Ever since Cooper was 1 or so I realized that he doesn’t understand holidays. Or presents. And he doesn’t care about food so that part is out. He’s afraid of seeing Santa or the Easter Bunny so that is out too. And he hates activities so there is no dying Easter eggs or carving pumpkins. I can get him dressed up in a cute outfit but he won’t sit still for a picture. Yesterday was awful for me. It was the worst holiday I have ever had. Honestly, I am…
We had Cooper’s 1st evaluation of 8 yesterday for the school district. Of course, during a blizzard. What else is new? These 8 evaluations are required to determine if he is eligible for a free spot in a developmental preschool through the school district. Yes, please! At the time of the evaluation I had been awake for 28 hours straight. My dear friend had her baby and I got to be in the delivery room with her. If you want to talk Super Mom than you need to meet…
Lately, I have been getting involved with a lot with other Apraxia moms both through Facebook and blogs. I have seen an increase in questions having to do with kids being nonverbal for their whole lives. I know I’ve mentioned on here before that one of the hardest moments of my life was when I realized that some kids don’t talk. Click HERE to read that post. Cooper has always been so vocal and so loud it never crossed my mind that he wouldn’t talk. When I learned that nonverbal was a…
I read a post called “Facepalm Moment’s and Progress” on Emelie’s Voice that really hit home with me. I read it and than read it again. In the post she says, “Here’s my advice to all parents. These anecdotes and stories make life interesting. Don’t stop sharing them. Not everyone is going to get the joy in some of them. Not everyone will find the humor in them. There will be those that get it and welcome your children to planet Earth with open arms and share your face palms and…
Jamie and I are back from our quick vacation in Washington DC. It was so amazing to feel like a grown up. I think I started to forget what it was like. We ate and drank and slept. And we only had one deep, ‘what does the future hold’, conversation about Cooper. And wow was the break refreshing. Everyone deserves a break from the worry. If you let it the worry will suffocate you. And as parent’s of kiddos with needs we know all too well what that is like. Don’t get…
How did it come to this? Coordinating calendars and therapy appointments. Managing meltdowns and lack of understanding. Hating myself. And my life. I guess I just don’t understand when it happened. I am sitting here trying to remember when it got hard. Cooper was a difficult sleeper from birth but besides that he was a great baby. Loved to eat. Loved to snuggle. Loved to be moving. Then we had the pooping issues. Then the hearing aid debacle. And I will say that whole shit show toughened me up. I learned how…
I spent the weekend with my kids and husband and our puppies. Jamie and I even snuck in a date for margaritas. We were walking on air until we came home to dog pee on the carpet. **SIGH** All in all though, it was a perfect weekend. Maybe it has to do with spring coming. Maybe it’s because Cooper is getting easier every day or maybe it’s a whole lot of self growth. I guess I really don’t know. But I’ll take it. I cleaned my house 17 times and then cleaned it…
So, how did the evaluation go? That is the question. And better yet, how did this train wreck mom handle it? First let me say, the end result is exactly what we wanted. Cooper will start a developmental preschool through the school district in the fall. He will attend 3 hours a day, 4 days a week. He will get help with speech, fine motor, gross motor, sensory, etc. He can also be bussed. (SCARY!) So, this is great. Now for the real stuff. I had been communicating with the…
Today is the day that I will love Cooper the most. Today he needs me more than ever. Today I am his advocate. His protector. His cheerleader. Today I refuse to wish that he was different. I will be proud of how far we have come and accept that we need help from the school and teachers and others. Today, I will accept that I can’t do this alone. Today I will go easy on myself. I will wear something I won’t sweat through. I know that I will be running…
