Whoa. Just looking at the title makes me overwhelmed. Where to start? There can be so much in just one day….. SO MUCH! And let me preface this post by saying our day does not necessarily describe another family’s day with Autism. Each kiddo is different, their struggles are different and each family’s experience is slightly different. With that being said, yes, there will be similarities as well, but one family’s experience does not encompass every family’s experience with Autism. Our son Charlie…..well, he’s amazing. Simple as that. He has…
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When my child was diagnosed with autism I thought the help would start rolling in. I firmly believed that getting the diagnosis would be the hard part. Once we had that we would start helping him. Maybe you will be one of the lucky ones where everything falls into place. In most cases that’s simply not true. Helping your child will feel more like an exhausting game of trial and error. You’ll spend time googling and wondering what your next steps should be. You’ll hear about other families that have…
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I often find myself talking about all the things my autistic son can’t do. I don’t mean too. I’m not negative. I’m just human. And when you get together with a friend who also has an autistic child you start listing out where they are at. Yes, they are nonverbal. No, this and yes, this. And before you know it the things they can’t do outweigh the things they can do. I worry about where he is at. I get overwhelmed by how far he has to go. Sometimes I…
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Hi all! Thank you to everyone that submitted an ‘I am Thankful’ post in November and December. As we turn to the 2018 I’d like to change up the blogging topic! Every year on Sawyer’s birthday I write him a letter. I started when he was two. You can see last year’s letter below. Over the years I’ve started writing letters to the people that have played a role in our autism journey. Friends, family, strangers, even Cooper. Some times I thank them. Some times I apologize. And every time…
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As a mom to a little boy with autism I live by the quote: ‘I changed my way of thinking and it changed my life.’ I haven’t done a video in over a week! In this (long) video I give an update on our life and then discuss my evolution as a mom to a child with a lifelong disability. I get asked daily if I really am as happy and positive as I appear in my videos. The answer is yes. 95% of the time my sons disability motivates…
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To my boys, It’s December. When I was a little boy I remember December being absolutely magical as it’s the month that houses both Christmas and my birthday. I recall the days leading up to the festivities, being excited and feeling the building anticipation. The snow on the ground, the Christmas decorations and potential school closings would add to the sense of wonder that surrounded the whole season. “Would I get to shovel snow in the morning?” That was seriously a question I would think on the regular. If that…
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I often think of my son’s autism as a journey. A journey that not only he is on, but our family as well. A journey with many, many challenges. And holes and cliffs. And of course it’s slippery. The hills have jagged rocks and most of the time I feel like I am hanging on for dear life. There is no safety harness or map. I typically don’t know if I am even going in the right direction. And perhaps at times I fear that I might be going backwards.…
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Dear mama, I want you to know that when you leave your child with me, he will be safe, loved, and encouraged. I want you to know that I see you and you are not alone. I also want you to know mom, that I see behind your smile and want to hug you every day. When you leave your child at my door I sometimes secretly hope that you are going to do something wonderful for yourself and that you don’t forget to take care of yourself. I want…
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At age seven my son has very few play skills and no imaginative play. This means keeping him entertained without technology is a real challenge. What I wouldn’t give to be able to say to my son, ‘go play.’ Right now that phrase doesn’t make sense to him. He needs to be taught the skills first. For years we have worked on puzzles and anything alphabet related. But both of those types of play meant that I was sitting next to him and engaging with him. I had hoped by…
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I read a blog post today. It was written by a super exhausted mama for the super exhausted mama. Which obviously caught my eye. That’s me. I work full time. Two kids. One with autism. Three dogs. Home owner. Friend. Daughter. Spouse. I spend my days sharing autism, advocating, attempting to have a social life, trying to drink enough water, playing with my kids, exercising, fighting with Cooper over eating and communication, cooking dinner, cleaning my house, wishing I could walk my dogs, get a good night sleep and pee…
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