Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Wallowing In My Not So Happy Place... Ah There It Finally Is!!!

I have spent the day sloshing through a mountain of information for James' huge IEP tomorrow ~ not funny!  I have also been dealing with kind of nostalgic depression and have listened to the same song over and over and over again.

                                                                Let it Hurt by Rascal Flatts


From Tears to TRIUMPH!!!!!!!!!!!

Whether or not an Autism diagnosis is expected or a complete surprise, having it given to your beautiful child can be very emotional.  I expected it and I prepared my husband for it but we both cried on 12/20/06 when our son was officially diagnosed.  In reality, my tears were a mixture of relief that I was finally being heard and sadness that he hadn’t received the early intervention that I knew as really important to his future.   Our gorgeous child was lost in a non-verbal world that we couldn’t reach.  His ten year old sister mourned the loss of the sibling she had wanted since she was two.  Our family drifted as we tried to pull together across the chasm of Autism.  I had spent years working with children with Autism and considered myself well versed in the treatments and practices that were recommended. BUT… this was my baby!!



We eventually found the strength to find the services that were going to give our son the best foundation for his future.  We all embrace his uniqueness and celebrate his exuberance about his life.  Our children have found a typical way of slipping into sibling rivalry and driving us, as their parents, crazy!

Autism wasn’t the end of the story.  It wasn’t the end of life as we knew it.  Autism was merely a comma followed by several …’s and punctuated by multiple question and exclamation marks! 

Maintaining a sense of humor was very helpful at the beginning as more days were difficult than easy.  As we became more familiar with him, all of the training we received became more second nature.  We continue to learn about his desire to be appreciated for who he is.  Our main mission now is to help him triumph everyday to his fullest potential. 


It is funny what we remember and the pictures that we cling to!  Find your bliss today and enjoy your babies.

4 comments:

  1. Love the attitude! and the Mario costume - does he wear the 'stache too?

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  2. Thanks The Gift of Autism! The 'stache never really stuck very well and was itchy. He loves the hat too but not for this picture. The costume is now a little too small so we may have to get a bigger one. Hope you keep checking in and finding your bliss!!

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  3. Loved this Sarah...you said it perfectly. I felt the exact same way when we got Trey's "official diagnosis" earlier this month.. and since then I know we are headed down a road we never expected. But laughter and love will get us through it all :)

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  4. Glad you liked it Rhonda. I know that you are still a newbie on the path but I have been skipping through it for many years. It is really interesting the things that take me back to the dark place of "official diagnosis land." The Rascal Flatts song, (embedded in the post above) did it to me this week. Couldn't stop crying until I picked James up from school and saw his amazingly sweet face. He keeps me laughing everyday!

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