Posts Tagged ‘autism blog’
Our Holiday Break in Photos
Taking photos of my beautiful boys and crazy, wild life is one of my favorite things to do. Part of me wishes I would have became a photographer. Photos show our life in a way that my written words never could. When Cooper was 3, I was asked on a questionnaire if he had any behaviors. Does he stim or flap? Does he line objects up? Does he hum? At that time, he didn’t do any of those things besides flap his arms. I remember thinking, we must be really…
Read MoreMy Transformation as a Mother
My “best” moment in regards to my daughter’s autism actually came on the heels of my worst. It had been a stressful week. My mother was in town visiting. I was kinda-sorta halfheartedly still trying to potty train. Kira was sitting on the toilet. I knew she had to pee but she was holding it. She started to fuss and threw her head back, hitting it on the toilet lid. When she self-injures, which is rarely, it triggers something in me—immense frustration; almost rage. I snatched her off the toilet and…
Read MoreJanuary Writing Challenge Topic
Hey friends, This January, I’m challenging you to write about your goals, hopes, and resolutions for 2019. This could be the goals you have for your child. In our world, we would love if Cooper learned how to ride a bike, had less screen time and learned water safety. Or maybe it’s your goals as a parent. For me, I want to slow down. I want to enjoy life more. And I want to read my boys a book every night before bed. Personally, I want to find balance. I…
Read MoreUntil All the Pieces Fit
Holy moly. Another year has come and gone. While I long to make goals for myself as a person, you know, fitness goals, financial goals, faith based goals, etc, all I can seem to focus on, as usual, is autism. How far my sweet son has come in the past year. But what can’t put my mind at ease is how far we still have to go. Sometimes after a really great day, Jackson’s smiles, high fives and quirks seem to bring so much joy to so many people, and…
Read MoreDo you think that Elf knew that Brayden has Autism?
I heard excited footsteps on the stairs. Zachary was standing in the living room. His little body jumping up and down. “Santa came, Santa came.” His enthusiasm radiated through the house. I watched as my older kids excitedly watched him. Despite the fact that they are “too old” to be excited the joy that exuded from Zachary was contagious. I look to the corner of the room. Brayden is sitting on the kitchen table. He is rocking back and forth. His hands covering his ears and a sad cry escapes…
Read MoreOur Lives Look Different Than Most
In the world of special needs parenting, the hard moments seem to be adding up the older my son gets. And they actually seem to be getting harder too, and more defining. This past summer there was one of these particularly moments, one that forever changed me. One that truly made me realize not only how autism affects Noah…but us, as a family. We made plans to go to an indoor jungle gym—the perfect place for kids right? We actually had celebrated Noah’s first birthday party there. But he wasn’t…
Read MoreThe Woman Who Makes my Son Successful
I’m writing to honor our son Kash’s school paraprofessional, Susan Reed. We are so very thankful for the long hours and hard work Susan puts in to make Kash successful. We are a family of five. My husband Kyle and I are the parents to three incredible little boys. Our oldest, Kash is severely autistic and nonverbal. We reside in a small Texas community where I was raised. When Kash was diagnosed, we decided to move here because we knew our little town would love Kash unconditionally and embrace him.…
Read MoreWhere are you Christmas?
It’s the holiday season again. The time where we find the most perfect gifts for each other, bake and cook way too much food, and get to see the Christmas spirit through our children’s eyes. Except for some of us that Christmas spirit isn’t there. For some of us you see a social media update that looks “Christmasy” (is that a word?) but what it took to get that photo is another story. My son was diagnosed two years ago, almost three now. He has never understood the holiday but…
Read MoreWhen my Son Introduced me to a Stranger
My favorite autism moment with my son is when he introduced me to a stranger. It was an amazing moment I will cherish forever! My son, Eli was diagnosed at 19 months old with moderate autism spectrum disorder. It was not shocking news to me. We had concerns with Eli since he was super little. Never greeted anyone, never responded when spoken to, never spoke a word. He always used screams, cries, and grunts to communicate. Once diagnosed, we began outpatient speech and occupational therapies at our local hospital. Eli…
Read MoreThe Woman who Changed our Lives
I would like to honor my son, Gabe’s dance teacher/therapist Jackie Zamora. Jackie has a dance class called Zamdance. It’s for all children and adults with intellectual disabilities. A little about us… My name is Nicole. When I was 29 years old my husband passed away while I was 12 weeks pregnant with Gabe. When he was 18 months old Gabe was diagnosed with autism. He is now 9 years old and is non verbal with significant delays. I never thought I could be happy again after Gabe was diagnosed…
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