Persistence

By Sandy on April 23, 2012

When Josiah wants something, he lets you know. He is insistent and persistent. Lately, he’s been obsessed with Hostess Coffee Cakes. He absolutely adores them. He usually gets one in his lunch box every day. First, he has to eat the healthier options we’ve packed for him and then he is allowed to enjoy the snack cake.

When he gets home from school, he navigates through his Ipad communication app to say, ‘I want to eat a snack cake.’ Sometimes he takes me by the hand and practically drags me through the kitchen to the oven. He knows we keep the box of coffee cakes in the cabinet just above it.

He takes my arm and throws it up, hoping I’ll retrieve one of his delectable treats and serve it to him. I explain he already has had one and is not going to get another. My words fall on deaf ears.

Such a Smart Kid

By Sandy on April 21, 2012

Josiah recently decided he doesn’t need a seat belt anymore. Every time I strap him in, he wiggles his body right out. Yesterday, after I picked up Josiah from school, I needed to run a quick errand. Since he loves riding in the van, I figured it was a good time to go.

We made it to our destination with minimal drama, though I did ‘catch’ Josiah twisting his body around so his back was hanging off the seat and his head tilted up. He was still strapped in, but contorted in such a way he was staring towards the ceiling, dangling a chewy tube from a cord. I snapped a couple of pictures of him, while stopped at a red light.

Shortly after that, Josiah stood up and started jumping.

His First Party

By Sandy on April 16, 2012

Josiah was invited to a birthday party yesterday. I nearly cried when I saw the invitation in his backpack a couple of weeks ago. Josiah doesn’t get invited to birthday parties. This was such a thrill for me. It was an invitation from a little boy in Josiah’s class. It was held at a local bouncy house place.

You know Josiah. He’s a jumper. This kid bounces with the best of them. He bounces on the chair. He bounces on the bed. He bounces in the car. He even bounces on his knees across the floor. So, this was the perfect event for him. I just knew Josiah would be in his element at this party, once he got used to the environment.

As usual, I was wrong.

World Autism Day

By Sandy on April 2, 2012

Have you heard? It’s World Autism Day. For those of us living with a child on the spectrum, every day is Autism day. It affects our world, all the time.

For everybody else, today is a day to stop and take notice; to be aware Autism exists, to understand the incidence of Autism is on the rise.

The latest statistics from the Center for Disease Control are that Autism affects 1 in 88. Think about that. Most likely that means you know of someone who has a child or a sibling or a relative or a neighbor with Autism. So, you are aware of Autism. I think most of the world knows Autism exists.

If They Only Knew

By Sandy on March 30, 2012

Parents of children with challenges have it rough. The road we walk isn’t pretty. Yet, it’s a road we find ourselves on, without choice. Others looking in, see the struggle, feel the anguish and may think they understand the pain.

But, unless you walk in these shoes, I don’t know if it’s possible. I hope to share a little. I hope to open some eyes. I hope to open some doors. With permission, it is my desire to sit with these saints, these mothers and fathers who are daily warring for their children and to talk with them.