Autism
Picture of Real
This morning I was rage cleaning my house and muttering under my breath about how we can’t have nice things. For anyone not familiar, rage cleaning is something that typically happens in my home on a weekend morning, after a day of chaos, where the dog becomes afraid of the vacuum and my boys hide from me. For context, I had just finished picking slime out of my living room rug. Which I felt extra frustrated by because we don’t allow slime here. But yet it appears. Next to the…
Read MoreHappiness Looks Different for Everyone
A profound moment for our family was letting go of the picture in our head if what it was supposed to look like. Timelines. Must do’s. Picture perfect moments. Obligations. Stress. I suppose you could say expectations too. We let all that go. It was a hard goodbye. Because as people, humans, parents, we have this picture of what life is supposed to look like. We expect certain things. Big and small. We want things to go a certain way. Holidays are a big one. And autism changed them all…
Read MoreOur Autism Guide for a Happy Holiday
This time of year, with all of the holidays, is probably one of the toughest times of the year. The frequent change in routine, small bouts of travel, spending hours at a time at other people’s homes (even if it’s a familiar home, like a grandparent’s), change in diet, increase in sugary treats, large groups of people, loud crowds/music, can be overwhelming for Charlie. So for our family and friends, here’s our holiday guide to Autism. Charlie thrives on routine. The hectic holiday schedule can get to be a bit…
Read MoreIt’s Not About Blame
She paused mid-sentence, an empathetic tone intervening as she spoke words she’d probably uttered a thousand times before to parents throughout the years. She seemed to understand the importance, though…the nuance in her voice conveying the magnitude of her message, while she made certain to catch my gaze and connect, despite the limitations surrounding our telehealth appointment. “Even if we find that there is a genetic explanation for Leo’s Autism and epilepsy, it’s important to note that this isn’t about blame…” Startled by her candidness, I nodded, silently providing acknowledgement…
Read MoreA Zoom Visit With Santa
The three boys just had their zoom visit with Santa Claus. I’ll be honest, it was a loud, chaotic, mess and had me sweating and possibly even swearing internally. It was also adorable and cute. Which pretty much sums up all of our family experiences. Sawyer asked for a Nintendo Switch and followed that up with a dozen questions about the reindeer and how Santa is doing his job during covid. Then they exchanged ‘dad jokes’ and I laughed out loud. I love a good dad joke. The baby cried…
Read MoreThe Mind Versus the Heart
A few nights ago, my husband and I found ourselves driving around a picturesque town for 20 minutes or so…alone. We had no kids with us. There was no loud noise or fighting or voices from an iPad. It was just us, driving around looking at holiday lights, Christmas music playing softly. Eventually we found ourselves in the parking lot of what looked like a brand new apartment complex located right on the river. It was breathtaking. After looking at the sign, we saw it was for folks 55 plus.…
Read MoreIf It Makes Them Happy, Do It.
There is a quote that says, ‘don’t ever save anything for a special occasion. Every day you’re alive is a special occasion.’ My son Cooper reminds me of that quote every single day. The reason I’m sharing it with you is because someone recently commented on one of my posts, pointing out that we always have balloons in our house. And it’s true, they are everywhere. They drift through the house, from room to room. Birthday balloons. Dora balloons. Square. Round. All brightly colored. Some old. Some new. Why? Because…
Read MoreWe Have Years Left
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…
Read MoreThe Days Are Long
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…
Read MoreLet me Tell You About the Siblings
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…
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