Kate, your post about Cooper saying Sawyer’s name just made my day. I am so so happy for you, and the major unexpected things that Cooper does. I wish you had a video of that moment and of you chasing him around on the floor…..not for you to share but to keep forever in your memories. I love everything you share with us who adore you so much and I know you like to keep many moments private. My daughter called me today after leaving ABA therapy with her 4 year old and she shouted with so much happiness “Landon peed in the potty today at therapy”. I know my husband thought I was going crazy, yelling WOO HOO! That’s was a milestone moment because he has never showed any interest in potty training. At ABA they sit him on the potty chair for 5 minutes without his pull ups on. Of course we had a good chuckle, because he didn’t know what to do so most of it went on the floor, his clothes and the wall. Heather helped the therapist clean Landon and the bathroom up. Happy Days!!! We will never give up. I share Cooper and you with Heather everyday so she can see all the positive improvements that Cooper makes. You make a difference in so many lives and your family is so blessed to have you. I hope Winnie is feeling better.
Thank you for this post. As a dad of a sweet, non-verbal three-year-old boy on the autism spectrum, it’s so comforting to hear from parents with more experience on this journey. Thank you again for sharing—it means a lot.
I am also a grandmother of a 4 year old who was diagnosed over a year ago. It hurts so much that you can’t have a relationship right now with your daughter and grandchildren and I will say prayers for you that everyone will come to an understanding and life can continue as it was before Dec 17th. I get to see my grandson once a week because of his busy schedule….private speech and feeding therapy once a week, occupational therapy once a week, Tops program at school on Monday and Wed mornings until 12:30 and ABA 5 days a week. My daughter does an amazing job coordinating his schedule to fit her and her husbands schedule, plus the other grandparents help out on Tuesdays and Thursdays. My day right now is Friday, although he has ABA therapy until 2pm. Honestly I am a bit jealous that I only get 4 hours with him on Fridays and the other grandparents pick him up from ABA therapy at noon on their two days, so they get 14 hours a week. I don’t want to make my daughter mad, but I want to gently ask her if I could trade one day with them when summer gets here. She is a college professor and she is out for the summer from mid May until mid August. I don’t want to cause waves but I also don’t think it is fair. I am 67 years old but I can still do floor time with him and play for hours. He has a few words and is the best cuddler. He has recently stopped looking for his mama when she leaves the house, so I know he is growing to love me more with time. I have learned to stay silent about my frustrations that I don’t get an equal amount of time with him. Although a couple years ago I started calling them “baby hogs” and my daughter laughed because she knew it was true. They would even come over for 30 minutes to her house when it was MY day. My daughter rolled her eyes and said “sorry” to me. I have quit calling them baby hogs and holiday hogs but I have to bite my tongue. Even the other son’s in laws started calling them “holiday hogs”. It’s kind of a joke, but I let them have their holidays and I am happy with the day after. I can see how it can be so easy to get angry at each other. In fact my husband has had 3 major arguments with her, because he wants everyone to act they way he thinks they should act. They went two years without talking after she graduated from high school, before marriage. She moved out and it broke my heart that I went from seeing her everyday to having to sneak over to her little house to see her twice a month. NO more. I will never allow him to come between my daughter and me. I hope that you can heal your relationship sooner than later. I also think that Kate is the BEST and I wake up everyday hoping to see her posts or live videos.
Kate, your post about Cooper saying Sawyer’s name just made my day. I am so so happy for you, and the major unexpected things that Cooper does. I wish you had a video of that moment and of you chasing him around on the floor…..not for you to share but to keep forever in your memories. I love everything you share with us who adore you so much and I know you like to keep many moments private. My daughter called me today after leaving ABA therapy with her 4 year old and she shouted with so much happiness “Landon peed in the potty today at therapy”. I know my husband thought I was going crazy, yelling WOO HOO! That’s was a milestone moment because he has never showed any interest in potty training. At ABA they sit him on the potty chair for 5 minutes without his pull ups on. Of course we had a good chuckle, because he didn’t know what to do so most of it went on the floor, his clothes and the wall. Heather helped the therapist clean Landon and the bathroom up. Happy Days!!! We will never give up. I share Cooper and you with Heather everyday so she can see all the positive improvements that Cooper makes. You make a difference in so many lives and your family is so blessed to have you. I hope Winnie is feeling better.
Thank you for sharing with us the colours of autism.
I feel blessed to know Cooper 💙
Hope shifts into different forms, I know this to be true. Love this for you and for Cooper!
Thank you for this post. As a dad of a sweet, non-verbal three-year-old boy on the autism spectrum, it’s so comforting to hear from parents with more experience on this journey. Thank you again for sharing—it means a lot.
I am also a grandmother of a 4 year old who was diagnosed over a year ago. It hurts so much that you can’t have a relationship right now with your daughter and grandchildren and I will say prayers for you that everyone will come to an understanding and life can continue as it was before Dec 17th. I get to see my grandson once a week because of his busy schedule….private speech and feeding therapy once a week, occupational therapy once a week, Tops program at school on Monday and Wed mornings until 12:30 and ABA 5 days a week. My daughter does an amazing job coordinating his schedule to fit her and her husbands schedule, plus the other grandparents help out on Tuesdays and Thursdays. My day right now is Friday, although he has ABA therapy until 2pm. Honestly I am a bit jealous that I only get 4 hours with him on Fridays and the other grandparents pick him up from ABA therapy at noon on their two days, so they get 14 hours a week. I don’t want to make my daughter mad, but I want to gently ask her if I could trade one day with them when summer gets here. She is a college professor and she is out for the summer from mid May until mid August. I don’t want to cause waves but I also don’t think it is fair. I am 67 years old but I can still do floor time with him and play for hours. He has a few words and is the best cuddler. He has recently stopped looking for his mama when she leaves the house, so I know he is growing to love me more with time. I have learned to stay silent about my frustrations that I don’t get an equal amount of time with him. Although a couple years ago I started calling them “baby hogs” and my daughter laughed because she knew it was true. They would even come over for 30 minutes to her house when it was MY day. My daughter rolled her eyes and said “sorry” to me. I have quit calling them baby hogs and holiday hogs but I have to bite my tongue. Even the other son’s in laws started calling them “holiday hogs”. It’s kind of a joke, but I let them have their holidays and I am happy with the day after. I can see how it can be so easy to get angry at each other. In fact my husband has had 3 major arguments with her, because he wants everyone to act they way he thinks they should act. They went two years without talking after she graduated from high school, before marriage. She moved out and it broke my heart that I went from seeing her everyday to having to sneak over to her little house to see her twice a month. NO more. I will never allow him to come between my daughter and me. I hope that you can heal your relationship sooner than later. I also think that Kate is the BEST and I wake up everyday hoping to see her posts or live videos.