Guest Post
You will Never Understand
To the mom in the grocery store, who stares while my child is screaming, and your child is calmly walking alongside of you…you will never understand. What you don’t see, is that he has sensory processing issues, and he is overstimulated. To the doctor, that says “He will be fine, it’s just a speech delay.” You will never understand. I knew at my child’s one year checkup that something was different. But, you shrugged it off. To the acquaintance that says “Oh, so he is high functioning…he will probably grow…
Read MoreFriend, Take the Picture
I posted these family pictures on my personal page recently. On the caption, I impulsively made the statement, “I’m not sure why we waited seven years to make these happen”. I’m not sure what I was thinking when I said that. Because after reflecting, I know exactly why it took so long. I didn’t take the pictures because things started out hard and I forgot how to breathe. Jackson’s stroke. Then carefully weaning the anti-seizure meds for months. The waiting on the next round of blood work to know if…
Read MoreA Bittersweet Sixteenth Birthday
My son Brian’s birthday is next week. 16 years. 16 love-filled anxiety ridden years. 16 years that I could never have predicted in my most worrisome of scenarios, but the 16 years I’ve grown the most in my life. Some times you need knocked around to know what you are made of and knocked around is exactly how I feel as we turn the calendar to Brian’s birthday month. Brian’s birthday, 12-12, is the most bittersweet day of the year for me. It is more meaningful than any holiday, anniversary, or…
Read MoreI’m Thankful for the Way You Take Care of Us
Meet Ted. His name suggests exactly what you’d think it does. A simple guy. A good ole boy. A guy who can fix your brakes or loan you his trailer. A guy who chops wood and knows how to do drywall. A guy whose humor is subtle, but hysterical if you catch it. A guy who loves any meal you cook for him. A guy who loves to hunt, but rarely gets to go. A guy with a strong handshake and even stronger integrity. A quiet guy, but great conversationalist.…
Read MoreI am Thankful for the Most Amazing Uncle
My name is Corie and I am thankful for the most amazing uncle. I am the mom of two boys with one on the spectrum. My little guy was diagnosed “non verbal” and “low functioning” at the age of three. His name is Dante. He is now 12 and boy is he a firecracker. I would like to give a shout out so to speak to his Uncle Shane…AKA “Uncie”. A quick background on this “Uncie” character. Uncie is my oldest son’s father. So strange sounding but bare with me.…
Read MoreI’m Thankful for the Talking back
Last Saturday, a friend of mine came over. As we were sitting on the stairs chatting, the boys were upstairs with my parents. I heard them jumping up and down on the guest bed. I immediately called upstairs, saying, “BOYS! Come down here, now please!” Immediately, I heard my son Yuri say, indignantly, “NO!” And then, I heard, his brother Aki say, “NO!” Although I immediately said, “excuse me!?” There was still a big part of me that chuckled as my parents said, “they’re pretending to sleep now!” and I…
Read MoreI’m Thankful For Our Therapists
We’ve been doing therapy since my son Nicholas was 6 months old. He was behind from the very beginning, and wasn’t hitting his milestones at all. He was oversensitive to everything, would arch his back a lot, and needed help with most things. It was recommended by his pediatrician that he start seeing an occupational therapist (OT). Those were some hard therapy days. Nicholas was uncomfortable and cried a lot. We worked on tummy time, sitting, feeding, and fine motor skills with little success. Because of his sensitivity his OT…
Read MoreA Thank You Letter To Bubba’s Twin Brother
Dear Braidan, My sweet little buddy… I’m not sure there are words to describe just how truly thankful I am for you and everything you do for your brother…but I’m going to give it a try. Since the day I brought you and Ethan home from the hospital, you have been inseparable. You’d want to be close to each other touching and cuddling. You’d steal each others binkies and giggle at the silliest things. I loved it! Sissy loved taking turns feeding you and helping you both learn new things… …
Read MoreAutism is Joy. So Much Joy.
Autism. It’s not glamorous, easy, or fun. It’s cancelling plans you’d been looking forward to, and not wanting to explain because you don’t want pity or sympathy… Or even worse…someone acting like they understand something that you have to live to grasp. It is size 7 diapers at three and a half, and fearing having to put your squishy cheek little boy in adult diapers. It’s baby gates, high chairs, and it’s closed top cups. It is toys still in boxes because your son would rather spin the wheels on…
Read MoreStay Humble and Kind my Lovely Daughters
Dear Elena, Sage and Kimber, I thank you for your compassion and unconditional love. Your little sister has taught you so much in your short years. Her Autism has challenged you to learn patience, and then laughter. It has taught you a sixth sense of protection and selflessness. You are blessed, you see not many kids or even adults understand this. Her mischievous smile and laugh bring you back to simplicity. At your age I didn’t have these responsibilities that you so readily help me with. She has taught you more in…
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