Guest Post
Two Boys and a Sister on the Way!
My son Nolan was born May 2007. He was the easiest baby who came with a painless, smooth delivery. He made parenthood a breeze. There was no hesitation in giving him a sibling right away. Mylan was born December 2008, and Nolan wanted nothing to do with him. He would hide his head or leave the room entirely if Mylan cried. I could never get that beautiful proud picture of big brother holding newborn brother. I was horrified that the loves of my life were not like the online photos…
Read MoreNobody is Exempt
Isla’s first few months at the new ABA clinic were going great. She was learning a ton, and she really enjoyed seeing new therapists and kiddos each day as the clinic grew. However, with each new therapist came a new opportunity to test the limits and boundaries of her behavior. In about the second or third monthly parent training, I learned of a new behavior that was the most disturbing for me as a mother, a woman, and a healthcare professional. We were reviewing the graphs of Isla’s different behaviors,…
Read MoreThank you for being his Forever Friend
Our Dearest Son Dominick, As I sit here and write this letter to you I have to fight back tears. A whole new set of tears. I’ve shed what feels like a million of them since that ‘diagnosis day,’ but haven’t let myself feel these. These are the tears I cry for you Dominick. They are tears of worry, of guilt, of sadness but above all happiness. Happiness that you were our first born. That you were our typical son. That you gave us a chance to experience a childhood…
Read MoreNaked and Unafraid
Let’s be honest, more than likely you never saw yourself where you are at this moment in time – you had a different picture. There are moments in our lives that change us – they can change our path in life or maybe just change a feeling we have. Being a military family means moving, which means making new friends. We have been blessed with wonderful, and VERY understanding people in our lives at every location we have lived. My seven-year-old, Bodi, is a very social boy who always has…
Read MoreTo my Son’s School District
I registered my son for school today. I drove five minutes from my house on this cold winter morning and walked into the office with all of our forms: his birth certificate, our utility bills, his physical. This school is a large part of our community. It’s the only school in town, and it’s a one school district. It’s where I always envisioned my son starting school. But today, when I walked into that office, I knew I wouldn’t be coming back and that my son will probably never even…
Read MoreWhy Autism is Not My Excuse
“ Oh but that’s OK for him. He has autism.” I had to blink a few times because I wasn’t quite sure if I heard her correctly. This kind and gentle grandmother standing next to me was actually blaming my sons poor behavior on his autism. What is this OK? Is this really how people viewed children with autism? That every single thing they do- say- think- act- is BECAUSE of their diagnosis? We were both standing at the doorway watching through the Window dance class. It’s a class filled…
Read MoreMy Heart Broke Yesterday
My heart broke yesterday. At lunchtime, my boy rang me to ask me if we could have pizza for tea. Wow I thought…he is using his mobile to talk to me during break! That’s great! I promised we could and he sounded happy. Then BOOM I got a phone call on my way to pick him up to tell me he had left the school grounds and told a teacher to “shut up”! My heart began to race as I drove as quickly as I could to get to him.…
Read More3 Strangers Who Saved us During a Meltdown
Whether you are the parent or the audience, there is an awkwardness and discomfort when dealing with a child in public who is pre-meltdown, mid-meltdown, or just hysterical. As parents, we plan an exit strategy. Some of us even do this before we get there. But sometimes (or most of the time) it happens when we least expect it. When we didn’t plan. When there isn’t an easy escape route in site. We find ourselves wondering: Do we really need these groceries? So what if I paid $300 to be here.…
Read MoreWill the Grieving Ever End?
Dear God, it’s me again. I’m tired today. I can hardly take a breath. I’m so tired of fighting for every single thing my son needs. My head is spinning and I still have so much to do. I’ve been fighting back tears lately and tonight Cody took me by the hand and led me to his room. He took his yearbook down from a shelf and motioned me to sit down with him. As I sat with him on the edge of his bed I waited as he opened…
Read MoreToday Was The Day
I’m going to preface this post by saying that I fully expected the outcome of today, it has been something that I have felt and known for a long time, however, that doesn’t mean that it was easy to manage emotionally. Today was the day that my sweet little girl received her autism diagnosis. We had her developmental pediatrician appointment this morning, an appointment that had been booked for months. We got our morning started without any hassle and made it to the hospital with time to spare. It was…
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