Archive for March 2014
It's the Middle that Counts the Most
I spent the weekend with my kids and husband and our puppies. Jamie and I even snuck in a date for margaritas. We were walking on air until we came home to dog pee on the carpet. **SIGH** All in all though, it was a perfect weekend. Maybe it has to do with spring coming. Maybe it’s because Cooper is getting easier every day or maybe it’s a whole lot of self growth. I guess I really don’t know. But I’ll take it. I cleaned my house 17 times and then cleaned it…
Read MoreThe Evaluation Summary
So, how did the evaluation go? That is the question. And better yet, how did this train wreck mom handle it? First let me say, the end result is exactly what we wanted. Cooper will start a developmental preschool through the school district in the fall. He will attend 3 hours a day, 4 days a week. He will get help with speech, fine motor, gross motor, sensory, etc. He can also be bussed. (SCARY!) So, this is great. Now for the real stuff. I had been communicating with the…
Read MoreToday is the Day.
Today is the day that I will love Cooper the most. Today he needs me more than ever. Today I am his advocate. His protector. His cheerleader. Today I refuse to wish that he was different. I will be proud of how far we have come and accept that we need help from the school and teachers and others. Today, I will accept that I can’t do this alone. Today I will go easy on myself. I will wear something I won’t sweat through. I know that I will be running…
Read MoreJust A Little Ole Choo-Choo Sound
The good days are continuing. I could sure get used to this! Last night I had amazingly special moments with each of my boys. I was sitting on the floor playing with Sawyer and we were feeding his baby from toy bottle. He was hugging and kissing the baby and laughing. I saw love and a HUGE imagination. I wrapped the baby up and sang a lullaby and Sawyer thought that was the most amazing thing ever. I didn’t get these moments with Cooper and I may never get them. Pure…
Read MoreYes, I'll Jump Through Your Hoops
Cooper is going to ‘most-likely’ start preschool in the fall with the school district. This is great for so many reasons. First, Duluth doesn’t seem to have any other places that can give him the services he needs. There are a lot of preschools but they are all for typical developing children. Second, Super Cooper will have a team devoted to him. He will have a speech therapist, occupational therapist, etc. It takes a village folks! And, he can be bussed to and from. (This freaks me the hell out…
Read MorePostive Updates
I just posted about changes in Cooper. I wanted to go into a little more detail because I am such a proud mama. I have blogged before about how picking up the boys from daycare can be a sad point in my day. It’s hard to see other kiddos the same age as cooper talking. It crushes me actually. So much, that there are times where I dread going. Sad, right? On Thursday, as I walked up to the house I saw that another mom was holding Cooper. He was hugging her and…
Read MoreGet Through Today. Better Days Are Coming.
Cooper is back. My sweet, smart boy is back. I know that sounds crazy right? Cooper has been a little monster for the last month or so. You can even tell by the theme of my blogs. A little over a month ago my posts were hopeful. Then, they changed. More fear, desperation. More anger. Things changed last week. I am so excited I have a smile on my face as I type it. Thank you God. He’s playing again. Laughing, ‘chatting’ non-stop. So much that he woke us up…
Read MoreJust A Little Ole 'H' Sound
I have some exciting news from yesterday. This is so subtle that I truly don’t believe anyone would have ever noticed it but me. And I made Cooper repeat the action so I could make sure it was real. We were reading book number 4 before bed last night. It was this big book about Sesame Street. Lots of colors and pictures and actions. Per the usual, I ask Cooper to point to different things. ‘Cooper, where is the red balloon? Where is the blue car? And so on.’ I…
Read MoreA Photo a Week Challenge: Joy
Joy. What gives you pure joy? For me, it’s my kids, my husband and my dogs. Yes, they make me feel like a constant passenger on the bi-polar express but that’s not important right now. Nancy Merrill Photography asks ‘share a photo that expresses joy.’ I LOVE THIS IDEA! And I had fun searching for one as well. This picture is Cooper’s personality in a nutshell. A combination between pure joy and pure emotion. We are at Lake Superior throwing rocks into the big lake. Cooper’s favorite activity of all time.…
Read MoreIt's The Anger That Kills Me The Most.
I have been obsessed with autism/apraxia/SPD research lately. I don’t know why it just hit me so hard but lately it’s all I can think about. Cooper is such a mystery and doesn’t seem to fall into any one category. So, I have been scouring blogs looking for Cooper’s twin and I can’t seem to find one. I keep looking for a social 3 year old with no words who has delays. No go on that end but I keep finding all of these amazing moms that are so much farther than…
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