Christmas time has always been my favorite time of year. The lights, love, festivities. The family and friends. Growing up my mom and dad made Christmas magical even if they had to go without. My mom would bake and decorate the house beautifully. You could feel the love the minute you walked in the house. I always wanted to give my kids the same magical feeling. As I got older, I understood that the magic of Christmas came from my parents. It didn’t come from a store. Having a child…
There is something about the December month that brings with it a sparkle. With twinkling lights, colder weather, Santa, Christmas trees, and advent calendars. Each year I love more and more the quick turnaround from Thanksgiving to the Christmas season, turkeys to Christmas cookies. Maybe it’s the kids getting older, that I am getting older, or that I have just learned to appreciate the special December festivities. A sweet glimpse of time as we reflect on the year past and what it has given us. It feels like a season…
As I was tucking these two in the other night, Sawyer said to his brother and I…‘I’m going to sleep in my room tonight Cooper.’ Cooper popped up quickly and distinctly shook his head and said a very serious…’no.’ This is huge for a few reasons. For one, my now ten year old just recently learned how to shake his head no. Its a skill that takes motor planning and didn’t come naturally to my sweet boy. It’s also pretty cute. He also vocalized NO. That’s new. I sat there…
I wrote an essay recently about how my 16-year old son Jack got a job, and then a promotion, at local restaurant. This might not seem like a big deal, but Jack has autism. He struggles with regulation, executive functioning, severe anxiety, and communication. In other words, he jumps around a lot, he has little to no working memory, he’s afraid of loud noises, and he can be a little, uh, abrupt. A few days ago, I got an email from a lovely young woman, describing her own journey to…
We have been all together since Thursday at 4:30 pm. Well, actually since March, but whose keeping track. We’ve mostly been inside and haven’t really left the house. It’s cold outside so walks aren’t ideal. Coops doesn’t like to be cold and he definitely considers 24 degrees to be cold. Car rides are still a challenge for our family of five (mostly for the dad!) so we avoid those. Little people are very loud in cars. Dad doesn’t like loud and mom gets anxious because of it. And there is…
2020 has been a hard year for most. Filled with uncertainty, fear, confusion, sleepless nights, isolation and more. We call that a Tuesday in our house. Truthfully not too much has changed in 2020 for us. Yes, we have less appointments and therapies, but the fear, the isolation, the constant anxiety. That’s every day for us. Now there is talk of an end, a vaccine, a possible return to normal. People of course are debating it but the end goal of all of this, is a return to normal. Dinner…
I want you to know something. I want you to know that I hear you when you say his screams are too loud. That I see you when the disappointment of delayed plans hits or when a need overshadows a want. That I understand when things don’t go the way you had hoped. I want you to know that I’m painfully aware at how much our world has tipped upside down. From the emergency c-section, to the American way of postpartum care that failed. The 14 months of 24/7 care…
The letter came with the bills, two fliers, and a reminder that I desperately need to contact a random place for my extended car warranty. I tossed the trash and ripped open the letter. The words burned in my head and my vision blurred. “Mrs. Fields, this letter is to inform you that your son, Marvin Fields, has an IQ of XX and has an Intellectual Disability.” The letter went on with all sorts of reasoning for this and the need for “immediate intervention” so “the realms of hell and…
When I think of the great teachers I have had throughout my life, I think of the typical ones many of us have had. A high school teacher. A family member. Someone we look up too but have never met. But if I was to truly answer the question honestly, I would tell you that my greatest teacher has been my son Cooper. He is 10. His autism was discovered at age 3, although it was no secret when the paper was slid across the table to us. It was…
Beautiful things are happening between these two brothers. Things that we weren’t sure would happen. Things we accepted may never happen. Because we just didn’t know. They have never played a game together, at least not in the traditional sense. Sawyer tried for years to engage his older brother but never had any luck. It was heartbreaking for him. But lately, Cooper is loving to wrestle, tickle, run, and chase his brothers. It came out of nowhere. It’s a gift. He laughs so deep from his belly and his face…
