Posts Tagged ‘ASD’
Worth the Wait
There are really precious moments in life. Like when your father-in-law comes to find you to say… ‘Cooper and I just walked around the campground. He held my hand the whole entire way. He’s never done that before.’ He just beamed as he said it. Ten years is a long time to wait as a Grandpa. But worth every minute. I’ve never met a more loved or treasured little boy. Finding Cooper’s Voice is a safe, humorous, caring and honest place where you can celebrate the unique challenges of parenting…
Read MoreThe Beauty of a Brother
Laughter. You know the kind that comes deep from the belly? It’s the best. And when you hear it coming from someone else you immediately smile. Especially when it’s two of your children. Ages 10 and 2. Brothers. One would assume they don’t have a lot in common. Or a lot of time for each other. But they do. See they both really love The Good Dinosaur and Cars. And bull dozers and fire trucks. The older one loves acting out scenes from movies. He will zip around the house…
Read MoreWhat is Your Sentence?
Do you have a sentence that you say a million times a day? You say it so much it could be written on your tombstone. Here lies Kate. She is best known for ‘turn it down buddy’. Or with your last breath you say…’why are you naked?’ Because I do. As a mom to three boys I am forever asking why they don’t have pants on. And for the volume to be lowered. No one complies though. Not ever. What is yours? What sentence do you say every single day?…
Read MoreLet’s Talk Nicknames
Let’s talk nicknames. Do you have one for your child? Did you have one growing up? We adore nicknames over here. So much so that we use them more than their actual name. They are a bit silly. And each kid has many. They evolve too. Cooper started as Super Cooper. Then Super Duper. Then the ‘Dupe.’ Snoopy Joe. Joseph. Sloppy Joe. The list goes one. Sawyer. Soybean. Soy burger. Soy nuts. Nuts-a-fuss. And when he wears us down we say we’ve been fussed. It’s a real thing. Harbor. Harbie.…
Read MoreAre You Hearing This?
My son Cooper doesn’t have a lot to say verbally. But he’s always communicating. Sometimes it’s a point or a wave. A sound. A facial expression. A click of a button. A stomp of a foot. He’s always listening too. He hears everything. In fact he’s incredibly nosey. He nods sometimes. Or smiles at something we’ve said. Or even scowls. He adores sounds. The hoot of an owl. The screech of a tire. The whistle of a train. And the roar of a wave. I think he hears things that…
Read MoreCooper the Photographer
For so long I hoped and prayed that my son would develop a hobby. At age ten, he didn’t appear to be interested in anything besides his iPad. On one hand all that matters is his happiness. But. We also want him to experience bits and pieces of the world around him. I want him to have something he enjoys. I want something me and his dad and brothers could enjoy with him. I also very much want a glimpse inside of his world and the things he cares about.…
Read MoreWe Will Not Silence Him
Why is it so hard for some people to realize that Kyle isn’t defined by his diagnoses? That’s not all that he is. It’s only a small part of him. He really doesn’t make any more noise than other children. Just because his noises aren’t concrete words, doesn’t make him noisy. He has his own way of communicating with us. It doesn’t make it bad or wrong. He is working on making his sounds something someone can understand. Who says how he talks is wrong? Why are we labeled as…
Read MoreVisiting Thomas the Train
Our family has been visiting Thomas the Train at the Duluth Depot for 7 years. The picture on the lower right is from 2013. We were 2 months out from an autism diagnosis. With or without the appointment we knew. I’d read enough blog posts and taken the M-chat a hundred times and watched enough episodes of Parenthood to know. I knew it was autism. On that visit to Thomas, and many after, our son struggled. Too many people. Too loud. Too much waiting. Not enough patience from strangers. But…
Read MoreThe Future is His Own
When I used to Google autism, so many supposed ‘facts’ came up. Children with autism don’t… Show love. Smile. Laugh. Have emotion. Children with autism are… Withdrawn. In their own world. Removed. Unfriendly. I remember reading those words on my phone. Typically late at night. In private. Free from judgement from others. Sometimes I’d even be in bed with my sweet boy. He was three. And my body would be snuggling his. I’d smell his hair and listen to him breathe and read about his future. And I’d pray. Pray…
Read MoreLet Me Tell You About My Son
Let me tell you about my son. His name is Maxim, but sometimes we call him Max. He has light brown hair, chocolate eyes that twinkle with mischief each time he smiles, and a laugh so big and full of joy it fills you up from the top of your head to the tips of your toes when you hear it. He loves jokes, cars, trains, and the smell of hair after it’s been shampooed. He will roar like a dinosaur to try and scare you, and call out “tickle-ish!!!”…
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