A Big Boy Summer!

I can't believe it's been April since I last blogged! Man I'm a bad mommy blogger! In my defense, things have been a little busy around the Graham household. The last four months have not only been eventful, but full of great accomplishments for JD. It's great to look back and see how much he's changed in such a short amount of time!

So where to begin? Let's see... we've spent a LOT of time in the water this summer. JD started off pretty hesitant, whereas his sister and brother went to the water like little fish. But after a few weekends in the pool JD finally came off the steps and swam in his "shoesie-shoesies" know by commoners as swimmies! Once he realized he wasn't going under, he was happy as a clam. For the first time in probably a decade I've been able to tan! It's the little things that make mommy happy. :)

Another big first for the Graham Fam - we went on an actual vacation! Now as smart autism parents, we didn't go anywhere where we couldn't come home if needed, so we stayed just stayed at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek resort over by Disney for a few days. I won't lie, it was totally stressful and JD had the hardest time the first night, crying himself to sleep to go home. But once he realized everything was going to be ok, everything got a little easier. I think the greatest lesson for Jason and me is not to attempt vacationing with three kids under the age of six without help. Next time I'm paying for Katie to come with us!

For the month of June, we took our first family trip to Gatorland to celebrate Father's Day. Now, as a native Floridian (growing up in Orlando), I can't tell you how many times I've sworn that I would never step foot in that "stupid tourist trap", but as I saw the kids eyes light up with excitement at the huge alligator mouth entrance, I had to laugh at the irony. I'll admit it, we actually had a good time. Only one massive meltdown during the trip over the train that goes around the park, but Jason and I handled it like pros!

Then for a little family fun with the cousins and neighbors! The Fourth of July holiday rolled around and my sister came over with my nephews Joey and Jacob. The kids had a blast - we spent the day in the pool and playing at the house. Back in the day we used to live five houses away from my sister, so it was so nice to get all the kids back together for some cousin fun. They really do love each other! Then to finish the long weekend with their neighborhood friends on the bounce house. We're gonna miss the summer nights hanging out outside with the popsicles!

Next stop? The beach! And not once, but twice! We met up with Jason's family for two days in Ft. Myers. This was the first time in almost three years since JD has been to the beach, so I wasn't sure how it would go over, especially with his sensory issues and the sand. But he LOVED it! He couldn't have been happier burying his Thomas trains in the "snow". The second trip he went into the ocean and loved that too! The beach is a good place for us! 

Finally, the two biggest accomplishments for the summer. Drum roll please... JD moved into big boy undies! (We're trained for number 1, number 2 we're still working on). AND he moved into his big bed! Both have been very big changes for him and it's not been easy for anyone in the family, but I'm really proud. He's growing up right before my eyes and all of the little things that we take for granted are so much harder for him, but he is the sweetest, most loving little guy and I'm so blessed to have him in my life!

JD starts back at school in two weeks and he's all ready to go in his Spiderman backpack. I can't wait to see how far he comes by Christmas!

Autism - A Family Affair

Our daughter Ashley is five. She was three years old when JD was diagnosed with autism and doesn't know life without her quirky and sometimes difficult brother on the spectrum. There have been times when we've tried to explain autism to Ashley but how do you explain something so complex like autism to a little kid? 

We talk about autism and I try to explain to her why it's difficult for JD to communicate and why he is easily upset when things don't go as expected. But at the end of the day she's still five and there's only so much she can really comprehend. What we try to do is make it a good thing. Autism isn't a bad word in our family. It's something that makes JD special, something that we love him for. I never want her to feel ashamed or embarrassed by her brother, but I know that there's a good chance that will happen one day. 

With Autism Awareness Month approaching I really tried to get Ash involved. She was excited about everyone wearing blue today (but a little confused as to why everyone else at school wasn't doing the same!), we drew pictures of puzzle pieces and she helped pass out the puzzle shaped cookies to our neighbors and teachers. I have no clue if it's the right thing to do, but it's what makes sense to me. I know as the years go on I'll have to explain a lot more, so I feel like it's better to be open about it now than have it become a taboo subject at home. She's such a wonderful big sister and I know she's always going to be there for him along this journey! 

Here's a picture of me dressed in blue to shine a light on autism at work! I love being able to share my story about autism and how it's made me a better person. Don't get me wrong - I lose my cool, get frustrated with JD and want to throw in the towel some days, but all-in-all having him in my life has opened my eyes to a world so much greater than my own!

Here's my little man playing video games tonight in his blue shirt. I can't believe how big he's gotten!

Autism Awareness Month!

It's finally April - Autism Awareness Month! I've been thinking a lot about this blog post because in our family April is a month we look forward to, even celebrate. But I also know that for some families of children with autism  it's a very difficult month. That's because it brings light to a disorder that has affected so many families, some more than others, and it's difficult to put into words how bittersweet celebrating it can be.

The reason we celebrate Autism Awareness Month is simple. Raising awareness means that more people will understand, respect and hopefully empathize with families like mine. Note that I say empathize, not sympathize! We're not looking for sympathy, just empathy. Leave the judgement at the door. When you see a family struggling with a child crying, being disobedient or throwing themselves on the floor, just think for a minute before you come to a conclusion, because chances are that child might have a developmental disability like autism.

Autism Awareness also means that the world will be a better place for my child and so many others like him. Nowadays children with autism are in mainstream schools, possibly sitting next to your son, daughter, niece, cousin or grandchild. My hope is that the more people know about autism, the more they'll realize that these kids are talented, wonderful and loving children with so much to bring to our society.

Tomorrow I'll wear my blue shirt with pride, pass out 100 puzzle shaped cookies to my friends, family and coworkers and tell them how autism has changed my life. I'm proud to be an autism warrior mom, and I hope that each year I can continue seeing the blessings that JD has brought to my life, autistic or not. I wouldn't have him ANY other way!

Happy 4th Birthday JD!

Today my little boy turned 4! And with his busy birthday behind us, I'm a little sad that the years are going by so fast. We had such a wonderful day today. We went to SeaWorld and JD had the best time. We started out in Shamu's Happy Harbor and made our way through the entire park. He even went on the kids roller coaster and LOVED it... looks like he does take after mommy and daddy!

This was one of the best days of my life. As I sat there and watched his little face light up during the shows today, it just really hit me how much he's changed my life. When we got to the park today we immediately went to the water play area. And right away I noticed another little boy with special needs. He was with his grandma, who was helping him walk through the splash pad even though she was fully-clothed. Although you couldn't tell by his facial expressions, he loved the water and she loved helping him experience it just like any other child. JD was running around like a crazy man and I started a conversation with her and her grandson. I found out that he was also on the autism spectrum, however much more severe than JD. If there's one thing about having a special needs child, it's that you're automatically accepted into this special tight-knit group. It's like we just have this special bond with each other. 

JD has made me a better mom and a better person. I've never met anyone as loving and sweet as that little boy and each day he amazes me more and more. Tonight we celebrated with his neighborhood friends and his two cousins. He wasn't interested in the cake (won't even eat a bite) but he did blow out the candles and was really excited about opening his gifts. Little does he know that he's one of the three best gifts I was ever given. :)

Happy Birthday Jason Trouble Graham!! I love you!!

Back to Dinosaur World!

Today I decided to take the boys to Dinosaur World - which I personally think is hidden gem in Orlando theme parks. It's about an hour down I-4, but well worth the drive considering the price of admission is only $15 for adults, and $12 for kids 3 and up. The place is awesome - it's filled with HUGE dinosaurs hidden along a three-lined trails, two great kid playgrounds, a fossil dig where kids can take home the treasures they find, and a museum complete with moving dinos. Oh and I forgot to mention the MASSIVE shop with more dinosaur toys than you could ever imagine. My boys couldn't be happier there and it doesn't break the bank which makes me happy.

The thing I love most about Dinosaur World is the chill factor. It's just basically a wide open park. The boys can run around, there are no lines, no real "rules", and nothing to break. They run between the dinosaur trail and the two parks complete with dinos and dino skeletons to climb on. 

There's picnic tables all around the park, so you can just relax any time you need to and feed the kids and unlike a lot of parks they let you bring in your own food and drinks because there's only vending machines on-site. 

With two little ones with short attention spans, it's great. You can stay for two or three hours and feel like you got your money's worth. This time we bought year passes ($30 per adult, $25 for kids 3+... can't beat that!) and I'm sure we'll be back quite often. 

Here's some pics from our day! What a fun time!

Lovin' This!!!

I'm super excited because life-long friend Jenny emailed me yesterday to let me know that a Stella and Dot, a company that sells super-cute jewelry and bags, is selling a bracelet for Autism Awareness month starting on April 1st!! 20% of the proceeds will go to Autism Speaks and it's a cute way to show your autism spirit even at work! They're $39 and you have to purchase them through a Stella and Dot vendor. If you're interested in getting one, let me know - Jenny is taking orders from all my friends and family! I'm SUPER excited!

Autism Awareness Month is Coming Up!

With Autism Awareness month coming up in April, I've been doing a lot of preparations! Last year I gave out personalized greeting cards with autism lapel pins to all of my friends and family. This year I found an adorable idea on Pinterest, puzzle shaped cookies! I asked my good friends at Cookie Cousins to bake me up 600 mini-cookies, enough for 100 bags, and I'm buying the labels off Etsy. I'm super excited to see how they turn out! Be on the lookout for pictures later this month! Here's the inspiration: