Posts Tagged ‘autism sibling’
Thank you for Always Having Your Brother’s Back
Dear Jonah, You’re 11 today! How time has flown! There were a million things I wanted to write to you on your birthday card this morning but didn’t want to get too mushy. Birthdays are supposed to be fun and lighthearted. What I wanted to tell you is how proud I am of you. I know it can be difficult at times having a brother with special needs, especially when it’s your twin. There have been times you have told me you feel like the older brother and I get…
Read MoreA New Year
I just spent the last 20 minutes scrolling through ten years of photos to find any photo from a New Years Eve that I could share with you. I couldn’t find one. Apparently we don’t really do NYE in this house. I did manage to find the cutest kids ever. Whew. They need to stop growing! Anyhow, this is the first photo I ever got of my boys together. Willingly sitting by each other. Cooper is 4 and Sawyer is 2. It’s my absolute favorite. Their relationship has been a…
Read MoreBrotherly Love
Last night, Sawyer had a tough time. He was overtired and overstimulated and the day just got too long for him. Christmas can be hard for little ones. When he gets like that, he doesn’t know what to do with himself. Instead of going to bed, he sat angrily in his room and yelled at anyone who dared to enter. It’s best to just let him cool off. Cooper was so confused as to why his brother wasn’t coming to bed with him though. He doesn’t understand Sawyer’s complicated emotions…
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…
Read MoreA Zoom Visit With Santa
The three boys just had their zoom visit with Santa Claus. I’ll be honest, it was a loud, chaotic, mess and had me sweating and possibly even swearing internally. It was also adorable and cute. Which pretty much sums up all of our family experiences. Sawyer asked for a Nintendo Switch and followed that up with a dozen questions about the reindeer and how Santa is doing his job during covid. Then they exchanged ‘dad jokes’ and I laughed out loud. I love a good dad joke. The baby cried…
Read MoreWe Waited Ten Years For This
Beautiful things are happening between these two brothers. Things that we weren’t sure would happen. Things we accepted may never happen. Because we just didn’t know. They have never played a game together, at least not in the traditional sense. Sawyer tried for years to engage his older brother but never had any luck. It was heartbreaking for him. But lately, Cooper is loving to wrestle, tickle, run, and chase his brothers. It came out of nowhere. It’s a gift. He laughs so deep from his belly and his face…
Read MoreDear Sawyer
Dear Sawyer, You are seven and I am writing down the stories I want to share with you when you are a grown man. So you know about our secret world. Last night I went to your bedroom to tuck you in but you weren’t there. So, I made my way to your older brother Cooper’s room and saw you holding him. It brought tears to my eyes. The protective way you were holding him was beautiful. He’s been driving you bonkers lately. He has this desire to be near…
Read MoreThank You For Always Having Your Brother’s Back
To my eldest son, On Monday you asked, “Mummy what is autism like?” I told you my answer, and we sat and watched an animated explanation, showing how your brother sees the world differently to you. As I waited outside the school gates for you yesterday, you saw us and came running up with your arms held wide. “Hello, Rhys” you said, taking your brother’s hand in yours. The cars flew by us on the busy road, and you mentioned the noise and how scary it must be for Rhys,…
Read MoreA Gift I Will Never Take For Granted
I will never get over the gift of communication. Something so many take for granted. My newly two year old just told me he had an owie on his foot. He sat down. Took his sock off. And pointed to his injury. To so many outside the world of autism, this may sound so simple. His older brother is 9, nearly 10, and we work nonstop on communication of pain. For years, my sweet boy had ear infections that we didn’t know about. We didn’t know if his shoe was…
Read MoreYou Will Be His Best Advocate
Sawyer, I am writing down the stories of you so that someday, when you are older, we can look back together at them. Sawyer, your brother Cooper started at your school last week. At first I didn’t know what you would think. Would you be nervous? Excited? Worried? Of course, you amazed me. Your response when I told you was….’now I can watch out for my brother, mama.’ You were so excited. I was a bit worried though. I want you to be a kid and not have to worry…
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