stumbles across my blog and can lend some helpful tips, or advice. Because dealing with delays can be heartbreaking as much as its frustrating.