Posts Tagged ‘ASD’
Halloween 2020
Happy Halloween friends! Cooper had his best Halloween ever. He happily and proudly wore his costume. And the hat! I cannot believe he wore the hat people! He willingly walked with us. He visited four houses! And only went inside one. In his defense he knows where they keep the good paper. He picked out exactly 7 treats and ate none. Thankfully his brothers helped him out. He pointed to his bag to say trick or treat and signed thank you at each house. Then he was done. We were…
Read MoreBalancing on a Tightrope
We are on a tightrope… This week my son Cooper had three of his best days ever at school. He is going to be 10 in a month or so and started fourth grade this year. It’s a pretty big deal for him. He also had one very challenging day. Which we are all allowed. Bad days happen. But afterwards, he used his speech device to tell his teacher he was sad. She didn’t know why. I didn’t know why. He is unable to tell us. It’s heartbreaking. And the…
Read More8 Minutes
Just finished carving our masterpieces. Although the repeated freezing did a quite a bit more damage to them than we originally thought. Thanks Minnesota weather. Anyhow, Cooper joined us for 8 minutes exactly. We set a timer. Let’s just say pumpkin nonsense is not for him. And that’s perfectly okay. He wasn’t too into the messiness of the carving but very much enjoyed lighting them up at the end. We got a gasp and a clap. That’s high regards in our world. The baby loved the sharpie marker and Sawyer…
Read MoreNot A Typical Halloween
Last year, after many challenging and ultimately failed trick-or-treating attempts, I had an idea. What if we went out, to a set number of houses, during the day, with less chaos and zero pressure. No other kids. No scary decorations. No crowds of goblins and Elsa’s at each house. I sent a message to four of our neighbors and they willingly agreed. I explained to them we may not make it and if we did, it may be ‘colorful.’ They didn’t care. They were excited to be part of Cooper’s…
Read MoreThe Measure of Success
The measure of success isn’t always a perfectly posed photo… Yesterday, our family of five volunteered to hand out candy at a Trunk or Treat. We expected it to be busy and fun, which it was. What we didn’t expect was 27 degree weather and sleet. That was a shock. I’ll tell ya, two years ago I wouldn’t have dared to volunteer for something like this. Because, well, we wouldn’t have all be able to go. It would have been stressful with running and unsafe behaviors. Or it would have…
Read MoreAcccepting Our Color
This happy boy just visited his most favorite place on earth. Besides home of course. The train museum. He worked all week to come here. Three good days at school and voila here we are. He happily looked at the trains. He anxiously looked at the magazines hoping they’d have ones he likes. This train conductor has no time for Model Railroader. He picked out 7 postcards and a DVD. He wore his mask. He pushed a button to make Thomas go around the track. And then it was time…
Read MoreAn Early Winter
There is just something Cooper loves about the first snowfall of the year. He gasps. He points. He giggles while dad shovels. He watches intently. He even seems to count the flakes as they fall. When we go outside, he laughs when the flakes hit his head and hands. I promise you before the day is over we will dance in the snow at least once to the songs in his head. I’d tell you he loves sneaking a taste but one of you will tell me about the tragic…
Read MoreH-O-M-E
Cooper has been living his best life and getting spoiled at his grandparents for a few nights. Three sleeps to be exact. I FaceTimed a dozen times but talking on the phone isn’t his jam. He’s a man of few words. On day one and two he didn’t think twice about his brothers and parents. He was too busy. But on day three, he started asking for m-o-m and h-o-m-e. I guess every five minutes around the clock according to grandma. When he got home today he gave me the…
Read MoreBecoming the Mom I Silently Judged
There’s a story I’ve been wanting to tell for awhile, but it’s hidden in shame. The shame is a silent one, as most are. We often hide our dark thoughts because shining a light on them would mean shining a light on all the things we silently do or say or think that reminds us that as humans we are flawed. That’s the thing about shame, in our minds it outweighs our goodness. Even when the scales tip in favor of our goodness, the bricks of judgement and self righteousness…
Read MoreAre You Aware?
Autism awareness needs to change. People need to understand what awareness is all about. It’s NOT looking at a kid who has autism and treating them like they’re neurotypical. It’s NOT saying, “oh, I’m sure that’s hard for any kid” when a parent says what they’re struggling with. You seeing my daughter’s autism and ignoring it is NOT awareness and acceptance. Be aware of the differences. Be aware of the struggles. We know you see the meltdowns and the rigid routine. We know you see that she’s not quite like…
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