Posts Tagged ‘autism’
I See You Momma
I see you, momma, giving your all. Staying up into the wee hours, researching symptoms and indicators, both hoping and dreading a possible diagnosis. I see you, all alone, as your mommy gut screams something is wrong, to the disbelief of your husband and family…listing all the “absences” and “lack” of symptoms, hoping the silent missing parts will prove to others there is, indeed, a problem. I see the world you’re living in. Where bell curves taunt and intimidate and are rendered useless for you. Where, diagnosis or no diagnosis,…
Read MoreWhen My Brother Starts Talking
Yesterday afternoon Sawyer and I took a trip to Starbucks. I needed a coffee and some alone time with my little man. When we are in the car together he talks nonstop. It’s the kind of chatter that I love. He tells me about school, dinosaurs, and the newest Nerf Gun. He tells me about his friends. And what he wants for Christmas. And that we need to hurry up and write his letter to Santa. I soak it all up. Every single word. On our way home he started…
Read MoreI’m Thankful for the Kindness of a Stranger
Have you ever felt a tug on your heart. An idea that was placed in your head. Often it seems as though it has come out of nowhere but it gnaws at you. It often seems so crazy. Your try to ignore it. You continue to pray for guidance, friendship, and help and wonder why you aren’t getting any answers? I am sure that God it thinking that I am so dense that 2X4 over the head wouldn’t even get my attention at this point. So, God took it up…
Read MoreMy Sensory Seeker
I laugh every single time I walk into a room and see a blue blob. Especially since it’s blaring music from Choo Choo Bob. And giggling. Cooper doesn’t really care for many so-called sensory gadgets. He doesn’t have any interest. But this sensory sack is one of his favorites. He even requests it after particularly long days. He crawls inside and stretches and rolls. I highly recommend it if you have a sensory seeker or a child that craves deep pressure. Link to Transformer Sensory Sack from Fun and Function:…
Read MoreSay ‘Ma-Ma-Ma-Ma’
Last night I was snuggling with Harbor and I found myself subconsciously saying…’say ma-ma-ma-ma.’ And as I looked at him I saw Cooper. I immediately flashed back to seven years ago and all the times I encouraged him to start making sounds. I waited for so long. Calmly at first. But eventually desperate. Here we go again. https://www.facebook.com/findingcoopersvoice/videos/862215027463626/ Finding Cooper’s Voice is a safe, humorous, caring and honest place where you can celebrate the unique challenges of parenting a special needs child. Because you’re never alone in the struggles you…
Read MoreThank You to the ‘Original’ Member of our Tribe
We want to honor our son’s speech therapist Jacqui. She started as a person that came to our home on Saturday’s to give Carter extra help with speech, but she has become a part of our family and our Autism journey. She is the “original” member of our tribe. Our family lives in the Tampa Bay area, as well as almost our entire extended family. We have a huge support network and Carter’s tribe is the most amazing group of people that I have ever gotten to have the pleasure…
Read MoreOur Family Photos 2018
Because every picture tells a story… A few weeks ago we had our family photos taken. Harbor was brand new. I was exhausted and emotional. Nursing was hard. Recovering from having a baby was hard. And introducing a new little one into our already chaotic world was hard. I knew Cooper wouldn’t touch his new brother or most likely sit with us for a photo but…I hoped anyways. I wanted pictures of my family. So, we tried. And here is what we got. I’m in love. As I look at…
Read MoreThe Different Stages of Accepting Autism
I had no idea that there would be so many different stages surrounding my son’s autism. For example I thought getting the diagnosis would be the hardest part. I really did. I thought going through the pain of realizing something was wrong, making the phone call for the appointment, bringing my baby to be evaluated and hearing the words, ‘yes he is autistic,’ would be the hardest parts we would ever have to go through. We would get help and it would be fine. I was wrong. There are so…
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 More