Hangry
Aidan is one hundred percent a carbon copy and paste of my husband, Monty. Worst group project, ever y’all! Thankfully, they’re both super cute, so I’ve made my peace with it! But they have more in common than just their good looks… they both get moody as all hell when they’re hungry. With Monty, I suspect it’s […]
Over Sensitive
I’m not sure if any other special needs parents would call themselves over sensitive, but I definitely would. I think my neurodivergence makes me hyperaware of, and affected by, the words and actions of others. I have made a habit of reading people closely, in order to anticipate their motives, movements, and moods. I think […]
Sweet Dreams
One of my most favourite things ever, is cuddling Aidan to sleep. It’s our special time together as mother and son. Since he was a baby, it’s been my most cherished part of everyday. I think it’s because he’s always moving – crawling, pulling himself up, tip toe walking, running, climbing, hand leading, rushing, playing, […]
Happy Mother’s Day!
Mother’s Day is a beautiful opportunity to celebrate all the loving moms who give so much of themselves to their families everyday! Around the world, flowers are being bought, cards are being made, and kids are getting up early to make their moms breakfast in bed! It’s a day that brings joy to lots of […]
The Bumbo Chair
I think one of my most exciting milestones was when Aidan weaned from milk formula to solids. We were so keen to begin making homemade purées, that I went out and got a recipe book of them! I flipped through it for hours, popping post-its on all my favourite sweet and savoury recipes. We didn’t […]
Screens for the WIN!
This is one of those ultra polarising subjects! It’s right up there with “breast is best”, vaccinations, and whether ABA is good or bad. But I feel it’s worth a post, and welcome any discussion that may arise from it. It is generally accepted today that too much screen time is a very bad thing. And […]
Sleepless in Cape Town
Our three-year-old son is diagnosed as moderate to severe on the autism spectrum. Many of his sensitivities, rigidities, and behavioural issues have led me to believe that he is profoundly impacted. Some people would describe their child’s autism as a “different ability”. I describe my son’s autism as a disability. It can hijack his central […]
Absolute Silence
Autumn is gusty in my part of the world. And the strong, Cape south-easter brings weather with it. As clouds rolled in this afternoon and the breeze stiffened, I felt a familiar pang of anxiety. Because wind disturbs Aidan’s sleep. A lot of autistic children struggle with sleep. As of yet, nobody knows why. But […]
The Sudocrem Incident
I’ve always been a pretty fastidious person. Maybe even to a fault! Because I like things to be organised, and tidy, and clean. Always. From the moment I moved into my own flat in my 20’s, tidiness has been very important to me. But when you have a baby, all that goes out the window! […]
The Flexibility Program
I don’t even know how to adequately describe what we’re going through right now. The organisation that manages Aidan’s 1:1 home based ABA therapy has implemented a flexibility program. It’s been suggested by them on and off, but it was never a good time to start it, mainly due to a scourge of seasonal bugs […]