We are headed to a pool and our three boys are so excited. We have a long drive ahead of us…3 hours! In Sawyer’s mind that’s ‘like two whole days!’ Cooper is wonderful in the car which is night and day different than it used to be. He’s been packed and ready to go since first light this morning. And by packed I don’t mean clothes…I mean his treasures. They are in that bag he is holding. It’s his happy stuff. The baby is the most challenging one in the…
Last week I brought my son to his hockey practice. It had been a long day and honestly I was so excited to sit in the bleachers, put my feet up, and relax. And of course I was happy to watch my son. For the next hour I watched him do drills, scrolled through Facebook, answered work emails, and peeked at Pinterest. When I met him after to take his skates off, the first thing he said to me was…’you spent the whole time on your phone doing your job.…
My son, Your birthday is in 8 days. You have been counting down since mid December. You love your birthday. And you love being older. So much so that you are already telling people you are 8 years old. I lovingly correct you every time, reminding you that you are still my 7 year old. I also threaten you with a potion that will keep you little forever. But you have no time for that nonsense. You want to grow up. I want time to stop. Last night you snuggled…
Yesterday I got the email from a special education teacher. “You’re daughter is getting an F in math”. But my mind is far from academics at the moment. My mind is on the ortho surgery my 15 year old daughter with ASD, ADHD (combo type), OCD, SPD, GAD and severe depression will have this coming Monday. She told the surgeon ‘to hurry the fu*k up’ when he was putting on hand sanitizer entering the consult room the other day. My mind is on counting calories to prevent introducing a new med due to her recent weight gain. Weight gain caused by a medication we do…
From the moment you get news of a baby on the way, Mother’s focus is on the best way to take care of this beautiful little human. We read books, talk to other Mothers, restrict our diet, and wonder what it will be like when we meet our baby. We often worry if we are making the right choices and if we mothering correctly. After we hold our baby, we focus on Mothering. Is the baby sleeping enough? Should we breastfeed or bottle-feed, when should they try their first bite…
Hi. My name is Carrie. I have five kids, and my second son has autism. His name is Jack. He is sixteen years old. For me, autism brings a trifecta of hope, grief, and peace. Hope is the bundle of rocks I carry everywhere I go. Grief is the small box of feathers I let myself open every once in a while. And peace? Well, that is the long, jagged mountain I climb, clutching my bundle of hope and a box full of feathers. Jack and my firstborn, Joseph, are…
Living 36 years of my life having a brother with a disability has made me embrace the things I can’t change. Being the sibling of a brother with a disability has taught me many life lessons, and one of those lessons I’m sharing today in this blog. There is one thing that all families who have a child/sibling with a disability have experienced more often than not…….People who stare. When they notice a difference in the people around them, they stare. When they observe or hear a different form of…
Dear Jonah, You’re 11 today! How time has flown! There were a million things I wanted to write to you on your birthday card this morning but didn’t want to get too mushy. Birthdays are supposed to be fun and lighthearted. What I wanted to tell you is how proud I am of you. I know it can be difficult at times having a brother with special needs, especially when it’s your twin. There have been times you have told me you feel like the older brother and I get…
There’s a meme that’s been circulating Facebook this week. It reads: ‘In my day, they didn’t have all this Autism and ADHD and stuff.’ ‘I think what you mean is that people used to go undiagnosed and get absolutely no help and were forced to suffer through their lives because they had zero support or understanding.’ Every time this pops up in my newsfeed, it reminds me of the worry I felt the day I explained to my then 84 and 85 year old Grandparents that my young daughter, Evie,…
Hi, my name is Adrian and I am accused of being an over-sharer. I concede. While I’m sure many do not relish my photographic exploits (particularly of myself), sharing terrible photos tickles me. It’s the same reason I share that I weigh 181 pounds. Damn prednisone and IVIG and maybe those bagels with cream cheese for breakfast the past three weeks. It doesn’t hurt my feelings if you b*tch and moan about that kind of mess.Or if you go apesh*t that I use the term “Karen.” FYI, its mainly people…
