Posts Tagged ‘Special Needs Parenting’
Balancing on a Tightrope
We are on a tightrope… This week my son Cooper had three of his best days ever at school. He is going to be 10 in a month or so and started fourth grade this year. It’s a pretty big deal for him. He also had one very challenging day. Which we are all allowed. Bad days happen. But afterwards, he used his speech device to tell his teacher he was sad. She didn’t know why. I didn’t know why. He is unable to tell us. It’s heartbreaking. And the…
Read More8 Minutes
Just finished carving our masterpieces. Although the repeated freezing did a quite a bit more damage to them than we originally thought. Thanks Minnesota weather. Anyhow, Cooper joined us for 8 minutes exactly. We set a timer. Let’s just say pumpkin nonsense is not for him. And that’s perfectly okay. He wasn’t too into the messiness of the carving but very much enjoyed lighting them up at the end. We got a gasp and a clap. That’s high regards in our world. The baby loved the sharpie marker and Sawyer…
Read MoreNot A Typical Halloween
Last year, after many challenging and ultimately failed trick-or-treating attempts, I had an idea. What if we went out, to a set number of houses, during the day, with less chaos and zero pressure. No other kids. No scary decorations. No crowds of goblins and Elsa’s at each house. I sent a message to four of our neighbors and they willingly agreed. I explained to them we may not make it and if we did, it may be ‘colorful.’ They didn’t care. They were excited to be part of Cooper’s…
Read MoreThe Measure of Success
The measure of success isn’t always a perfectly posed photo… Yesterday, our family of five volunteered to hand out candy at a Trunk or Treat. We expected it to be busy and fun, which it was. What we didn’t expect was 27 degree weather and sleet. That was a shock. I’ll tell ya, two years ago I wouldn’t have dared to volunteer for something like this. Because, well, we wouldn’t have all be able to go. It would have been stressful with running and unsafe behaviors. Or it would have…
Read MoreTo My Husband Who Chose To Stay
To my husband who chose to stay: That sounds so ridiculous to say out loud. Some people are currently scratching their heads because why would I say that? I say it because it’s true. Thank you for loving me when the diagnosis of autism consumed me and changed who I was. I was no longer in my mid-twenties trying to figure out how to be a first time mom. I was an autism mom and services for our son was my only priority. We said good-bye to date nights, weekend…
Read MoreMy Child is More Than a Diagnosis
Autism. Borderline Intellectual Functioning. Anxiety. Complex Medical Profile. Severe Speech Delay. Risk for ADHD. As I sit and read my five year old daughter’s recent neuropsych evaluation, I can’t help but feel helpless when I repeat these words in a continuous loop in my head. My daughter was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2 (rare for a girl) and we have moved the moon and stars to give her what she needs to be successful and most importantly, happy. And she is. She’s come so far. The…
Read MoreI’ll Follow His Lead
“I think we can say with confidence that Leo meets all of the criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder…” I sat on the floor of the room where Leo was being assessed, absorbing the doctor’s words…reaching with confusion for the tissue box she set out before me, only to realize that my cheeks were stained with tears silently streaming down my face. I knew before those words were uttered…before she handed me that piece of paper with his newly minted medical diagnosis… I knew. And yet, despite leaving for our appointment…
Read MoreAcccepting Our Color
This happy boy just visited his most favorite place on earth. Besides home of course. The train museum. He worked all week to come here. Three good days at school and voila here we are. He happily looked at the trains. He anxiously looked at the magazines hoping they’d have ones he likes. This train conductor has no time for Model Railroader. He picked out 7 postcards and a DVD. He wore his mask. He pushed a button to make Thomas go around the track. And then it was time…
Read MoreAn Early Winter
There is just something Cooper loves about the first snowfall of the year. He gasps. He points. He giggles while dad shovels. He watches intently. He even seems to count the flakes as they fall. When we go outside, he laughs when the flakes hit his head and hands. I promise you before the day is over we will dance in the snow at least once to the songs in his head. I’d tell you he loves sneaking a taste but one of you will tell me about the tragic…
Read MoreH-O-M-E
Cooper has been living his best life and getting spoiled at his grandparents for a few nights. Three sleeps to be exact. I FaceTimed a dozen times but talking on the phone isn’t his jam. He’s a man of few words. On day one and two he didn’t think twice about his brothers and parents. He was too busy. But on day three, he started asking for m-o-m and h-o-m-e. I guess every five minutes around the clock according to grandma. When he got home today he gave me the…
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