Today is Apraxia Awareness Day. Today I raise my voice to advocate for Jackson and all the other kids with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS). Today I educate other's about the speech disorder that steals the voices of so many kiddos; our little guy included. We've been on this journey since Jackson started speech therapy at 18-months-old. I've definitely learned a few things along the way; both beautiful and gut-wrenching lessons. This journey has been filled with joy and pain; hope and Continue Reading
Raise Your Voice & Wear Blue
There's a verse in 2 Timothy that reminds me of the amazing thing I’ve been entrusted with. A little boy who has Childhood Apraxia of Speech. 2 Timothy 1:14 says, Guard that good thing entrusted to you. Each day God reminds me that I’m Jackson’s biggest advocate. Jackson is determined and he’s working hard to find his voice; but until he finds it, John and I are called to speak on his behalf. Our job is to fight for our son. We are the only ones who will be his voice until he Continue Reading
Why Our Adoption Talk Has Been Delayed
Tomorrow we celebrate Jackson's fifth Gotcha Day - the day we legally became a Forever Family. It's a day to celebrate adoption, to remember his birth mother and to look back on the amazing story God has written for our family. Tomorrow I should be sharing age appropriate parts of Jackson's story with him. I should be talking about the anticipation we had driving to the hospital on that foggy, rainy Wednesday. I should be telling him how I listened to his heart beat all night long - scared Continue Reading
Seven Things I Learned In April
1. All about AAC, ABA and IEP A few years ago I had no idea what these acronyms stood for, but then I became the mama of a kiddo with Childhood Apraxia of Speech and Sensory Processing Disorder. This month I've learned all about Individualized Education Plans, Applied Behavior Analysis and Augmentative and Alternative Communication devices. The special needs journey is all about educating myself so that I can be the best advocate for Jackson. 2. My Favorite Etsy Shop has Speech Therapy Continue Reading
What I’ve Been Reading…
It's been awhile since I've shared what I've been reading. My reading game was strong when I kicked off 2016, but it's dwindled over the past few months. I find myself in a hard season without much down time to turn the pages of a good book. But I'm trying to change that; because a good book can do wonders for the soul. Here's a few of the books that have sat on my bedside table the past few months: 1. The Friend's We Keep By Susan Mallery This was my first time to read a book by this Continue Reading