Guest Post
The Calm to our Crazy
Autism has taken our family on quite the adventure the last six years and right in the beginning of it, I gave birth to our second son. But through it all, you have been the calm to our crazy. It quickly became apparent the you are Jayden’s person, what a huge job that really is. It is never-ending and always demanding. The connection you have with Jayden is so hard to describe it is like you two have a magnetic force drawing you to each other whenever you are in…
Read MoreThe Way You Make You Me Feel
I remember the day so clearly, we sat outside at that little Italian restaurant as it was the start of our little dudes 2nd birthday weekend. We had just left his 2 year check up and were being sent for further evaluations. You told me not to worry, that we can get through anything and that we would tackle this head on together. I just remember being so scared. The day of diagnosis was hard. They told us it was Autism and we had no clue where to start. I…
Read MoreTo My Husband this Father’s Day
You are my rock. You are the reason I’m able to manage all we have endured together. You’ve never left my side no matter what the experience. We are one month shy of our 5-year wedding anniversary, yet we’ve been through so much in just our first few years of marriage. A conversion of faith that would eventually guide us in the midst of chaos. Hardship from having three kids in the NICU. Countless surgeries, procedures, and doctor appointments for our three little ones. Diagnoses like autism, sensory processing disorder,…
Read MoreThanking the Special Fathers
I know the diagnosis was a lot for you to handle at first. I remember you not showing any emotion. I kept wondering how you felt? Did it bother you? Do you accept it? I know at first it made you really sad. Every father’s dream is to have a son. You wanted him to take your passion in football as well. The interest in sports. Helping him at his T-Ball games. Talk about girls. The list goes on. I know that hurt a lot. I know this has been…
Read MoreTo the Autism Dads
There are so many types of wonderful dads to honor on Father’s Day. There are the dads who coach all the sports teams and take the kids to college football games. There are the dads who do science experiments with their kids, take them camping and on long nature hikes to explore wildlife. There are the energetic, playful dads who run around the yard playing hide and seek and flag football. There are also the dads who do all the chores around the house from laundry to cooking. And then…
Read MoreThe View From Here
At 9 months old, I knew there was something different about Zachary. At 17 months old I took it upon myself to get him started in feeding therapy, and then shortly after early intervention. At that early point in Zachary’s life everyone tells you, “he is fine” … “he is a boy, they take longer to do certain things” and all that extra fluff. As a nurse I knew differently, and as a mom I knew in my heart. Zachary will be 4 years old in April, which also means I have been a mom for that…
Read MoreA Letter to my Son, High School Graduate of the Class of 2019
Dear Sean, Congratulations! You did it! My heart is filled with pride and happiness over all you have achieved and the amazing young man that you have become. Reflecting back as I look through old pictures and letters I have saved for you, brings back so many amazing memories I remember how you knew the names of all the Thomas trains and played with them for hours on end. You even took your favorite train to sleep every night! I remember the elaborate hot wheels tracks that you and your…
Read MoreA Letter to the Doctor Who Committed Medical Malpractice
I was born on October 20, 2001. My parents were expecting identical twin girls and my mom had been at the hospital, on bedrest, for the past 5 weeks due to an incompetent cervix. You were the doctor who consulted with my mom’s doctor. She had an infection in her placenta and you made the decision to take her off of the medication that was keeping the infection from spreading and keeping my sister and I from coming. She began complaining of contractions on October 19, but the contraction monitor…
Read MoreSeeing Beyond the Label
Honestly, my husband and I went into the autism clinic thinking that we were going to rule out autism for our twins. I went in with our son Aki and my husband went in with our other son Yuri. For Aki, the doctor wanted to wait to see what the IEP said at the school. She wanted to know a little bit more about the social skills before she made a determination. When I got out my husband was still in the office with Yuri. I already knew. Autism spectrum…
Read MoreRollercoaster of Love
When a friend asks me what parenting special needs is like I always try to be honest but I also hold a lot back. I want to share with them so that they can understand but also know that there are things they will never be able to wrap their minds around. Parenting a child with autism is a rollercoaster. A rollercoaster of emotions, of love, of off the wall stuff we don’t share and sometimes a loop de loop. It’s up, it’s down. It throws you in circles and…
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