Posts Tagged ‘autism grandparent’
The Push and Pull of Motherhood
Do any of you feel a constant push and pull as a mother? Because I do. I have four beautiful children ages 11 to 11 months. Every second of my life is full. It’s messy and loud and so full of love and joy and lack of sleep that some days I just want to cry. I miss reading. And sitting. And thinking. It’s amazing too though. The best really. But the push and pull. I’m feeling it a lot lately. I spent the last couple of days with my…
Read MoreAlways Answer the Phone
‘Dad! Is everything alright?’ That’s what I said when ‘Dad Cell’ flashed on my phone this afternoon. I half expected it to be someone else. A relative. A nurse. Someone telling me something happened. My stomach felt sick as I waited the few seconds for a voice to respond. ‘Katie. Did you catch the game yesterday?’ I gasped. See my dad hasn’t called me in a really long time. He used to call me weekly and then he had a stroke and it changed him. It changed the way he…
Read MoreBecause of Her, He’s a Better Man
My Dad isn’t who he used to be. When my daughter Evie came along, he changed. As if by magic, he started to notice things he hadn’t noticed before. He began to see the things he HAD noticed a little bit differently, too. He was the first person to form a special connection with Evie aside from her Dad and I. It was obvious to my parents when Evie was just a few months old that something was different about her. She wasn’t like other babies they had experienced. She…
Read MoreHappy Birthday Grandma
Immediately after Cooper got on the bus this morning I sent this email to his teacher. Good morning! Cooper wanted me to tell you it’s his grandmas birthday today and we are celebrating tomorrow after the train museum. He’s very excited. He also has crazy socks on!’ I sent it because he is so excited for his grandma’s birthday he can hardly stand it. Add in our trip to the train museum tomorrow and crazy sock day and today is the best day ever for him. He gasped and danced…
Read MoreFacing My Fears
Yesterday I visited my dad in a nursing home. It’s funny how our mind and our heart can play tricks on us. Meaning, I understood he was in there, but I couldn’t really believe it. Even as I type the words ‘nursing home’ I have the urge to erase them. It was also his birthday. 79 years young I told him. As I drove the nearly three-hour drive alone to visit him, I tried to prepare myself for what I was going to see and feel. Would he be the…
Read MoreIt Could have Been the Last Time
See that voicemail from my dad? I just saw that it was there. I didn’t know until a few minutes ago. I find as my kids get older, and use my phone to watch videos, I lose track of people trying to contact me. The messages and voicemails build up without me knowing and when I finally look I feel terrible. Except that wasn’t the case this time. My dad called me last Tuesday afternoon. I sent him to voicemail because I was busy at the time. I was on…
Read MoreThe Woman Who Showed Me How To Get Through The Hard
Genevieve Ann. There’s a lot that I can say about her. She’s fierce. She makes me laugh. I know if I call her I’ll feel better. I don’t dare miss a Thursday call from her. It’s been our thing since I was little. There was that one time in college where she called me 3x’s upset that I didn’t call her because it’s Thursday. Then she realized it was Wednesday. She and my Papa made quite a team. I remember I wanted my marriage with whoever I married to be…
Read MoreWhen You Think About Grandpas
When you think about a grandson’s relationship with his grandpa…. I imagine baseballs being thrown. I imagine basketballs being shot. I imagine a little shadow following grandpa around asking nonstop questions. I picture trips to the Dairy Queen for an ice cream cone. I think of hand holding. Snuggling on the couch watching cartoons. Or country westerns. Or the auto channel. In my head I hear stories….‘Back when I was your age.’ I imagine special trips and holidays. I’ll tell you the truth. We got something different. Not less. No…
Read MoreA Mile, A Marathon and A Tour Guide
Every once in a while, somewhere out in public, Noah will scream or screech with delight in a place he loves. He can’t help it! He has autism and he’s non verbal. It’s how he tells me he’s happy. However, sometimes it’s at a place like the grocery store or Lowe’s where it echoes across the whole store. That’s when I get a few different kinds of looks. Sometimes I get the look of pity which is unnecessary but at least has good intentions or I’ll get the ‘I get…
Read More