Posts Tagged ‘severe autism’
I Just Live It
We were sitting with the realtor about to discuss what we were looking for in a new home. I know she wanted to know about bedrooms and bathrooms and location. I didn’t care about that stuff. Not really. In the grand scheme of things that stuff wasn’t a priority. “We can’t be near a busy road. The house has to have a fence or the ability to add one BEFORE we move in. And most importantly, we cannot, under any circumstances, be near water. Non negotiable. I worry about windows…
Read MoreWill I be Brave Enough?
Am I brave enough? I just left the grocery store. I only had a few things today so opted for the self checkout today. While I scanned my items, I became aware of two young men next to me. I would say they were both in their 20’s. It dawned on me rather quickly that one was helping the other shop for groceries. He was helping him scan each item, slow and meticulously. Talking him through he step. The gentleman being helped was very much enjoying himself. He was laughing…
Read MoreYou are Welcome Here
You are welcome here. I see so many posts online telling parents how to feel about their child’s diagnosis. Some tell them to only see the positive. To celebrate every part of it. Some shame them for saying they are scared. Or hard. Or that they are worried. Some tell them they are awful parents. Some ridicule them for thinking a certain way. Some act self riotous because they didn’t shed a tear when their child was diagnosed. And they shame anyone who did. I read those posts and they…
Read MoreThe Things I’ve Learned
The Things I’ve Learned… When my son was first diagnosed with autism, and in the early years that followed, I tried really hard to fit in. Into the norm. I wanted so badly for my family to be like the other families. But, well, we weren’t. We couldn’t even pretend. Or fake it till we made it. We were different. Our son was different. Those years that we tried to pretend were the worst. It physically hurt sometimes. To see the differences so loudly. Our son is 10 now. On…
Read MoreThank You for Ordering Forever Boy
Now that the dust has settled on my book cover reveal, I want to say the sincerest thank you to everyone who purchased a copy of my book for preorder. And thank you to all of those who hopefully plan too! Sharing our story in the hopes to help others had always been my dream. I can say for certain that the beginning of my journey into autism would have been entirely different if I had found someone who I could relate to. This book will do that for you.…
Read MoreThe Story of Us
We have lots of new followers here! Welcome to our little corner of the internet. We are the dad (Jamie), the mom (Kate), and the littles. Cooper is 10. – Lover of trains. Sawyer is 8. – Protector and hockey player. Harbor is 2. – Wants to be a T-Rex. Wynnie is 3 months. – Perfect addition to our family. We talk a lot about autism over here and how our family has settled into it. We aren’t perfect and have made lots of mistakes but we do our best…
Read MoreCar Rides and Autism
What are car rides like for your family? For ours, I would say it’s the area where we have made the most improvement over the years. Back when Cooper was just diagnosis and the word autism felt foreign on our tongues my husband and I referred to car rides H – E – Double Hockey Sticks. We didn’t shine in the car. Cooper was a screamer. And a thrower. He would get upset if we turned the wrong way. Or stopped at a stop light. We couldn’t get gas or…
Read MoreMy Bookends
My bookends. My big and my little. 10 and 3 months. I’ll tell ya this much. They don’t pay too much attention to each other. Their worlds rarely intersect. But if anything comes close to falling (or jumping) on that baby…ahem…like a toddler brother…Cooper is the first to give a holler to let me know. That’s something special if you ask me. Also, see Cooper’s treasures? The items around him? He’s loving brown and white paper right now. He has a whole stack. Those photos? They are from my trip…
Read MoreForever Boy is in the Top 100 on Amazon!
I don’t know if it’s going to go away so I want to post this right now as I dance around my living room with my kids! #83! Forever Boy cracked the top 100 on Amazon! This is all you and this absolutely amazing community! Thank you so much for believing in me and our story. For following! And for ordering a preorder copy! It’s such a huge deal that a little old mom from Minnesota made it this far. I am humbled. Thank you for being with me on…
Read MoreHe Made up for It
Yesterday when I was talking about the chapters in my book, someone asked about Cooper’s relationship with his dad. And if I touched on it in my writing. The person then asked a follow up question about affection. ‘Does Cooper show affection to his dad? Has he always?’ The answer is no…he hasn’t always shown affection outwardly. Coops was more of a lone wolf when he was younger. And it was hard at times. Lonely even. We wanted so desperately to engage with our beautiful son. But his dad made…
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