Posts Tagged ‘apraxia blog’
Looking Back
I’ve been down since Cooper’s birthday. So has Jamie. We’ve done a very good job isolating ourselves and Cooper. And when you live in a bubble it’s incredibly easy to block out delays and differences. But the party brought it all out. No hiding. Don’t even get me started on age 4 as a milestone. I know we will bounce back. We always do. It just needs to run its course. So, anyhow I spent the night looking at videos on my iPad. I absolutely love seeing videos of the…
Read More2 Month Update
Cooper has been at Fraser for 2 months. That is absolutely crazy to me. When we considered moving 3 hours away, with the main reason being for his care, I secretly thought it would never work. Not the us part but the school part. Traditional therapy has been a nightmare for Cooper. We started with having the school district in our home, then went to traditional speech and OT at the hospital and then tried ECFE and lastly speech at a specialty clinic for kids with language disorders. ALL FAILURES. That sounds…
Read MoreTricking Dr. Google
I was chatting with a wonderful mom over at My Yellow Brick Road the other day about our autistic boys. Facebook messaging with her is so amazing for me. I can be honest and open and I don’t need to preface every sentence with, “I swear I’m not a bad mom” or “Don’t judge me.” It’s refreshing. And she gets it. I tend to be obsessive about Cooper. It’s kind of my thing. Pre diagnosis I would research everything. I googled things like, “nonverbal at age 3, nonverbal at age 4, my…
Read MoreWaiting Around for Something to Change
Meal time has changed. It used to be the most dreaded part of our day. Not anymore! I don’t know what did it but Cooper is eating great, not throwing and also sitting with us during mealtime. LIFE CHANGING! And as quickly as one behavior gets better another gets worse. Meal time is better and now he has taken throwing to an all new level. Awesome. If I was to describe Cooper’s life to people I would say that ‘something’ is always off. I remember sitting with girlfriends or parents or…
Read MoreWalking the Fine Line of Hope and Giving Up
When Cooper was little and his quirks were just starting to show I silently blamed myself. I’d tell people I didn’t but I really did. I never believed the whole autism and vaccination correlation. Cooper was different since the day he was born. Deep down I knew right away. At that time I silently doubted everything I had done while pregnant. Maybe I ate the wrong things. For a hot minute I thought maybe I used too much bug spray or even used to much hand sanitizer. And then when…
Read MoreDescribing how Autism Affects our Family…in 4 Sentences or Less.
I have been working on this TEFRA paperwork for the last couple of days and there are a few questions that just suck. I am so sick of answering stuff like this. Describe how your child’s challenges affect your child and family. I read it and then reread it. The box for the answer could hold 4 sentences tops. What can I put in this freaking box that will make it make sense. And who is going to be reading this? Does the person know what it’s like to raise…
Read MoreAutism Tricked Me
Prior to Cooper, and even up until a few months ago, I had very specific thoughts about autism. I am pretty sure I was using information from TV shows or from conversations with other people. I assumed all autistic kids had repetitive behaviors. That they all lined things up or spent time spinning wheels or pinwheels or anything round. I also assumed they were very highly intelligent. I also pictured a lot of self soothing or stimming. Most specifically, a lot of rocking back and forth. And I always thought…
Read MoreBe a Warrier, Not a Worrier.
I typically avoid all situations where I will get sad about Cooper’s differences. At this stage in the process it’s a must for this mama. This typically includes any events or activities where there will be kids that I know that are Cooper’s age. Quitting ECFE and a local Mommy and Me group were two of the best decisions I ever made. My heart just couldn’t take it. So I was surprised yesterday when I almost broke down at Starbucks. I was at work and at 2 pm I realized that…
Read MoreAn Unlikely Critic
I got really mad at a little girl this weekend. As I write that sentence I realize that you will probably think I’m crazy. And I even made fun of myself after. But, it is what it is. Cooper and I spent the weekend at the lake. (I have more to write about that later.) It was a great weekend. Lots of sun and beach time. My favorite. As we arrived at the beach on Friday afternoon, Cooper let me know that he wanted to swing. There were two bigger…
Read MoreSuper Cooper is Growing Up
I’ve spent the last few weeks feeling sorry for myself and for our situation. To put a date on it I have been struggling since Easter. I think it’s all so real now. Most likely because of all the evaluations. They are so brutal. And, of course, I know a label/diagnosis is coming and I can’t run anymore. But, it’s time to dig out of this funk. I am ready. I will throw this kid on my back and climb up a damn mountain if I have too. Being sad doesn’t get you anywhere. And…
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