Posts Tagged ‘autism blog’
When Things Are Not As Expected
I’m in bed feeding my beautiful boy his bottle of milk. He’s cradled in my arms and I’m enjoying the cuddle, the quiet, the stillness. Then his brother walks in, leans over and kisses his brother on the forehead. I’ve waited for a moment like this for a lifetime, literally. My heart could burst. Their first kiss! Then I’m bought back down to earth with such an overwhelming pang of sadness. I can’t help but feel it. It’s a bittersweet moment because I’m feeding and cradling in my arms my…
Read MoreWhen You Feel Like You Don’t Belong in Society Anymore
There have been many “hardest” autism moments, and the truth is, when I think it can’t get harder, there is always a next time that makes it harder. I hope that makes sense. There have been many “best moments” too, but let’s talk about the hard times, because we currently just had a horrible moment. The first hardest autism moment came before I even knew he had autism. We had just dropped Dad off for a year long deployment at the airport. I wouldn’t have even attempted the store, but…
Read MoreYou Can’t Let Cooper Win
This weekend I shared a photo of Cooper resting after a pretty brutal anxiety attack. You can read about it HERE. I wrote about how our family is at a unique crossroads. We need to figure out how to manage his anxiety, give our other children a normal life and keep our sanity. i said anxiety won. And someone responded with…’you can’t let Cooper win.’ Like he was deliberately sabotaging our family outing. I just shook my head when I read that. Cooper isn’t winning. No one is. We are…
Read MoreMy Motherhood
Being a mom is the biggest blessing that I have ever been given. It is also the most challenging adventure that I have ever been on. When I found out that I was pregnant, I dreamed of all the fun things my son and I were going to do. I dreamed what my son was going to accomplish. And then one day, I realized my dreams were just dreams, and that my reality was different than what I had ever imagined it was going to be. Motherhood looks different than…
Read MoreOur Weekend in Five 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. Super Cooper celebrated his eight birthday at school on Friday. He brought cupcakes and they had a dance party. I can’t even tell you how much it means to me to get photos sent to me of him enjoying his day. When you have a nonverbal kid, you typically…
Read MoreToday His Anxiety Is…
My son has anxiety. Real, serious, debilitating anxiety. Before Cooper, I didn’t know that an eight year old could have anxiety. I didn’t think they had anything to worry about. I mean…he’s fed. He’s happy, loved, clean, cared for, safe. He lacks or needs for nothing. And yet, on days like today, he can’t function. He can’t hold it together. He can’t turn the page. He can’t build a bridge. He can’t move on. He can’t think about anything else. It’s like a video in his brain is paused. A…
Read MoreI Am Thankful for My Family
I am thankful for so much. I am thankful for my job, my health, and my sense of humor. Which really helps when we are stressed out!) But most of all, I am thankful for my family. My family consists of my father, my mother, my brother, my husband and my boys. My husband’s wonderful family (his father, mother, brother, and sister) are absolutely wonderful and we love them to no end, but they are very far away. Let me start with my mother… My mother and father live about…
Read MoreTo My Husband, My Daughter’s Advocate
Saying that I am ‘thankful’ for you, my husband, doesn’t quite feel right. I am thankful, but I am much, much more. I am indebted. I am awed. I am overcome. You are our most valuable resource. Shortly after receiving our daughter’s autism diagnosis, without much discussion and no hesitation, you agreed to quit your job. You said, “I want to do whatever is best for Stella.” You never wavered. I’m sure that staying home with her and driving her back and forth to therapies all day, six days per…
Read MoreWould I Recommend Medical Cannabis for Autism?
I promised I would give updates on our journey with medical cannabis for our severely autistic son. Cooper has been using it for almost four months now. And daily, I receive the same three questions from family and followers: 1.) Is the medical cannabis working? 2.) Would I recommend it to other children? 3.) Have I seen any negative side effects? My answers are pretty long winded and I cover them in the video below. But to summarize, yes, medical cannabis is ‘working’ for my son. I have seen huge…
Read MoreIt’s Not Always Easy
Hear me out on this one.. I share our story because so often I receive messages from fellow special needs parents that their hearts are broken. All the time it’s questions, remarks on the ‘how’ and ‘why’ do we make parenting a child with significant needs look easy. I always step back and take a breath. It’s not easy. We literally spend all of our time working to give our son Jake the best quality of life for HIM. And to be honest, that does not always equal OUR best…
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