1. To Begin

I've thought about having a blog for a while, what I would write, how frank I would be.  I thought about whether I'd post pictures or use anyone's real names, or if I would want it to be anonymous.  I still don't know if I've made up my mind on any of that yet.  

What I will say is that this will be about parenting, about failures, about struggles.  About tears.  About fears.  About reaching the end of your rope.  But also - about laughter and successes.  Family, growth, and answers.  

So let's set up some background before I move on to more "real" posts.

ASD: Autism Spectrum Disorder.  Anywhere from Rainman to Spencer Reid to Sheldon Cooper.  If you've seen one kid with autism - well, then you've seen one kid with autism.  Some days my son is my little Rainman.  And sometimes he's just like the other kids at the birthday party ... only without the eye contact. 

ADHD: Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder.  Oh.  My.  God.  This stuff ain't funny.  Sitting upside down, making loud noises, losing everything, not understanding what is being asked.  Running in place.  Falling out of the chair in class.  Welcome to our world. 

SPD:  Sensory Processing Disorder.  Overwhelmed by loud noises.  Overwhelmed by touch.  In constant motion.  Gets stuck on one task and cannot transition.  Speech is chopping, not fluid, painful to listen to as words are stumbled over.  The symptoms of this, ADHD, and ASD, often seem to bleed into one another. 

OCD: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.  What we sometimes say when we refer to the way we find toys lined up by color or size.  The way the Legos are placed in the toy bin.  Or the way things are (re)arranged in the kitchen.  Often used as a verb.  Such as, after seeing the way pencils are lined up in a row:  "He's OCD'ing his pencils again." 

WTH:  What the Hell?  The feeling of being absolutely overwhelmed by a single child.  Overwhelmed by life, by the challenges and the demands.  The feeling of being lost and confused.  The feeling of having been led to the end of your rope and wondering if you have the strength to continue to hold on.  And then setting your alarm to start again the next day. 

SAHM: Stay At Home Mom.  Me.  But there's not as much sitting on the sofa, watching soaps, and eating chocolates as I would like.  There's an awful lack of paycheck and an awful lot of dirty dishes. 

IEP:  Individualized Education Plan.  A plan implemented by the school to ensure that my son is able to be successful in his education.  It includes taking tests in small groups, given a special binder for his class work, going to speed twice a week.  Every plan is different.   

SPEECH:  Speech Therapy.  Not just for lisps and pronunciation.  Therapy that helps my son to read body language, expression, and tone-of-voice like sarcasm.  How to have conversations.  How to say hello.

Next time I'll set up the Players, once I determine the exact level of anonymity I want to have.  Of course my husband doesn't care; he has no secrets.  

Thanks for reading.