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Ask and it will be given; seek and you will find; Knock and it will be opened.

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Ask and it will be given; seek and you will find; Knock and it will be opened. This week was Titus’ first week of full days at school. He is in kindergarten in Mrs. B’s room. He has his para Miss Stacey who has been wonderful for Titus.  The past few weeks his favorite and obsessive toy has been his  Mini Pixar Cars Sheriff Police Car and his “Ace” bike.(he loves riding his two wheeler!) He loves those favorite toys and I can tell as he acts out those characters it makes Him so happy. Which then makes me so happy watching Him.  Right now he is oblivious to the difference between himself and most kids his age. He just loves life and it’s so sweet to watch. Right now it’s comforting to know that he doesn’t know about his autism or that he is extraordinary yet. For I know the day will come when he notices or we tell him. But right now his innocence is so precious. I always feel an overwhelming love for every part about Titus. I just love joining into his world of play and re...
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Embrace Joy and Release Expectations

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Embrace Joy and Release Expectations    “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say Rejoice.” Philippians 4:4      From the moment we held Titus in our arms up to the moment we received His autism diagnosis, there weren’t a lot of signs of autism. We knew he struggled with speech and communication, but he didn’t really seem “autistic” to us.      Once the spring of 2020 came, we started noticing a shift in Titus. He was making bigger strides with his speech and communication and with that we started noticing some autistic behaviors. He was understanding fear and started having meltdowns. When he would get really excited he would start flapping his hands and jumping up and down. This was new territory for us. We were puzzled. “Why now?”      Nothing had changed medically or physically. He hadn’t been exposed to any chemicals or mold.      I would even say pridefully in my heart at that time I was a little disappointed, “I...
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The Rollercoaster Ride

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  The Rollercoaster Ride  With the month of April being Autism Acceptance month, it has been a month of reflection for me. It has been a year and a half since we got an official diagnosis for Titus.  Often we are asked the question, “How are you guys doing?” “How is Titus doing?” “How are you holding up?”  The best way Nathan and I can describe it would be, “It is a Rollercoaster Ride.”  I remember when I first got on a Rollercoaster for the first time in junior high.  You are nervous because you’ve never done it.  You are excited because you know something new is about to happen and it will be a fun adventure.  But you also are terrified of the unpredictable .  So you decide to get on the Rollercoaster and once you are buckled there is no going back, you have to face your fears .  The ride starts and you are nervous but excited. The amazing part? You aren’t alone . You have all your friends and family on that Rollercoaster with you....
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Look to Jesus

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Look to Jesus
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Embrace It or Fear It

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Embrace It or Fear It      A s I was sitting up in bed on a early morning, I put my feet on the floor. It was time to tackle another day in the Extraordinary Life. Diapers needed changed, lunch needed packed, kids needed fed and dressed.  But before I stood up, my mind flew to Titus’ diagnosis and the word  AUTISM.              Was this really my life? In my head I said, “I really have a child with autism.”  This might sound weird or silly to you that I would have such a weird thought like that. But I honestly believe that it was still a part of me coming to terms with our Extraordinary Life and calling.    I know autism doesn’t define the amazing and extraordinary boy Titus is. But that word still lingers in our thoughts.    The word Autism gets a bad rep sometimes. Autism is not a dirty word, but I know growing up I always felt scared of that word.     Autism is such a unpredictable diagnosi...
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Coming to Terms with Titus' Diagnosis

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Coming to terms with Titus’ diagnosis      There are so many stages and feelings on coming to terms with Titus being on the spectrum. I have realized one of the reasons his diagnosis has become hard to swallow is that you kind of want your family to be this little perfect family. You want to do all the fun things. You want uncomplicated road trips and fun crazy outings. Nathan is very spontaneous and I am a huge extrovert and people person. Put those together and we love to go out and do fun things and be around people. You want life to be and feel normal or “ ordinary. ”  You want people to love ️you(yes, prideful!)and love your kids. However, God has changed my heart in realizing my sin in some of those thoughts. Surprise! I am prideful!       There have been multiple situations in the past year that has awakened realty for Nathan and me. At first the knowledge of his diagnosis didn’t change much for us. In most areas Titus can be pretty chill a...
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The Extraordinary Diagnosis

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  The Extraordinary Diagnosis      The first years of Titus’ life seemed so normal to Nathan and me. We had a sweet, quiet, and determined little boy. He got his teeth early, he started walking at 9 months old and was always running around with lots of energy. As he reached age two, we did notice was that he wasn’t talking yet. Our friends and doctor reassured us that it was common for first children have a speech delay until they were three and sometimes even later in some cases. At the time we weren’t worried and figured he was an early walker so he probably would be a late talker.      From age two until about four years old, we started hearing comments and questions from well meaning people. “Does he have autism?” “Did you know he doesn’t talk?” “He doesn’t seem to make much eye contact.” Even though they were valid questions, it hurt. I remember asking Nathan, “Do you think he has autism?” The doubts and worries started to settle in after the mont...
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