Category Archives: Dealing With Public Perceptions

Now She Knows She’s Different

When Zoe was little I spent a lot of time thinking  ( and writing) about about how different she was. Then she grew, and through her grade school years blossomed with the encouragement to try and do her best as I made sure she was always included, and treated just like everyone else. Zoe will be starting…

Continue Reading »

How to Hold it Together When the World Falls Apart

Hi you guys! This is basically my week again…only different surgery on the stomach…I’ll update you later…   ****************************************************************************     I get tired–the kind of tired that makes your bones ache. Sometimes, I get grumpy too. Hey, don’t we all? In this ever-winding road of special needs parenting, I find myself often in a…

Continue Reading »

Labels

    Jack met with the developmental psychologist on Tuesday for a few hours. We have been noticing some hard-core aggression along with some other really disturbing “new habits” that have come up in the past few months (for example, he’s taken to not sleeping again, and he’s picked all the nails off his fingers…

Continue Reading »

What a Special Needs Mom wants for Mother’s Day

This week, I’ve read lots of blog posts and memes about Mother’s Day. Some of them are pretty dead on accurate, and others hurt my heart. Lots of them are about what mother’s really want for Mother’s Day—things like for children to close the doors, pick up socks, and so on. So as I was…

Continue Reading »

The Beauty in the Beast

We, lovingly, call Jack “The Beast” sometimes. We don’t mean it in a derogatory way at all. Just in a way that we all know is true— he’s kinda Beastly (he’s a growler…loves to growl all the time when we’re out. Growls at old ladies, at kids, at dogs…). Sometimes he’s “Beastly” or “My Beasty…

Continue Reading »

As They Grow…

I am the first to admit that March 7, 2007, was one of the toughest days of my life. I sat, holding the baby that only a week prior was declared “mine” in a court of law, while a neurologist told me my son had a diagnosis that changed his life forever. I felt numb….

Continue Reading »

Weddings (and other such events)

Tomorrow my brother is getting married. In a quiet, small gathering. On a boat. At Disney World.   Now, while most people think this sounds romantic and lovely, I am a nervous wreck. My brother loves my son no matter what; however, if he decides to melt down or scream or narrate the entire event,…

Continue Reading »

My Three Cents

I didn’t feel like I was doing anything that extraordinary. I was doing what any good mom would do – trying my hardest to meet my children’s needs. There’s nothing here to pity or stand in awe of. It’s my child who is doing amazing things.

Continue Reading »

Counting the Grapes

Well, when you’re child pulls your hair, kicks, screams, and starts throwing things because things aren’t just the way they want them; when you have no idea what’s going on with your child and they don’t have the words to tell you; when you generally feel out of control and have learned a few things that seem to help a little here and there…you do strange things like count the grapes. I think I offered the girl some of the other fruit.

Continue Reading »

On Our Tweens and (Not) Letting Them Flounder

“You must be so busy, with four kids!” People say when I introduce my family. And I look at them, thinking, “Well, no, not really.” (Minus the doctor and specialist appointments). You see, until this year, there haven’t been extracurricular activities. It was enough to take two older girls to the park 3 days a…

Continue Reading »