I wasn't sure how I'd feel today. It's the first day of public school in our town and it's the first year I won't be sending my son through the elementary school doors. Last week I found myself wondering if I'd feel sad seeing my newsfeed overflowing with first day of school photos.Would I feel sad that my kiddo couldn't do a typical kiddo thing, or would I feel relieved? A day like today brings a mixture of emotions for a mama who is about to embark on her first full year of Continue Reading
The Day I Stopped To Make Paper Airplanes
Today I took the time to make paper airplanes with my kid. I didn’t even know how to make a paper airplane (at least one that could actually fly), so I did what any good mama would do - I Googled it. And by golly I made a pretty sweet plane that actually went pretty far once the wind found its way beneath the wings. We decorated them with our favorite colors - his blue and mine purple - and added stickers that spelled our names. He wanted to have a paper airplane show. So he set Continue Reading
Special Needs Parenting: It’s All About Adapting
For the past two weeks Jackson has attended Camp Communicate. It's an intensive speech therapy camp for children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech. I saved every penny from my photography sessions this year to cover the cost of camp, because it isn't covered by insurance. I had such high hopes for the last two weeks. As a special needs mama I should know by now it's best not to let my expectations get too high. I wanted Jackson to have a fun two weeks, make progress with his speech and have Continue Reading
Why His Last Day Of Kindergarten Is Bittersweet
My Facebook feed has been flooded with pictures of kiddos graduating from kindergarten. They have the cap and gown and the little certificate that says they finished. To be completely honest, I think kindergarten graduations are a little silly - but all the photos have actually made me a little sad. I don't have a photo of Jackson graduating from kindergarten. It's another reminder that our story is different. It's a reminder that public school kindergarten was just too much for my Continue Reading
Dear Apraxia Mama…
Dear Apraxia Mama: It seems appropriate that Apraxia Awareness Day falls the day after Mother's Day. We're not only our kids' biggest advocates, we're their voice. We drive them countless miles to and from therapy. We speak "their language" and understand them when others don't. To the mama who's been doing the Apraxia song and dance for years - you rock! You've fought the good fight - maybe you've even finished the race. I hope you are celebrating today! But to the mama who Continue Reading