About

“That sinking feeling”: you know the one I’m talking about, right?

It’s that feeling that makes you want to give up, to believe those negative voices in your head. It’s the feeling that parents get when they are told that their child has autism.

“that cynking feeling”: where I tell stories to remind myself that the glass is half full. It’s the place where I spread the word of autism acceptance. This is where I don’t give up, where I ignore those voices in my head.

“that cynking feeling”: accepting my autistic son (and myself) one post at a time.

I hid my blog pregnancy.

Assuming I would be forever childless, I tuned out parents saying, “They grow up so fast!” So I was completely shocked to observe this phenomenon in my own son. Certain I would remember every milestone, I set aside the “My First Year” calendar, completely unprepared for the effects of fatigue and hormones on my once mighty memory. As my son rocketed toward age one, I realized I needed to remedy the problem.

I secretly gave birth to “that cynking feeling” on my son’s first birthday. Just as I was overconfident about raising a child, I had ambitious plans for my private blog: I would post one picture a day, with each photograph providing a unique glimpse into my son’s life. I sought out new adventures to create photo ops to help my son learn and grow.

Daily posts fell away as did my limit of one picture per post. I began sharing the blog with family and then friends. My son kept growing up and then was diagnosed with autism. Now I proudly publish my posts, hoping to spread the word of autism acceptance. I do this by not only writing about autism, but by sharing our everyday struggles and triumphs. Sometimes these remind me of my past, so you’ll see some stories about me, too.

Just look at this blog: it grew up so fast!