Posts Tagged ‘Autism diagnosis’
The Friend who is My Son’s World
I am honoring and so incredibly thankful for my best friend Regina. In 2014 we were pregnant at the same time. Our kids would be five months apart. We would do everything together and we were going to make sure that our kids did everything together. That was until things changed. I started to see the differences in our kids as they got older. I ignored it. I was overreacting. Everyone says boys develop slower anyways. “I have nothing to worry about” I would tell myself. I remember at his…
Read MoreFive Reasons Why I’m Thankful for Autism
Most day I could probably write a longer grocery list of why autism is so hard on us and Zachary, my nonverbal child. If you could make the best life for your child, you would. No questions ask. If I could ease his troubles and anxiety, I would in a heartbeat. Autism has significantly changed my life and perspectives on things. I had thought I was a grateful person beforehand, and maybe I was, but looking back it seems far more shallow. Here is my “grocery list” of 5 reasons…
Read MoreOur Tribe, I’m So Thankful For You
While motherhood has certainly been my greatest adventure, the vulnerability in becoming a mom, and an autism mom, has been a substantial challenge for me. I found myself, for the first time in a long time, in need of help. A lot of it. This has never been something I’ll easily admit, ask for, or receive. Thankfully, I am surrounded by the most patient, kind and generous humans who constantly offer their support. Our friends and family and friends who are family, you open your homes to our curious five-year-old…
Read MoreBefore Autism
Before autism. Before Harbor. Before Sawyer. Before Cooper. I had a miscarriage. Jamie and I were newlyweds. We got pregnant the first month we tried. Which was immediately after we got married. We saw a heartbeat at 8 weeks. We told everyone. We announced on Facebook. We planned. We bought. We prepared. We were going to be parents. We talked about the parents we would be. And the child he or she would be. At 13 weeks there was no heartbeat. I was devastated. That word actually doesn’t even accurately…
Read MoreThankful to the Aide that Made a Difference
This November I am thankful for the aide that made a difference in my son’s life. The aides that work with our kiddos definitely don’t get the thanks they deserve. A little bit about our family…My husband Gary and I have been married for 12 years. We met working as Firefighters. I am now a stay at home mom and advocate for our son Andrew. Gary is a full time firefighter/paramedic along with a councilperson for the Village we reside in. We have twins who recently turned 9 years old.…
Read MoreHonoring our Therapists
I would like to honor the amazing therapists at Accelerate Early Intervention. They listened to me when no one else did. They believed in my sons abilities and they nurtured and cared for both of us like family for three years. I stumbled into their small facility teary eyed and scared when my son was around 20 months. Owen began therapy with them at age 2 and spent 10-15 hrs a week with them for 3 years. They became an extended family. They never gave up on Owen and were…
Read MoreHe Isn’t a Sad Story…
“… he isn’t a sad story.” Those are the words that changed my world. I always dreamed of becoming a mother. There was nothing I wanted more in life. Boy or girl I didn’t care, I just wanted a healthy little baby to love. I remember the day we found out we were having a little boy. My husband Josh was over the moon happy, talking about all the things they would do together. I think a part of the excitement came from him not growing up with his father…
Read MoreIf You Are Struggling, Find Your Person
I am a wallflower. An introvert. Painfully shy. Making new friends in your thirties is hard. For many reasons, it seems even harder when you are Mom to a child with disabilities. Cloaked in a facade of smiles and ‘He’s coming alongs’, it can be mentally exhausting to keep cheerful and happy and all the things that make someone want to be friends with you. My dear friend Kristin calls this her mask and I think it is the best way to describe how many Moms feel on this journey.…
Read MoreI’m Thankful for My Niece
My husband and I are parents to an amazing, energetic, mischievous, almost three year old boy, Logan. We started to notice speech regression around 20 months, and I brought it up to his pediatrician at our next routine visit. I remember her saying that speech regression is related to autism, but she didn’t really see any other “red flags” that alarmed her. She referred us to Early Steps to see if he would qualify for speech therapy, and then we would see if he started to make any progress and…
Read MoreChanging Flight Plans to Holland
Mission Control has changed our course…again. Some of you may know the poem “Welcome to Holland.” For those of you who do not, allow me to explain. Or, if you prefer, you can follow this link to the poem. Welcome to Holland “Welcome to Holland,” is a poem written by Emily Kingsley about how it feels to have a child with special needs when you had already prepared for a typical child…like planning a trip to Italy. However, when that day arrives the plane changes its flight plan and lands…
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