Posts Tagged ‘autism’
A Nonverbal Thank You
Cooper has never asked me for a birthday present. He’s never asked me for anything really. If I was to show him something cool or ask him a question about what I think he might want, he most likely will always answer yes. He likes to answer yes. But it isn’t always accurate. Unless I ask him something ridiculous like…do you want broccoli for dinner? Then it’s a definite NO. Over the years we’ve never talked about the presents I’ve given him. Not a word. I’ve never gotten an excited…
Read MoreA Simple Trip to the Grocery Store
Trips to the grocery store. Simple right? Well, this mama didn’t know if we’d ever be able to successfully visit one. Groceries stores are loud. And crowded. And full of so many things. There is waiting. So much waiting. And walking. And colors. And different temperatures. And people talking. And asking questions. In our world we call this a sensory overload. Then add in a boy who is 9 years old. And looks like every other 9 year old boy who can easily walk through the grocery store. But yet…
Read MorePlease Make Room For Us
Last Tuesday started like every other day. I woke up way too early, tried to coax my son Ben back to sleep for an hour and lost that battle. Then, I gave in, got up and got ready while trying to keep him entertained. I woke up Caleb and shuffled both boys off to daycare. It’s the story most working moms could tell every single day. It was my usual stress, the usual morning hustle, but then someone stopped me in my tracks, both figuratively and literally. The boys’ daycare…
Read MoreI Sorry I Did That
We had a few years as a family that were extremely difficult. It used to make me cry any time I talked about it, so I usually didn’t. Leland’s toddler years were rough. I don’t mean in the terrible twos kind of way. It was more like non-stop screaming, kicking, growling, hitting, with no words kind of way. My husband and I spent countless hours researching and trying different supplements, therapies, and such. We were desperate for anything that would help. We basically stopped going places or doing things. We…
Read MoreFive Years…Thank You Village
When my son was born I kept hearing the phrase, “It takes a village to raise a child”. I never understood it until my son was diagnosed with autism. When we finally heard the words, “Your son has autism spectrum disorder” from the doctor, I had to text my family because I knew I couldn’t get through a conversation without bursting into tears. Even though we knew he had it, it isn’t real until you hear it from the doctor. The next day my parents came over and the first…
Read MoreA Disorderly Night Before Christmas
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the houseNot a creature was stimming, still this mom pouts;Her stockings were flung to the floor without care,In hopes this year’s Christmas Day stress she can bear; The child was nestled all snug in mom’s bed (sigh),While visions of numerous wine glasses danced in her head;She wonders who invented toy packaging and thinks he needs a slap,Here comes the cursing, and her cleanest word is “Crap!” As the sound of her tearing through plastic makes a huge clatter,She prays no child wakes…
Read MoreA Letter to my Son on his 9th Birthday…
My sweet boy, today is your birthday. 9 years old. I know it sounds silly, but I almost can’t believe it. All moms say that I suppose. But with you, it’s true. Time in our world is different. Fast. Then slow. Then backwards. Even upside down. It has even stopped. Man those were some tough years. But you and I both know that age is just a number. And milestones are just another checklist we don’t pay any attention too. Because you my son, are different. Perfectly, amazingly different. You…
Read MoreYou will Never Understand
To the mom in the grocery store, who stares while my child is screaming, and your child is calmly walking alongside of you…you will never understand. What you don’t see, is that he has sensory processing issues, and he is overstimulated. To the doctor, that says “He will be fine, it’s just a speech delay.” You will never understand. I knew at my child’s one year checkup that something was different. But, you shrugged it off. To the acquaintance that says “Oh, so he is high functioning…he will probably grow…
Read MoreIt Was Against the Health Policy
Today, we went to the library. It’s the same library I used to visit as a child. I’ve taken the boys several times in the hope of instilling a love of reading. Milo, my eight-year-old son with autism, was having a difficult time — nothing new — but I was taking care of things. I sat with him at a table in a corner of the children’s section while my six-year-old son, Linus, selected books nearby. Just seconds after I snapped this picture, a librarian approached us. I looked up…
Read MoreFriend, Take the Picture
I posted these family pictures on my personal page recently. On the caption, I impulsively made the statement, “I’m not sure why we waited seven years to make these happen”. I’m not sure what I was thinking when I said that. Because after reflecting, I know exactly why it took so long. I didn’t take the pictures because things started out hard and I forgot how to breathe. Jackson’s stroke. Then carefully weaning the anti-seizure meds for months. The waiting on the next round of blood work to know if…
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