Don't forget...

Today I was sitting with the little man watching one of his ghost shows and there happened to be a little boy with autism on the show. The little boy on the show was non-verbal and he was very intrigued. Little man knows he has autism...we've never hid that fact from him. It is not an excuse. It is not a crutch. It is a fact of our lives and we deal with it and move on. We don't have any other option.


So he asks me,"Why doesn't he talk? I have autism and I can talk." So I talked to him about how, for a very long time, he didn't talk either and it was very hard because we didn't know what he wanted or needed. I also told him how very proud we were of all of the hard work he had done (hours and hours of therapy...for years!) and how he had done amazing things and that some people weren't sure if he would ever talk. That made him happy. Which, of course, made momma happy!


Then I asked if he remembered when he wasn't able to talk. The kid has a memory like an elephant...he seriously remembers stuff that I don't...minute details of things that happened years ago. Even things from a time in his life that he probably shouldn't remember...like stuff from when he was an infant. Creepy and amazing at the same time.  He sat there for a minute and said, "Yeah, I remember...it was bad. I didn't like it. I don't want to talk about this. All you want to do is talk, talk, talk!" Haha! Emotions and junk like that stress the poor kid out! Ok, ok! I know when to stop!


I'm not sure how I feel about the fact that he remembers that time of his life. I guess there is a part of me that  kind of wishes he didn't remember...it was such a hard, stressful time in his life and as his momma I want to protect him. I know how hard it was on Jeff and I...I can imagine how hard it was on him. It is not something I care to do again, but going through it made us the family we are today. But then I don't want to discount it and sweep it under the rug like it never happened. It was hard...soooo hard, but  I guess it is good that he remembers. He's come such a long way...and it's always good to remember where you've come from...where you've been... and where you're going.

My very first blog post....EVER!

So my husband convinced me to start a blog. Yes! Let's blame Jeff! My favorite game! He was all like...you are so witty and clever, such a great writer (he's still sucking up for me helping him with some papers while getting his Masters), you have great ideas...blah, blah, blah, BLECH! But then he pulled THE card. The "It's such a good way to document and remember funny stuff the kids said or did"card. I caved. Evil genius No, gonna stick with that....evil genius, that man. And because I know y'all want to live vicariously through me! Right???


So yeah, that did it. I'm always complaining that I forget so much about the kids and their childhood. I mean, surely I bathed them when they were little! And I know that I had to have taken them to the park a few times....I honestly can't remember small details like that any more. Maybe I will blame it on the genetic brain disorder, or the thyroid disease, or constant insomnia or the fact that I have given birth to 4 children....one the size of a small calf. I usually try and post funny little stories about the kids on FB, but it is fairly annoying to go back through and find them. Sooooo, the perfect way to remember it. Blog it!


So here it is in all of its disturbing glory! I never wanted to put our family out there for people to pick apart. I mean, what if someone says something mean? I'll cry. Okay, so I cry over commercials and stray dogs. It's not my best trait.


 I'll warn you now...it may be messy, or crazy, and definitely a little lame. I tend to ramble and am easily distracted by shiny things. Oh and did I mention the sarcasm? I could post daily or once every 93 days. I just don't know. But it could be pretty cool. I guess we will see.


We have a fairly unique story....4 children all with a genetic brain disorder that affects them all differently. Our kids have a glorious plethora of initials to stick behind their names and not one of them have even started college yet! Autism, ADHD, OCD, sensory processing disorder, apraxia, dyslexia, memory issues, sleep issues, speech impairment/delay....but wait, there's more! You name it, we probably have it! And the more different and rare, the better!  Our neurologist says we hit the brain disorder lottery! Woo hoo! AND we are in the early stages of adopting a child with Down Syndrome! Which honestly has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl. I'm so stinkin' excited, it isn't even funny! I mean, how often does a dream come true??? Squee!  MUCH, much more on that subject later!


The evil genius My husband and I learned long ago that you must laugh and have sense of humor about raising kids with special needs. My motto is if you don't laugh, you'll cry. It is our coping mechanism. It has kept our marriage strong and our children well adjusted and still alive happy. See....there it is. Haha! Honestly though, our kids are awesome. And amazing. And beautiful. And exactly how God intended them to be. We are truly blessed.




And so it begins....I'm already rambling! Thanks for reading my VERY FIRST BLOG POST and not laughing too hard. Remember I cry easily...