My second daughter, Isabelle was born via c-section eight years ago. She was not at all happy about being taken from her warm, dark environment. She spent the first hour of her life screaming a high pitch scream that had me and my husband questioning if a second baby was really such a good idea….
Never Letting Go Of Hope
The most intriguing session on the agenda at the autism conference I attended this week was titled “Yes, Your Child Is Autistic, But Who Are You?” It was presented by Eustacia Cutler, and if that name is not familiar to you, you may have heard of her daughter, Temple Grandin (well-known in the areas of…
Was I Asleep or Something?
When did my daughter decide to go behind my back and grow up? It seems like just last week we were watching Finding Nemo and Veggie Tales, drawing cutesy pictures together, and doing fun kid-friendly stuff. Today I’ve been informed that holding your mom’s hand or—gasp!—hugging her in public is, and I quote, “for babies”….
A year with Ian
Ian will be a year old in a couple of weeks. I’ve been asked to write once a month about raising a son with Down syndrome. To be perfectly honest, this is going to be difficult for me. If I had been asked to write about my thoughts and experiences just a few months ago,…
Hey, Beautiful
“She’s not a pretty baby”, the social worker told me for the third time. “Are you sure you want to meet her?” I hid my impatience with a calm smile and nodded yes. We drove just a short distance from the social services office, and the social worker slowed in front of a row of…
Licensed To Asphyxiate
That’s Stinkbomb. Parker Stinkbomb. Licensed to asphyxiate. It took a whole day for the doctors to discover the gamut of Parker’s issues after he was born. Just when we thought we had them all figured out, God decided to save the best for last. He sent this bit of information via Parker’s Pediatrician. It went…
Special Exposure Wednesday – Photo Sharing
For the details read What is Special Exposure Wednesday? This is my almost 11 year old son, Mac, who lives with Asperger’s Syndrome. I think the photo titles explain this one… Photo Title: How to Deal with Sensory Overload First Alternate Title: My Brothers Drive Me Crazy Second Alternate Title: Why Is His Head Up…
The Crash Test Dummy Family
All week the plan was to tell you a humorous story today about the boys’ not-so-special language. Humor is scarce right now. As I write this the pain and tears are fresh from having been verbally and physically attacked by my thirteen year old son. Followed by his complete emotional collapse in my arms while…
Try This Tuesday #3: Using Videos as Instructional Tools
When my son was younger, I often felt guilty about letting him watch children’s television and videos, especially since I kept hearing about the negative effects of too much screen time. I was amazed, however, by his ability to virtually memorize entire DVDs as well as by the amount of detail he could remember. At…
Lovely Lemon Muffins
Now that we’ve got some kitchen basics down, it’s time to get baking! This recipe is one of my children’s favorites. These muffins are also easy to make, which makes them a favorite of mine too. Please note that if you’re not a big fan of lemon-poppy seed muffins, you can change this recipe up…