Posts Tagged ‘autism’
To All the Mothers with Kids on the Spectrum
To all the mommies out there with children on the Spectrum: You wake up so early every morning and your body is still exhausted from the previous day…week…month…year. You give yourself a pep talk, take a deep breath, and swing your legs over the side of the bed. If you’re super lucky, like me, your husband will have already brought up a hot cup of coffee and set it on the nightstand. You head downstairs and mentally prepare yourself for the battles and potential triggers that lay ahead. You keep…
Read MoreI Would Not Change My Son for the World
“I would not change my son for the world. I would change the world for my son.” I came across this quote the other day and it reminded me: This is why I share my son’s story. There is so much about his autism experience that is out of my control. What I can do though is spread awareness and hope that it leads to a little understanding, patience and compassion. My son, Wilson, is four and a half years old and was diagnosed with autism at three and a…
Read MoreMeasuring Success a Little Differently Than Most
A few days ago, Cooper had an event at his therapy center. This was the first event he has ever had. While many of you parents may have had different outcomes, Cooper was never included in any programs when he was in public education. Looking back I am pretty sad about it. But that’s a story for another day. Anyhow, today, he attends a full-time autism program. We made the decision to pull him from public education during his kindergarten year when it started to feel like he was being…
Read MoreThe Privilege of Being Your Mom
When you see a special needs child the focus often is placed on the hard things. The things she won´t accomplish, the struggles and the challenges. I consider this to be very unfair. Each child is a miracle, a marvel of life who deserves our respect. We should always focus on the possibilities. What they CAN do. What they WILL accomplish. What they ARE good at. We should see the glass half full and look at every child as a diamond in the rough who needs our help to shine…
Read MoreWhen I Think About Someday
This afternoon, on a beautiful Sunday, I found myself in my son Sawyer’s bedroom unpacking a box full of children’s books. Sawyer was sorta helping me. Chatting away nonstop while watching his Kindle, loading his Nerf Gun and reading a book. Every few minutes Cooper would appear. Sometimes he’d sit down next to me. Sometimes he’d grab my face and show me something on his Kindle or point to something outside. And then, like a flash he’d be gone. This is what Cooper does. He wanders. Always close. Never far.…
Read MoreThe Honesty of Six Year Old Boys
Our world is completely different than it was less than a week ago. A week ago we lived in a neighborhood without any children. So, our five year old son Sawyer really depended a lot on mom and dad for entertainment. He had a bit more screen time than he probably should have. He often told me he was lonely. He wanted more friends. This week, we live in a new house in a neighborhood full of children. All kids Sawyer’s age. All wanting to play and have fun. On…
Read MoreWhy Did God Make Me This Way?
It was totally unexpected when it happened. June 23rd. The night my six year-old son realized he has autism. He didn’t know the exact word yet, but he knew viscerally what it meant to be “different.” It was the first weekend of summer break, and my two boys and I were visiting my best friend and her two boys. It was bedtime, and he was tired. As I was trying to convince him to go brush his teeth, he suddenly collapsed in bed beside me, groaning, his body convulsing. His…
Read MoreAdjusting to Our New Home
As of Saturday our family is officially moved into our new home! I wanted give all you wonderful people an update. I know many of you genuinely care about our family and how Cooper is doing. Can I just say moving is hard with or without an autistic child. It’s exhausting. It’s so much work. It’s expensive. There are also so many variables that can go wrong and we actually had a few on the day of closing. It all worked out though. Thank goodness. If it hadn’t we would…
Read MoreNew Video: Finding Balance Outside of your Home
In this video I discuss how fantastic my son is doing right now. He is happy, healthy, and thriving in every area. Every day continues to be the best and happiest day of his life. Our family feels calm and relaxed. It’s been an amazing few months. But, we also realized that Cooper has literally only been going to and from therapy and to visit families houses. That is it. Otherwise, he is home. We want and need him to be able to have successful outings outside of our home.…
Read MoreAutism Outside the Safety Net of Home
Yesterday, Jamie pulled me aside and asked if I thought Cooper was acting more autistic than usual. I told him no. Now before you gasp at that statement, know that it comes from love. And an increase in autistic type behaviors means pain, anxiety and other areas of concern. If we see him all of a sudden head hitting, lining up objects, closing doors, etc., we know that something is wrong. And we dive in and try and figure it out. When a child is not verbal and not able…
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