Let me tell you about a band of brothers I know. They are small in size, but big in heart. I am blessed to call them mine. As I watch them grow and play each day, I am inspired to share what they teach me – not just about how to treat someone on the Autism Spectrum, but about how to have meaningful relationships in life, in general. These relationships create a strong support system with a balanced philosophy of “give and take”. As a mother, I could not be…
You and me Murph. We’ve been what each other need throughout this journey of Autism. On the good days we celebrate together. On the bad days we survive together. On the average days we manage to find something extraordinary together. On the days you slip away, I wait for you, and on the days when frustration and self doubt cause me to disappear, you manage to show me it’s going to be okay. You wait for me too, Murph and never think differently of me, even on my worst days.…
I am lucky enough to be Declan’s mom. I always wanted to be a mom and thank goodness I have my one-and-only child. I became a parent at “advanced maternal age.” Declan is 10 years old, non-speaking, and autistic. He uses AAC (a dedicated iPad with TouchChat) to communicate. I’m a Mom, not a warrior. I’m more of a lover than a fighter. I’m not a warrior or a mama bear. Although hibernation sounds nice. I am working on getting more sleep. I don’t find it helpful to frame myself…
Does anyone out there have an old dog? One that you’ve had forever? So long that you can’t really remember life before you had her? That’s our Chloe. She’s a permanent fixture in our life. For 13 years she’s patiently waited at the door for us to come home. Now she can’t really hear so we have to gently wake her up when we get home. We don’t want to startle her. We used to call her a nighttime bandit because she could get food off any counter, no matter…
Someone recently said to me…’your hands are sure full.’ And when I responded with an ‘um yep.’ She said…’better full then empty I always say.’ And I’ve thought about her words many times since. My hands are very full and soon, when baby is born, filled to capacity. Full is good. Full is amazing. But it’s also chaotic and loud and hard sometimes. I had very few expectations for today. I wanted to watch my middle son play hockey. Which I got too! (Go Sawyer!) And I wanted a picture…
I remember years ago, when my son was first diagnosed with autism, a mother of a child with needs saying to me… ‘I have five children in total, one with autism. My husband works nights and weekends and I need to be able to go to the grocery store with my kids. I don’t have a choice.’ I remember being so frustrated with her, me, life, everything. Our world was shrinking quickly. The places we could actually go dwindling. My son was unable to sit. Or wait. He couldn’t handle…
Cooper, Mother’s Day is right around the corner. Our tenth one together. And while traditionally the child would be saying nice things about the mom, I’m switching it around this year. Because yesterday I had the most amazing realization. And while I’ve known for a while, yesterday it truly sunk in. You, my son, have taught me more than any other person on this earth. You’ve taught me to see…really see. You’ve taught me to listen…not just hear. And you’ve taught me the importance of getting off the beaten path…
Today we visited the Como Park Zoo & Conservatory. It’s a smallish, local zoo that is perfect for our boys. And with covid state restrictions, the capacity is limited and we can move and explore at our own pace. We told Cooper yesterday that we were going. He woke up at 2:45 am this morning ready to go. Thankfully, he was ok with setting a countdown timer for our departure time of 1:15 pm. He also used his voice to say Z-O-O about a thousand times. By noon he waiting…
My Dearest Nicholas, You made me a mother six years ago. My first Mother’s Day was spent in the NICU. You came into this world with a number of challenges. Swallowing issues, developmental delay, sensory difficulties, non-verbal Autism, a rare genetic mutation, the list goes on. Despite not being able to talk, as your mother, I still know exactly what you want. I know when you point toward the kitchen counter, you need a tissue from the Kleenex box. I know when you bring me your tablet, you want to…
I’ve thought and thought on this subject. I’ve taken every inflection and word to heart. And, I simply don’t agree. I’ve been told on more than one occasion, “Why don’t you put down your phone and bleeping take care of your kids?!?” First of all, I am not anything like you! I do not have the luxury of going to get my nails done, or a facial every other week. I don’t get to go on weekend mini girls trips every once in a while for self care. I…
