Posts Tagged ‘special needs siblings’
It Took a Baby…
For the last three years, Sawyer and I watch a movie on Friday nights. We eat popcorn with way too much ranch seasoning, snuggle up with blankets, argue over what movie to watch, and talk about his day, farts, Nerf guns and hockey. It’s my favorite part of the week. And for the last three years, Cooper has ALWAYS been encouraged to join us. He rarely ever does though. He likes to wander around, move from room to room, watch his shows, line up his treasures and stim. That is…
Read MoreA New Year’s Resolution
Recently my friend texted me, “I’m so happy our boys are out having fun together”. Just a normal text any friend would send when Dads take their boys to a basketball game together. Then I looked over at my sweet Finley who has Autism and thought I’m not happy because one of my boys is here with me and not out with everyone else enjoying a basketball game and that is because he has Autism. Then for the first time I started to realize that this kind of night would…
Read MoreA Letter to my Little Brother
Hey Sawyer, I’m hoping that someday I can say this all to you. But there is a chance that I might never be able too… I’m hoping that when you are older you will read this and understand. I know you think I have nothing to say. I do. I know I confuse you. I’m so loud. I flap my arms. I don’t notice toys. Or play sports. Or like to leave our house. I don’t have any friends. Or really pay any attention to you either. I just like…
Read MoreWhen My Brother Starts Talking
Yesterday afternoon Sawyer and I took a trip to Starbucks. I needed a coffee and some alone time with my little man. When we are in the car together he talks nonstop. It’s the kind of chatter that I love. He tells me about school, dinosaurs, and the newest Nerf Gun. He tells me about his friends. And what he wants for Christmas. And that we need to hurry up and write his letter to Santa. I soak it all up. Every single word. On our way home he started…
Read MoreOur Family Photos 2018
Because every picture tells a story… A few weeks ago we had our family photos taken. Harbor was brand new. I was exhausted and emotional. Nursing was hard. Recovering from having a baby was hard. And introducing a new little one into our already chaotic world was hard. I knew Cooper wouldn’t touch his new brother or most likely sit with us for a photo but…I hoped anyways. I wanted pictures of my family. So, we tried. And here is what we got. I’m in love. As I look at…
Read MoreThe Hardest Day is Tomorrow
My name is Stacy, and I’m a married stay at home mom with four kids. My nine year old son Mason is neurotypical, which is the politically correct way of saying he’s “normal” or NOT autistic. My 7 year old daughter Elliott was recently diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome, which was enough to make me want to check myself in to the loony bin. Like seriously, I’m waving the white flag and really need to NOT have any more diagnoses handed down for a while. But that’s a different story for…
Read MoreLearning to Acknowledge his Brothers
A glimpse inside our world…Most kids learn by observing others. They watch and learn. Or it’s instinctual. Kids just ‘pick’ up skills. We don’t have to teach them everything. We don’t have to think about every single possible skill that we do as humans and figure out a way to teach them. In our autism world, every single skill has to be taught. We’ve even had to teach Cooper how to learn. How to try. How to play. How to sit. How to care. Skills that are easy for most…
Read MoreA Day in the Life of Brayden
As the days tick down and school is about to begin I can feel the anxiety starting to climb at our house. When I was growing up I remember back to school as a glorious time. I remember going on a shopping trip to Mall of America or the local mall. We would spend the day laughing, wandering, and occasionally picking up a new pair of jeans or a needed pair of tennis shoes. It was never about the stuff. It was about spending quality time with your mom. Now…
Read MoreControlling What I Can Control
On day three of Harbor’s life, he cried all day. He nursed and fussed. Nursed and fussed. He didn’t sleep for nearly six hours. At 3 pm, I broke down. Not because of exhaustion. Not because of the stress of nursing. Solely out of fear. I said the words aloud that I feared the most, ‘Jamie, he’s autistic. I know it.’ Jamie, the one who is always calm, always level headed, never emotional, said, ‘no he’s not.’ But I could see the fear in his eyes. At 5 pm, Jamie…
Read MoreHow Do You Do It?
In the middle December of 2014, my husband, Yuki, and I were going to talk to my parents about the decision that we had made to go through an adoption agency to adopt a child. In March, earlier that year, we had found out that our baby had not made it. No real explanation really…it was the first trimester and the babies heart had stopped. “The good news is that we know you can get pregnant,” the doctor had said. The baby stayed inside of me until October. Yup, you…
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