If you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism. Meet mine here!
It has been 4 years. Four years since I sat in a room with a developmental pediatrician for hours talking about my son, showing videos, answering questions, managing his anxiety as I could tell he wanted to leave the room. I sat there praying we were wrong. Praying she would look at us and say, "it's not autism." But instead, she smiled... and told us our son was autistic. I smiled back. With a shaking hand I took her diagnosis letter, picked up my 2-year-old son, and left the office.
POV: The lady at the doctor’s office tells you to “calm down” your autistic son. I drive by this doctor’s office almost daily. I will not soon forget this day, this moment, this woman’s face. She looked at me so angry, so annoyed at my precious son who was running in place and making happy [...]
You’re headed to Kindergarten tomorrow. At 8am I’ll drop off half of my heart with people I’ve only just met. They’re qualified, they’re loving, but they aren’t your mama or your daddy.
“Only 13% of autism families surveyed take family vacations. Yet, 93% of respondents said they would be more inclined to travel if autism services were available.” (According to a study by IBCCES) Autism families let me tell you that Myrtle Beach, SC has entered the chat! I recently learned about the Champion Autism Network while [...]
For those that may not follow me on Instagram, I wanted to announce that we now have a Channing's Joy SHOP where you can purchase shirts indefinitely! EEEEEK!! As always, all proceeds from the store will go to benefit organizations that have our same views on INCLUSION for ALL. Currently, proceeds benefit the Autism Strong [...]
I did not ease into becoming a mom. When Channing was born, I remember not wanting to leave the hospital. I was terrified to go home. I couldn’t stop crying ALL OF THE TIME and I didn’t even know why I was crying, which only made me cry more. I saw photos of friends with [...]
Being an autism mama isn't easy, but here's 10 things I've learned that have helped me navigate this journey a little easier.
April is Autism Acceptance Month and this April we are so thrilled to announce our Channing's Joy shirts are NOW AVAILABLE exclusively at http://www.vestique.com! Shirts can be purchased now through the end of April with 100% of the proceeds benefiting Autism Strong. 1 in 44. That’s how many children have an autism diagnosis. Our “Choose [...]
Shout out to Carowinds for making our lives a little easier, and for the most enjoyable experience! Special needs families: Carowinds offers an amazing boarding pass program allowing your child the ability to be “in line” without actually having to wait in the line. It was a game changer for us. Plus, the staff were all so kind. We bought a season pass (obviously feeling ambitious!).
The day was perfect from start to finish (and we rarely ever can say that!). I wanted to make an Instagram reel but it was impossible to put all of the love we felt into one minute. I wanted to make a blog post but it just doesn’t feel like enough. My heart could explode with pride for my boy and with love for our friends and family. Our cup runneth over and over.
When I get sad, I like to write. Which seems to be the common theme in my blog posts. By the time I finish writing, I am reminded of the many things I have to be thankful for, and end up feeling better. So... right now, I'm feeling sad. I don't write that to say "pity me." I am writing this to all the other autism mamas out there to say, "I am here, feeling sad, right along side you." I know I am not alone in my sadness but also so sad that others feel this way too.
With the help of a local designer in Concord, we have created a tshirt/hoodie for Autism Awareness (and a little shoutout to my main man, Channing). ALL proceeds will go to our local Autism Speaks chapter; Autism Speaks Carolinas. These chapter has been so helpful to us with providing great resources and support.
April is Autism Awareness Month which made me want to share a little snippet into the life of our little man.
Please don’t take this post the wrong way. I always fear things I write will be misconstrued... but I am so frustrated at autism. I’m frustrated at it for taking so much away. I am also thankful for it and what it has brought. Autism is a challenge, a struggle. It’s a blessing, an answer.
Whoa, it has been a while since I’ve blogged! Here’s a little chaotic update on our life lately. I was feeling so good sharing our story and had plans for all sorts of blog posts... and then we were given a big surprise; I found out I was pregnant! We were shocked and excited, while [...]
Something that has always been really hard for me is that my son does not express his love the way I had always imagined he would. He doesn’t give hugs, or say “I love you.” He sometimes pushes me away or gives me an elbow to the face when I come in too close. Up [...]
Let’s talk about highs and lows, ups and downs, ebbs and flows. Some days are hard… we all have hard days. Then there are the days you feel like “oh yeah, I’ve got this!” and think you can do anything. When that feeling is there, it is so great, but when you’re snapped back down [...]
One thing that I have quickly learned on this journey with my sweet boy is to appreciate the very smallest of things. To some people, things that are HUGE in our world would often be overlooked in theirs (and I don’t blame them, I used to overlook them too). But that’s the thing with autism, [...]
I had a few parents reach out asking us how did we know to get help and what are the red flags associated with autism, which has lead me to this post. I am not a pediatrician. I am far from an autism expert. I would ALWAYS suggest following your gut and asking professionals. However, [...]
I have written this in my head so many times, yet I still don’t know where to begin. Forgive me if this bounces ALL over the place. I’ve gone back and forth over whether or not to tell our story… because it’s just that, it’s OUR story and do I really want strangers to know [...]
channing's joy 