Posts Tagged ‘autism and nonverbal’
Mothers Feel an Intimate Connection to Their Nonverbal Children
From the moment you get news of a baby on the way, Mother’s focus is on the best way to take care of this beautiful little human. We read books, talk to other Mothers, restrict our diet, and wonder what it will be like when we meet our baby. We often worry if we are making the right choices and if we mothering correctly. After we hold our baby, we focus on Mothering. Is the baby sleeping enough? Should we breastfeed or bottle-feed, when should they try their first bite…
Read MoreLight at the End of the Tunnel
The comment read, ‘for some families, there is no light at the end of the tunnel.’ I thought about it all night. And when my toddler woke up at midnight for a hug, and then again while I drank my coffee and watched the news. I thought back to our hardest days when there was no apparent light at the end of the tunnel. Our autistic son didn’t sleep longer than 45 minutes at a time and we started every day at 3 am. We lived in this place of…
Read MoreWe Figured it Out
I don’t consider myself to be an expert in parenting. Or an expert in anything really. I don’t always do the right thing or handle every bump in the road perfectly. I didn’t fall gracefully into autism when my first born son was diagnosed at age 3. I more so crashed. Head first. With zero guidance. They say help is readily available for families like mine. Let’s be clear here. It wasn’t. We figured it all out on our own. Maybe it’s different now. I pray that it is. Because…
Read MoreTheir Special Bond
This morning we were running around getting three kids ready to leave the house. Packing lunches, finding school iPads, headphones and chargers, gathering snow gear…it was a lot. We are definitely out of practice. Jamie noticed that Coops put his shoes on the wrong feet. It happens quite frequently but we are also so proud of him for putting his shoes on that we don’t mind fixing them. Sawyer, who was soaking up his last few minutes of holiday break, and zoning out watching his iPad, must have heard us.…
Read MoreIndependence
I just had a huge mom win. I successfully bathed all three of these little monsters in the shower. Cooper first. Then Sawyer and the baby. There was so much water. So. Much. Water. It was on the walls, the ceiling, and puddled on the floor. We used 4 towels. There was an incident with a shampoo bottle and a glass of water. Boys I tell you. But all three are bathed and dressed in jammies. I feel like I moved to expert level parenting. Showering is a big deal.…
Read MoreGoodbye 2020
What is your word for 2021? Resolutions are hard. Heck most folks don’t make it past a week. So many people are picking a word to be mindful of throughout the year. Examples include patience, peace, success, health, rise, advocacy. I’ve been thinking about mine since last night. Last year my word was joy. I of course can’t pick just one. Content: Someone will always be skinnier. Someone will always be more successful, have more followers, be a better writer, make more money. Someone’s life will always appear easier than…
Read MoreDifferent Isn’t Scary
Parent: I wish my autistic child could talk to me. Parent: I wish my child with autism could communicate with me. Parent: I wish I knew what my nonverbal child was thinking. Parent: I wish I knew what my child loved. Child: Listen and I will show you in the most mysterious ways. Be prepared to wait. And to listen to more than just words. My son Cooper has started taking photos with his iPad. Hundreds and hundreds a day. I know because the iPad is linked to my iPhone…
Read MoreWe are the Lucky Ones
This morning, after all the presents were opened, and the egg bake was in the oven, I sat down to drink my luke warm coffee and peek at social media. I came across a message from a women I didn’t know. She sent me a poem by Erma Bombeck. One I had read many times before. But I found myself blubbering into my coffee anyways. Huge crocodile tears running down my face. Her words came to me exactly when I needed them. And they went straight to my heart. My…
Read MoreChristmas Day 2020
I have really great kids. I’m not sure if I say that enough. But this morning reminded me how lovely these three boys truly are. We had the best morning. Cooper starting asking me three months ago for 4 movies about Toy Trains. A series. They are the preview on all of his current train movies. And how does a nonverbal kiddo ask specifically for four movies? Well, he uses his iPad to take photos of the advertisement. His iPad is linked to my iPhone. Every day I have to…
Read MoreMy Holiday Buddy
Our Christmas in photos… This is Sawyer. He is 7. His birthday is in 26 days. We are counting down. He is 2 years younger than his brother Cooper but in so many ways he is the older brother. He is a protector. An advocate. He is patient and loving. And exasperating and exhausting. They fight like cats and dogs during the day and sleep in the same bed every night. He is also my buddy when it comes to anything and everything holiday. We just finished making cookies for…
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