Posts Tagged ‘special needs family’
This is Not What I Expected Either
“He’s 6 years old, he should be able to walk the block without complaining or flopping.” “Trick-or-treating should be fun, not stressful.” “We should be able to walk through Target together and not have to put him in a too-small cart so he doesn’t get away from us” “Field trips should be such a fun day away from school….” These thoughts either go through my mind or they cross my lips far too often. Combine our lack of child rearing experience (prior to E), our expectations, our own childhood experiences,…
Read MoreLife is Full of Bittersweet Moments
I was looking through pictures on my phone the other day and came across a picture that caused me to pause. The special picture is of Brian with his cute cousins Lilly and Leah. Brian, Lilly and Leah were born within the same year of each other. They live in the same community, attend the same schools and share the same last name. Life’s big moments I remember thinking how fun this could be as the kids grew older. I envisioned them having mutual friends, attending the same gatherings and…
Read MoreRegression SUCKS
Yes – I said it. Regressions sucks. Seeing my son who works so hard everyday lose skills and gain more anxiety is one of the most difficult aspects of this journey. He works so hard for each and every skill he has and to see one of them disappear is heart wrenching. We are currently in the mist of regression. When Jayden gets into a regression it seems to last months and it takes nearly everything inside of us to bring him out of it. Luckily each time his team…
Read MoreA Tale of Three Brothers
This morning my six year old was talking to his baby brother. I was running around getting lunches ready. We were running a bit late. And after a night of no sleep the morning felt never ending. I peeked over and saw Sawyer head first in Harbor’s car seat. He was talking to him in his loving, brotherly voice. ‘It’s your brother Harbor. Your big brother. I just love you baby.’ My heart absolutely melted. I watched Harbor stop fussing and grin at Sawyer. Those two. Already two peas in…
Read MoreAdjustment in Progress: Big Brother, Baby Brother
The nights are the toughest when I’m alone with my boys while my husband is at work. Just now, putting my autistic son to sleep, my almost three-month-old baby boy cries. Gabe, who is six, is instantly anxious. He starts covering his ears, starts humming and whistling loudly. I wait a bit to see if the baby will stop, but he doesn’t. I explain to Gabe that mommy will have to check on the baby. He follows me to the room where the baby is, all the while whistling and…
Read MoreYou Answered my Prayers
It was a beautiful warm day in Hawaii. I was sipping my favorite tropical cocktail and watching my boys, ages 13 and 11, splash in the pool. We had just started our three week summer vacation. I should’ve been in the ultimate state of relaxation but, every few minutes, I hear my youngest. He’s been making his way from pool to pool in an exact pattern for the last half hour and, every time he gets close to my lounge chair, I can see he’s having a rough time. He…
Read MoreThe Inner Workings of an Autism Parent’s Mind
There’s probably quite a few things we, as an autism family, do that seem completely typical to us, but totally out of the norm for other families. And we haven’t realized these things aren’t typical until others have pointed them out to us. Here are a few points we’ve learned aren’t typical for most families but are vital for ours: Always on the defense In our house, we are always on the defense. We’re always waiting for the next “thing” to happen. The next meltdown, the next dysregulation, the next…
Read MoreThe Day I Learned my Son had Autism
The date was Monday, February 2nd, 2015, the day I now vividly remember as the day I found out my son had Autism. I remember the date, because it was the day my new baby turned exactly two weeks old. My dear friend Aimee was visiting for the first time since my 4th child was born. My new daughter Lainey, two weeks old at the time, was chilling in Aimee’s arms while our other kids ran around tearing up the house like they always did. My then 19 month old…
Read MoreA Letter to the Sisters of my Special Needs Sons
My darling girls, Please forgive me. Valentine’s Day came and went without a special something from me. Yes, I sent you a text with my favorite bitmojis (you know my obsession with them), but that was not my plan when the month started and it is far less than either of you deserve. As a society, we devote each month to some type of awareness. In April I put my game face on and try to cheerlead autism but usually by the second week that enthusiasm has fizzled and the…
Read MoreTwo Boys and a Sister on the Way!
My son Nolan was born May 2007. He was the easiest baby who came with a painless, smooth delivery. He made parenthood a breeze. There was no hesitation in giving him a sibling right away. Mylan was born December 2008, and Nolan wanted nothing to do with him. He would hide his head or leave the room entirely if Mylan cried. I could never get that beautiful proud picture of big brother holding newborn brother. I was horrified that the loves of my life were not like the online photos…
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