The Journey Begins..........

 

 
     This blog is long over due. I have been asked many times to blog about my life with Christopher, but as you will quickly learn, we are a BUSY family of six.  My goal this year was to post 52 times before my 50th birthday.
     Our journey with Christopher began when he was just minutes old. While I had a typical pregnancy, his birth day was anything but typical. Minutes after being born, we were told he had a hole in his lung. Within the hour, he was flown to a nearby hospital with an Intensive Care Unit for newborns. He was the biggest baby on the NICU floor weighing in at almost 8 pounds. Our journey into uncharted territories began that day.
     While Christopher's early years were filled with many specialist, we did not get his formal diagnosis of autism until the age of three. It was evident by his first birthday he was not meeting his major milestones and we were fortunate to receive a great deal of support from developmental therapist in those critical early years.  At the age of three it was evident our journey with Christopher would be one we were somewhat familiar with as his older brother is also autistic. Just as any two siblings, however, Christopher's journey would be very different than the path his older sibling had traveled down.
     The story of the first 14 years of being Christopher's mom will be told over time. It is an important story but not one that can be told in night.  I hope to share our journey to educate others about the journey of autism especially through the teen and young adult years.  While I am a special education high school teacher, I am choosing the lens of motherhood for this blog. I hope my writing makes you think, challenges you to try new things, and hope I can inspire through actions. I can not foresee the future and we have learned that each day brings both challenges and ALWAYS laughter and smiles.
     I have many names, but "Christopher's Mom" is one I seem to be most known for these days. He has made an impression on the lives of many and rarely does a day go by where his grocery lists, texts, or memes are not a topic of discussion. I hope you follow us in the years to come!