Two Brothers

These two had a brotherly scuffle last night. Very typical in a ‘not-so-always’ typical life. The older one is 12. The younger one is 9 for a few more weeks. I could hear them wrestling upstairs. It honestly sounded like the ceiling was going to cave in. I heard laughter. Squeals. Stomping. Running. Words. ‘Come and get me!’ And the nonverbal responses that Cooper gives. Sounds. Happy pitches. Clapping hands. So much joy. And then a scream. Yelling. Running. Tattling. A near tears explanation that Cooper ripped the fuzzy ball…

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A Love that People Dream Of

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…

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I Prayed for This

I just went upstairs to tell three little boys to settle down. But before, I paused at the door. Peeking into their world. There was giggling. And fart noises I heard hitting and tickling. I heard booty and I like butts and I lie. It sounded like the bed was being dismantled at one point. And the ceiling may cave in. The middle one yelled for me numerous times, letting me know the his brothers were being wild. I watched for a minute through the crack in the door before…

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Feeding the Soul

We got outside this evening and it was amazing! Of all the settings that my boys have been in together, outside is always the best for them. No technology to distract. Just sticks. Big sticks. And rocks. And mud. Really cool leaves. And scratchy bark. Toads. Squirrels. And BUGS!! And we just walk. At our own pace. No pressure. Cooper loves throwing things into the woods. He loves the sounds that come. Crashes and bashes. And his brothers love helping him find the biggest sticks to throw. There is just…

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Uncharted Territory

Here is the thing I’ve learned about little brothers. They are always watching. Always absorbing like little sponges. They see and hear everything. They want to grow up fast and be just like their older brother. I know this because my two year knows a swear word. A bad one. Not a cute little one but a real one. And he uses a it in perfect context. Daily. He must have learned it from YouTube or older kids at the park or…um…his dad. I don’t know. As his parents we…

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Little Brothers

Here’s the thing about little brothers… They are stinky and loud and messy and can be SO annoying… And they also have this way of inserting themselves into everything. They don’t care about boundaries or social norms. They don’t care if you talk or use a speech device. They don’t care what you are into or what’s cool. They just care that they can climb on you and steal your iPad and watch trains with you. They love to be chased and to ask for an extra treat so they…

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Brothers

Here’s the thing no one told me about brothers. They fight. And they wrestle. They sneak punches. They take jabs. Like in this picture. They may be hugging. They also may be attempting to squeeze the life out of each other. I won’t know until someone screams. They team up against me a lot. Like velociraptors. One distracts me while the other two sneak into the pantry to steal Cheetos. They protect me too though. If one of them hates me for a second or gets really mad over something…

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Thank You For You

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 about…

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‘I Want To Look Out For Him’

Someone once said to me…’siblings to children with disabilities are not special. And they shouldn’t be treated as such.’ I’ll tell you this…in all my years of sharing on social media, very few statements have bothered me as much as that one. I adamantly disagree. This kid. His life is different. Not bad by any means. Wonderful if you ask me. But it’s different than most of his peers. He sees and hears and experiences things most people never will. And we choose to call that a blessing. We work…

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You Are His Home

Sawyer, you’ve asked me a lot of questions over the years about your older brother. You’ve asked me why he doesn’t talk. You’ve asked me if you are the older brother. You’ve asked me if you could have autism too, like him. You’ve asked me who is going to care for him when mommy and daddy are gone. And recently, you asked me if Cooper knew you were his brother. I told you of course. I said without a doubt he knows. But I know you still wonder. You want…

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