Why oh why?

This blog of mine is a relatively new one. I was hesitant to start this blog, however, I see so much diversity in the autism community and it really bothers me. I guess I want to create awareness that no matter whereabouts on the spectrum our child is, no matter the situation we find ourselves in, no matter our financial status.... we really need to stick together. We must support each other regardless of what we believe.  Am I being naive? Perhaps!


I just can't bear it...... here I am, a mother with a son who just happens to have autism. He is severely challenged with motor planning issues, sensory processing disorder and he is also non verbal! I have enough troubles in my life without having grief from other parents because I am not doing x,y and z!


I will admit, I have been guilty of this myself....... BUT NO MORE!


I want to state right here, right now, that I will not judge another parent for the path they choose to take!


I will also not beat myself up that I am not doing x, y and Z!!! :-)


Onwards and upwards!


xx

Food issues!

I shake my head over these issues............


Autism and food


Autism and sensory issues and food


Autism and low muscle tone and food?


We were doomed right from the very start and I gotta tell you...... my son and his food have given me many a headache over the years!


His diet is extremely restrictive. Oh, he will eat breakfast for lunch and lunch for breakfast, however, offer him any new food and he will refuse to eat it!


Take tonight for example; he is mad about macaroni cheese, however, the cheese sauce has to been very runny and smooth. I guess this is a sensory *thing*! Pasta is all well and good, but what about the protein? I very sneakily diced up a small piece of cooked chicken and mixed it in with the good ol' mac and cheese!


Well, would you believe it, he found a teeny weeny piece of chicken and then that was that!! The dinner ended up in the bin! 


Sadly, because of the autism, there is no way I can resort to bribery and blackmail ~ he just doesn't get it! :)


What to do, what to do?


You know what? Tomorrow is another day, I will think about it then! 

A touch of a cold....

I have a sick boy... Well, he is not that sick, just a bit of a stuffy nose and feeling under the weather. 


I had all sorts of plans of things to do with him this weekend.  Anyone who knows autism will be aware that engaging with our kids can be incredibly difficult. My son would much rather spend all of his time on the computer or iPad than actually *do* any type of activity with me!! :-)


He scuppered my plans by getting sick! I figured there was no point making too much of an effort, when he really is feeling lousy! So, I stepped back and let him spend his precious time doing what he loves best....


Me? Well I also took it easy!! We have plenty of time.......

Half an hour for me....

I have gained weight over the last three years and I don't like it. My clothes are too tight and as for that roll that sits above the waistband of my jeans... Waaah. Perhaps it is also an age thing. The skin on the top of each hand is beginning to look old, in fact my hands are beginning to look like my mother's hands!


I don't want to grow old................


My friends talk about growing old gracefully. OK, let's be truthful here, only a few of my friends utter those words! The rest of us are desperate to hold back time. We talk the talk and discuss the whys and hows. We chatter like a troupe of  monkeys and we giggle, oh how we giggle.


We don't want to grow old.....


Look, there is not a lot I can do about it!!  Is there?


The one thing I am going to do is cut back on my chocolate eating and take up some exercise. The easiest and cheapest from of exercise for me is walking.... give me some time and I may throw in some running!


The beauty of having a teenager in the house is leaving him to keep an eye on his younger sibling. The sibling is twelve, however, he has special needs and I wouldn't like to leave him alone without a carer.


I waved bye bye to the kids and hit the road, so too speak. I put my head down and walked solidly for half an hour! You know what, it did me the world of good. I got in some exercise and also had some *time out*. Win win. x

Taxi Mum

I have decided that I can't waffle on about autism all the time, therefore I am expanding my horizons! :)


I came across the following site and thought it sounds like great fun.....  It's called Six Word Saturday and it's hosted by Cate at Show My Face. You describe your Saturday or a part of it, in six words.

My six words came to mind very easily. I seemed to spend the day in the car, shipping my teenager here and there. The back drop to my words indicate where I would rather be.... xx

My boy's birth

I have such a strong memory of the birth of my precious boy. How can that be? How can I recall every bit of an occasion that happened thirteen years ago. How can I pull forth the memory of how his birth started, progressed and ended.


Perhaps I am not alone, perhaps all mothers remember the birth of each child. Perhaps the occasion is so momentous that it is forever etched in our brains.


My husband was due to fly out of town on business, in fact he even got as far as the airport! Needless to say, after telling him that I was adamant that our treasure was about to be born, he cancelled his trip and came back home to me. He wasn't too pleased about the lack of progress and he went to bed in a grumpy mood!I hustled myself into the spare room to also try and get some sleep. 


Around midnight, I needed to nip to the loo......... imagine my horror when I found that I had been swamped in blood. I can't tell you how scared I was! I was beside myself with worry and imagining the worst case scenario.


The hospital staff also seemed to be on a go slow that night. However, by 2pm I was hooked up to monitors and reassured that all was right with my baby. Obviously it all began to get a bit sore (fricking painful if you really want to know!!). My husband duly requested an epidural for me (this was my second birth and my first was without pain relief, except for that ridiculous gas).


I was extremely fortunate that my epidural was 100% text book! I then heard via the nursing sister that my gynie wouldn't be coming in until a more respectable hour....... What! This baby wanted to be born and my gynie wasn't coming.... I was so irritated! Anyway, we sat there until 6am! Yes I know we had only been there for four hours, but I have extremely quick births.


The gynie eventually rocked up just after 6am, dressed in a suit no less and wearing white boots! After much pushing and panting without any pain, my boy arrived by 6.30am.


We were over the moon and also a bit flabbergasted at the amount of hair on his head (my previous baby had been born without a hair on his head!). He was a big bonnie baby and I fell in love with him instantly.


My husband had his cell phone with him, so I made a call to my mother to let her know the good news. Before blurting out "it's a boy", my mother said "Hello, are you ringing to wish me a Happy Birthday?"


Ooops!!


"Hey Mum", I say. "Well actually, I am phoning to tell you that you have a grandson!"


HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 


If you enjoyed this, there are more birth stories over at Actually Mummy and also at #Blogitforbabies.  This is a campaign by Save the Children to highlight the appalling lack of neonatal and postnatal care in many countries around the world, and the dreadful toll on women and children that it causes.

Reflections

My son, he sits at the edge of an unloved patch of garden just outside my front door. He is a wee boy, still chewing on a dummy, still a baby really. He has found some ants, lots of scurrying tiny black ants. They fascinate him and he continually tries to pick them up. 


I think to myself, wow, this is easy! What a good baby, amusing himself, happy, content..... 


Little did I realize at the time, that his continuous repetitive behavior was an indicator for autism!  

Brand new blogger

Hello

I am a mum

A mum with a special needs child

I have been walking this road for a while now

It has been quite an experience

This blog is about my life with my child
It is about memories and reflections

Fingers crossed that this blog works! :)

Thank you for reading my post xx