Posts Tagged ‘Special Needs Parenting’
Our Biggest Day
Lately, I’ve been sharing a lot of firsts for my son Cooper. Tonight, was the biggest one yet. He and I sat and watched an hour long flag football game together. He sat. He watched the timer. (Two 25 minute half’s is a long time!) He waved at his brother who was playing. He held my hand. He asked my 486 times for trains. And we were present. Together. A family of five. This wasn’t just any first. This was a first we have worked towards every day of his…
Read MoreI Never Stopped Talking To Him
Yesterday I interviewed my dear friend Leasa of Cody Speaks. If you don’t follow her you should. Her son Cody is 20. He loves videos and the mail. His autism was discovered when he was 17 months old. And he started talking at 9 years old. When she said that on the live, comments immediately came in asking what she did. What is the magic thing that got him to start talking? I understand because when I found Leasa and Cody, I asked the same question. My son was 7…
Read MoreHey You
Psst, hey. Look at me, I’m over here. Come close. I want to tell you something. You won’t win today. To be honest, I haven’t really noticed you in a while. I almost forgot about you. It seemed like the medicine was working and my son Jack was calmer and a little less agitated. Then, just last month, you returned with a vengeance—all ragged cuticles and sleepless nights. Anxiety. You would think I’d be used to you by now—that I could anticipate your next move, and figure out a solution,…
Read MoreA New Diagnosis
The doctor said it. She said what I knew in my heart was true. I had been waiting over a year for this appointment and she confirmed what I have suspected since Joelle was eighteen months old. But how can something you saw coming still hurt so much? I knew when my second daughter wasn’t meeting her developmental milestones. As a nurse, I saw the red flags. At her eighteen month well visit, I brought up my concerns. When her pediatrician wanted to take a wait and see approach, I…
Read MoreMy Miracle Boy
On May 24th 2020 my entire world changed in a matter of moments. Since my son’s Autism diagnosis in February, I still had not said the words aloud, “my son has autism.” I would use phrases such as “he receives special services” or “he has special needs.” I had not gathered up enough strength to use the word Autism and Charlie with the same breath. I guess in my magical world the diagnosis wasn’t real until I said it was. I am honestly not sure how long I would have avoided…
Read MoreNever Ever Give Up Hope
Our family’s number one goal is to get in the community together. It’s never really happened. Well, not successfully. But we refuse to give up. Tonight, our middle son had flag football practice. I wanted to go. My husband wanted to go. We wanted to get the other two boys out of the house. So, we did it. Cooper’s motivator and encouragement…two (not one!) vintage train magazines from eBay. His most favorite thing in the world. We stayed an hour. I have never, in nine years, been more proud of…
Read MoreBeing Invisible
There are many beautiful things that I was gifted when I entered the world of special needs. Things that most people outside of our world know nothing about. Because they are unique to us. To our world. There are honestly to many to list. But one that rises to the top is that I get to see the people who see Cooper. One would think that a 9-year-old boy who dances in the rain and wears brightly colored leggings couldn’t possibly be overlooked. But it happens every day. People hear…
Read MoreDoctors And Nurses: Thank You
This little peanut had an outpatient surgery this morning. Nothing too serious. But nevertheless it needed to be done. I want to say the hugest thank you to Pediatric Surgical Associates, LTD and Children’s Minnesota for providing outstanding care. Harbor was charming, patient, darling and easy. It went as smooth as it possibly could have. And everyone was so kind to us. For anyone who has followed us for a while, you know that my older son Cooper is no stranger to different procedures. This mama has spent many hours wandering the halls of…
Read MoreYour Ups And Downs
Some days I wish I could just press reset. Or snap my fingers and make life easier for you. But I can’t. It doesn’t work that way. Instead it feels like ups and downs. Today you had an amazing speech session. The best in months! I think we gave you a hundred high fives. But then when it was over you dropped to the ground in the lobby and refused to get up. It was hard. It was over paper. You also kept a bandaid on your toes. You are…
Read MoreThe Future Of Autism
When my son’s autism was discovered at age three, I focused on the present. I dove into getting him all the help he needed. And our family too. When he was six, I started to think about the future. About forever. But I wasn’t ready yet. And many people told me not to think about it. They told me to wait. To take it day by day. Now that he’s nine, almost double digits, I can see the future with some sort of accuracy. I like to say we all…
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