Posts Tagged ‘special needs siblings’
A New Year
I just spent the last 20 minutes scrolling through ten years of photos to find any photo from a New Years Eve that I could share with you. I couldn’t find one. Apparently we don’t really do NYE in this house. I did manage to find the cutest kids ever. Whew. They need to stop growing! Anyhow, this is the first photo I ever got of my boys together. Willingly sitting by each other. Cooper is 4 and Sawyer is 2. It’s my absolute favorite. Their relationship has been a…
Read MoreThe Scary Parts of Honesty and Social Media
Sometimes social media makes me feel bad. Specifically Instagram. Don’t get me wrong. I love seeing adorable kids, beautiful homes, and flawless faces…but…sometimes I feel a little less than perfect. Just last night I searched the hashtag #19weekspregnant and was hoping to see baby bumps that looked like mine. I saw perfectly toned and tan women in crop tops with six packs. That’s not me. And as much as I want my 37 year old, mother of 3 body, to be perfect, right now it’s packing on weight like a…
Read MoreBrotherly Love
Last night, Sawyer had a tough time. He was overtired and overstimulated and the day just got too long for him. Christmas can be hard for little ones. When he gets like that, he doesn’t know what to do with himself. Instead of going to bed, he sat angrily in his room and yelled at anyone who dared to enter. It’s best to just let him cool off. Cooper was so confused as to why his brother wasn’t coming to bed with him though. He doesn’t understand Sawyer’s complicated emotions…
Read MoreMerry Christmas Eve
Merry Christmas Eve from our family to yours. Took 50 outtakes to get a good one! You can’t tell but this was a high stress moment for Coops. We are all counting down the minutes until bedtime and SANTA! Also, check out Jamie’s jammies. I ordered them for Cooper for his birthday and must have clicked the wrong size. No worries though. They fit dad! He was thrilled I promise. Although he did say let’s never speak of these again. Time to wrap presents! Finding Cooper’s Voice is a safe,…
Read MoreMy Holiday Buddy
Our Christmas in photos… This is Sawyer. He is 7. His birthday is in 26 days. We are counting down. He is 2 years younger than his brother Cooper but in so many ways he is the older brother. He is a protector. An advocate. He is patient and loving. And exasperating and exhausting. They fight like cats and dogs during the day and sleep in the same bed every night. He is also my buddy when it comes to anything and everything holiday. We just finished making cookies for…
Read MoreComing May 2021
Baby girl Swenson joining her army of superhero brothers in May 2021! She’s going to be one loved little girl. I’m so excited with how these photos turned out! Finding Cooper’s Voice is a safe, humorous, caring and honest place where you can celebrate the unique challenges of parenting a special needs child. Because you’re never alone in the struggles you face. And once you find your people, your allies, your village….all the challenges and struggles will seem just a little bit easier. Welcome to our journey. You can also follow…
Read MoreHis First Christmas Concert
I got to be a fly on the wall again today. For my son Rory’s first Christmas concert. I told him I would be there. I went over the day with him as I do. But he didn’t seem to have any understanding of what I was telling him. My girls, however, knew exactly what I was talking about. “Mum, I want to come to Rory’s Christmas concert! Mum what are his lines? Mum what song is he singing?!” The urgency in their excitement reminded me of just how different…
Read MoreA Zoom Visit With Santa
The three boys just had their zoom visit with Santa Claus. I’ll be honest, it was a loud, chaotic, mess and had me sweating and possibly even swearing internally. It was also adorable and cute. Which pretty much sums up all of our family experiences. Sawyer asked for a Nintendo Switch and followed that up with a dozen questions about the reindeer and how Santa is doing his job during covid. Then they exchanged ‘dad jokes’ and I laughed out loud. I love a good dad joke. The baby cried…
Read MoreLet me Tell You About the Siblings
I want you to know something. I want you to know that I hear you when you say his screams are too loud. That I see you when the disappointment of delayed plans hits or when a need overshadows a want. That I understand when things don’t go the way you had hoped. I want you to know that I’m painfully aware at how much our world has tipped upside down. From the emergency c-section, to the American way of postpartum care that failed. The 14 months of 24/7 care…
Read MoreThe Special Needs Sibling Shield
Today we ventured to Walmart for a few things. Eggs. Milk. Nerf gun bullets. And 2 pieces of paper. The essentials. Obviously. Outings as a family are still relatively new for us. And while they are far from perfect, they are real. See, we have a kid who is just learning about waiting and buying and walking and all the parts of the world. While our son Cooper is making amazing progress at stores and by amazing I mean huge leaps and bounds…so much of it is still hard for…
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