Guest Post
Evolution of a Special Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day – A special day of reverence. A day where many of us focus our love and efforts on showing our moms, grandmothers, and mother figures just how much we love them, and how much we appreciate all that they do for us. For others, Mother’s Day is a day to mourn a loss, and reminisce about pleasant memories of the past. When someone mentions Mother’s Day to me, my immediate mental image recall is of a specific photo on a particular mother’s day when the kids were little…
Read MoreMoms, You are Good Enough
I never realized how much I wanted to be a mother until I was told I couldn’t. Until I was told my body would fail me. My body wasn’t, “good enough” to do what a woman’s body was, “supposed to.” I never knew how much I wanted to be a mom until that honor was taken away from me. After 2 ½ beautiful months he left our home returning to his teenager mother who changed her mind. One final signature, one last document, a teenage mother’s changed mind, and my days…
Read MoreThis World Needed You
This year, we stand on the edge of the end of your 5th year, right on the precipice of you turning 6. It has been over 3 years since I last heard your voice elicit words spoken from your heart as you yelled goodbye to your beloved garbage trucks as they turned out of our neighborhood out of sight. Now, you rarely glance up to watch the garbage trucks when they come by. Most days, I really cannot believe we are here…I thought we would have heard those words again…
Read MoreFalling in Love with Reality
To the boy that grew only in my heart, I still think about you sometimes. Not as often as I did in the beginning. But sometimes when things get lonely and dark you wander into my mind. You stand there smiling at me. Sometimes you talk to me and tell me all the things you love. Sometimes you show me your favorite toys. Sometimes you teach your little brother things and I watch him look up to you in awe as you take care of him. Sometimes you play with…
Read MoreMissing Out
You’re missing out. Parents of special needs kids say this in their head all the time. At least I do. You’re missing out on having her read all but a few words. You’re missing out on giggly girl sleepovers. You’re missing out on having her on middle school honor roll. You’re missing out on her excitement from passing the driver’s test. Prom. College, moving out. Wedding. Children. So many things to feel bad about missing out on. Milestones and rites of passage that just don’t apply in your situation. But…
Read MoreThe Day I Found out my Child had Autism
Being a mom of three is hard work, especially when you are a mom of a very special little boy who happens to have Autism. As of now Connor is almost 3 years old. It doesn’t seem very long ago when we were at his 18 month well child. My world turned upside down as his MCHAT scored him high risk for Autism. I don’t typically cry and part of me is really embarrassed that I cried, especially since I had a feeling anyway. He showed all of the signs.…
Read MoreThe Forgotten Side of the Spectrum
Severe Autism… I did a brief radio interview recently explaining our version of autism. I discussed the isolation, the lack of help and support, and the lack of understanding and acceptance for severe autism. Tim Nicholls, who is the policy manager for the national autistic society, responded to my radio interview yesterday. I’ve listened to his response. I want to talk about this part that he said below… “It doesn’t need to be something that is always holding them back, with the right support, depending on their needs, children with…
Read MoreCousins Really do make the Best Friends
My husband and I are parents to an amazing, energetic, mischievous, almost three year old boy, Logan. We started to notice speech regression around 20 months, and I brought it up to his pediatrician at our next routine visit. I remember her saying that speech regression is related to autism, but she didn’t really see any other “red flags” that alarmed her. She referred us to Early Steps to see if he would qualify for speech therapy, and then we would see if he started to make any progress and…
Read MoreMy Son will Grow up to be….
There are moments we experience, which follow us, entering our thoughts when we least expect, and weaving together with other pieces of our journey to shape us, give us pause, make us think…evolve…and create purpose as we move forward. When I was pregnant with Leo, I went for a 3D ultrasound session at 27 weeks, hoping to get a sneak peek of the sweet baby I would soon be holding in my arms. Everything about that day remains vivid and clearly outlined in my memory. Watching my boy on the…
Read MoreBeauty in the Smallest Things
It’s hard to put into words what it is like to give your everything and more to a little person who cannot call you Mom. I do know it is a lesson in unconditional love to the highest degree. I have this little boy. He has autism, but he is so much more than that. He is a living breathing example of all that is pure and all that is good in this world. He has taught me that the smallest things truly do take up the most space in…
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