When I reflect about this month; April – Autism Awareness Month, what is it that I want most? I want ACCEPTANCE, ADVOCACY and ACTION! I want others to not just be aware of autism but to actually accept, make a difference, and make an impact in a life of some living with autism. When we talk about awareness, its a good start but it’s not something we should be satisfied with. It’s not until people understand, accept, and take action that we should say that progress has been made. So,…
I feel like most of us could all tell similar tales of when we found out about our children’s diagnoses. Some of us were thrown for a loop, others were somewhat grateful to finally have answers, and some of us knew there was something there from day one. Maybe you were like me and were somewhere in the middle. There are some things I look back on from the day my oldest was born and remember thinking something seemed different, and then there were the thousands of times I told…
Dear Children’s Hospital, We just left your Saint Paul hospital. We visit you often. Not for super serious things thankfully. Ear tubes, Adenoids, Impaction, sedated blood draws, to name a few. We’ve been going to doctors for so long that at this point, I don’t know if my son is getting easier, we are getting stronger, or hospitals are finally starting to get it. Either way, today went well. Although I always like to say a huge success in our world is probably still an epic fail by typical standards.…
This afternoon I took Cooper and my baby for a walk. If you have followed me for a while then you know that my son is thriving. It’s obvious in my posts. I like to say we are all settling into autism. Me. My husband. Sawyer. And Cooper. Our whole family. We are all learning. We have calmed down. We rarely get shocked anymore. And Cooper is doing so great. We have started venturing out into our community. Daily. We keep trying. Pushing. But I never, ever take my boys…
I have a date tonight. At 4:30. Right after school. We are going to go train hunting. Me and my boy. He has a ticket. Well, actually it’s a piece of paper that I wrote on this morning. But to him, it’s a ticket. A reminder. Something he can hold onto. And treasure. Something he can show his teachers. And keep with him all day. I am going to pick him. I am going to bring snacks and drinks. I know he will burst out the doors smiling. Running. My…
The walk to the car with my husband after Liam’s autism diagnosis was filled with words we both finally spoke. “At least now we know.” and “We will get him the best services possible”. The car ride conversation was about how the label doesn’t change him. He is still our same little boy. When we pulled in the driveway I started to feel a knot in my stomach. I opened my front door to walk into my home and I just stood in the kitchen. I turned to my husband…
It was a beautiful, sunny April day last year when Autism first became a part of our lives. It was in the last few days of Autism Awareness Month that we were presented with my son Jack’s suspected diagnosis of Autism and we would begin our journey on the spectrum. His diagnosis would be confirmed a month later at an appointment with our developmental pediatrician- a last minute appointment we were lucky to get almost seven months early due to a cancellation and our ability to be there with short…
I still remember the day we found out we were having a girl. To say I was excited is a complete understatement. I literally burst into tears. I have always dreamed of having a little girl. It wasn’t just about the bows and the tutu it was about the mother daughter relationship. My mom is my best friend and that is what I wanted with my daughter. Sadie was born on October 9, 2014. Life was great. Well it wasn’t perfect but I had 2 amazing children and a loving…
When I pictured my son at age 8, I thought it would be full of sports. Throwing baseballs. Riding bikes. I thought we’d be building with Legos. And playing PIG at the neighborhood basketball court. I pictured play dates. And never ending birthday parties. I thought we’d be arguing over math homework. And trying to get you to wash your face. And of course conversations about Minecraft. I thought you’d be so popular. And that your life would be so busy I’d be praying for time to slow down. I…
With April being World Autism Month, I wanted to share something that’s been on my heart lately in hopes to help “Light It Up Blue.” I can’t tell you how many times I have heard the words “I’m sorry,” since Jack was diagnosed with autism last year. I’ve honestly lost count. First, I want to say that this is not to knock anyone or make them feel badly about how they react when they learn about a child who has special needs. You see, prior to having my own child…
