This blog...

This blog is for:

Family & friends to see what exactly we've been up to since I don't have time to call everyone to catch up & give the play by play...

A place to capture & store memories with my family...if I died tomorrow, my kids would know how much I loved them & everything we do for them bc it's documented...

Therapy for me to express feelings & experiences, ESP now that our journey has taken a turn...

Other mothers with a child like Brady going through something similar, so the story of our journey can be inspiring & educational...

That being said, we have been on an emotional roller coaster for the past several months. We don't want sympathy or pity, although prayers are appreciated. I do feel like everyone can benefit from those & it seems like these days my prayer list for others is just getting bigger & bigger. I know that we aren't the only people going through things & compared to others, our issues seem minor...but, I thought I would take a moment to document a few facts on autism. With as much research as Richie and I do, I feel like we have become experts (him more so than me - he has read A TON)...

* About 1 in 88 children are born with ASD. Of those, 1 in 54 are boys compared to girls which is 1 in 252 (5x less likely)...

*Parents who have a child with ASD have a 2-18% chance they will have another child that is affected (they told us 50% at our appt in Little Rock)...

* Studies have shown that parents of children with ASDs notice a developmental problem before their child's first birthday (not us - Brady was SO advanced & we didn't notice any changes until around 15-18 months)...

*Concerns about vision and hearing were more often reported in the first year, and differences in social, communication, and fine motor skills were evident from 6 months of age (I do remember Brady being sensitive to light - literally from the moment he was born)...

* Only 56% of ASD kids graduate high school...

* The cost of a person with ASD over a life span is 3.2 million dollars...

* The cost of life long care can be reduced up to 2/3 with early detection & intervention...

These are pretty eye opening in my opinion...These are reasons I lie awake at night, wondering about what our future looks like. This is also why Richie & I have bent over backwards to make sure that our kids are in the best suited school for them & why we have decided to "invest" in their future. I may have made comments about us being broke because it is a BIG expense just enrolling & getting started...Then the monthly expense too. This is our choice & it's mind blowing to see the difference in such a short time & WORTH EVERY PENNY! I am extremely blessed to work for a company that allows me to work 4 days a week (reduced pay by 20%) so Brady can go to his OT/ST/Dev therapy appointments every week. We are lucky to have fit them in on a very packed Wednesday-Thursday schedule! With my schedule, and Richie's schedule of 24 on/48 off we have got it down to a science. We are constantly on the run & checking our calendar to make sure we haven't missed something! But that hasn't been easy...We aren't eating ramen noodles, but none of the above is cheap...But, I can honestly say that pinching pennies hasn't been too bad. Just can't go & do like we have in the past. And quite honestly, we are SO extremely busy with our schedules & having 2 kids under 2 that we live for & don't want to miss out on a single thing they do...we don't have time to spend spend spend. Christmas isn't going to be as fabulous this year, but Richie and I don't need anything...And, we have continued our tradition with picking kids off the angel tree & donating for toys for tots bc those families need it worse than us. I really hope we can instill these values early on with our kids that giving is more important than receiving. Jesus is the reason for the season, not wrapping paper & presents. Spending time with loved ones that accept us for who we are & LOVE our special kids SO much!

We are truly blessed to be where we are...but I have to admit that I worry on a daily basis...People told me before I had kids that it would never be the same once they came. The mommy guilt would set in & the endless worry would appear...So So true!!

But, as a mom you figure out how to sacrifice & make adjustments as needed. You put your kids & husband first & yourself last. You laugh at the little things & don't worry over spilled milk, bc in the grand scheme of things - it doesn't matter! You laugh as much as possible, cry as little as possible & sleep when ya can!

There ya go! This is my 2am posting in hopes to get what's on my mind, OFF my mind! On to praying (which is probably what I should have been doing all along)...After all, God is the reason we have gotten answers, gotten progress & been able to provide for these kids as best as possible!!! I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!!!

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