Guest Post
I Wanted to Tell Her It Would Be Okay
It was a warm sunny day in the middle of June. We were, and still are in the midst of a pandemic. We live in southwest Florida so the June days can become unbearable at times. I was almost 7 months pregnant with a very crazy 1-year old little girl. My husband and I decided to take her to the pool to cool off and have her burn off some of her energy. We live in a little community, filled predominantly with retirees. We are one of a few families…
Read MoreAge is Literally Just a Number
Today I find myself decluttering. It usually makes me feel quite a bit better…when I’m in one of those random funks. But if nothing else, today’s chore left me feeling more gloomy than anything. I first tackled the hall closets, our makeshift office in the spare bedroom, and then turned my attention to Beckett’s room. Truth be told, there isn’t much going on in our son’s room..to declutter, or otherwise. Of course, he has a sturdy, nice bed, complete with ladder and slide. There are various decorative pieces on his…
Read MoreCan You Feel My Vibe?
My son, who was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), was also diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). As part of his profile, he has a heightened sensitivity to light, sound and the energy of his environment. To navigate loud places, or areas that have unexpected sounds, has been challenging. We found bright lights could be over stimulating, making movie theatres, fairs and arcades unpredictable. He would become so revved up, literally bouncing from one thing to another, and his impulse control was non-existent. He also became disregulated by itchy…
Read MoreThe Plain White Coffee Mug
I will be 36 years old in one month and I’ve never been the plain white coffee mug. I’ve been the funny coffee mug. I have made it my job to make everyone laugh around me. I’ve been the accomplished mug. From grade school through obtaining my master’s degree. I’ve been the pregnant mug. Sickness all 41 weeks – Can’t see my feet Hangry – I will NEVER do this again. I’ve been the ew mom mug. I became a mommy for the first time in 2013. I was so…
Read MoreThe Only Thing My Daughter Needs To Know
Last night my daughter asked me what she was like when she was ten years old. “Did I have attention problems back then?” This morning I thought back to that year and what I ‘could’ tell her… At that time we were on a two year waiting list for our third psych evaluation because her therapists told us, “This is way more serious than ADHD. You need to get her tested again”. At that time you were on some medications that helped a little but came at the cost of…
Read MoreWhy We Push
It was only an hour and a half into the first day of my son’s school-sponsored summer enrichment program when my phone began to ring. It was supposed to be math camp – my 6 year old’s first love. Not enough kids signed up so they went with our third choice, farm camp. He does not dig farming so much, but I had viewed it as a chance to be around typical kids in a safe and fun environment.I had no expectations that he would grow even remotely in his…
Read MoreNot Hired, or even Fired, because of Autism
Growing up I didn’t know much about people with Autism. In fact the only thing I really knew was that I have a younger brother who has Autism. He was diagnosed with PDD (Persuasive Developmental Disorder), which apparently was very hard to diagnose years ago, when he was 13 years old. Despite getting diagnosed late and receiving no therapy due to private insurance cut off age limit, he went on to graduate high school. I was so proud of him for what he had accomplished. But I never imagined what…
Read MoreFind Your Tribe
A few weeks ago, I posted a blog about exactly what to do after you have learned of your child’s diagnosis, you can find that post here. It’s a bit overwhelming and once you pull yourself out from behind the curtain of sleep deprivation and emotional exhaustion, you need to do something very important. Find Your Tribe. At first, your friends and family will be there. Emphatically. Supporting you. Hanging on your every word and asking how they can be there for you. You may have friends that will want to…
Read MoreThe Deafening Silence
My son Knox, five, lives each day with non-verbal autism. He has said some words, many sounds, but there is no consistent voice for him. Consistently, there is a deafening silence. A silence that makes my heart drop with each unanswered question I pose to him. A silence that is so loud, it makes me want to scream in pain. Scream in pain for him, for me, and for the voice that our family so longs to hear from him. A silence that is so deafening, it is all I…
Read More2020 Thanksgiving…An Autism Moms dream
Thanksgiving used to be my favorite holiday. I have lots of cousins (from my mom’s side)and that was the day we all got together when I was younger and even as I became an adult. It was the one day of the year that I knew I could go “home” and be brought back to childhood. In 2012, my grandmother celebrated her last Thanksgiving and it was never the same for me. After my son Caleb was born I wanted to recreate those family holiday memories for him. We moved…
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