So we participated in our 3rd and probably final Autism Walk. A lot of people ask why I don’t want to do it anymore. Well, if you read my last blog, I mentioned that Zion is getting older, and I honestly do not know how to take on helping him understand his unique abilities. I mention to him (when he stems really loud) to “stop stemming so loud,” and he says, “I am not stemming; those are my crazy hands.” So now we call his stemming hands “crazy hands,” haha! However, again, I really don’t know how to explain Autism to him. This year he asked me why everyone was walking for him. I pulled a Zion and ignored the question, and went on with doing other things. Ughhh, life is hard sometimes!!! The walk was great, though! Our family and friends came and supported our boy, and our team raised almost $2,000! We had such an amazing time, and it was great to see all the support for the Autism community.

Zion has been doing great in school. His teacher says the kids love him, and he reads to them. Oh, his reading, by the way, is on a 3rd-grade level now. He is six and in 1st grade. This little boy is so smart. You teach him something, and it just sticks. His common sense abilities, however, are seriously lacking. He gets dressed and puts his shirts on backward, he will put his new underwear onto his ones from the night before, he can never remember where he put his socks in the morning, etc. We tell him to get something and explain where it is at, and he cannot find it anywhere. I worry about this at times and hope that it will get better. We always have to tell him “figure it out” when it comes to certain things because he literally will depend on us to do everything for him. He needs to be independent and I need to make sure that we help foster this for him.

Well, we added a new animal to the family! Zion really wanted either a chihuahua or a cat, so we decided to get a cat. Amaiah was going to be happy with any animal, and she is obsessed with the cat! He named the cat Rocket, and it has actually gone well so far. He is 5 months, and we adopted him from a foster. He sleeps with the kids every night. We thought his allergies might start acting up, but he has been fine. I think it is because we recently purchased an air purifier. I will say this air purifier has done amazing things in this house! The air feels fresh when we walk in, and nobody is waking up with sniffles and sneezing like they used to. If you have kiddos with allergies, get an air purifier, it will be worth it!

Thank you so much for reading! I am going to try and get Zion to make a video with me next month. I have looked at videos from years past, and his speech has grown so much. I mean, he went from a few unintelligible words to now a full-blown 1st-grade vocabulary. At times I still struggle to understand him, but it’s pretty amazing the conversations we can have now. I am so proud of our little guy. Thank you again for the support. The Autism community is a strong one, and its because of the constant awareness that is being brought to those around us.

Zion still struggles in soccer. I think the anxiety takes over when it comes to the game. HOWEVER, last weekend, they had a double header and for the first time we saw him be more aggressive out on the field! He was kicking the ball, staying with it, and even stole it away from a few kids. We expressed how awesome he did, and I think it gave him some confidence. He says he wants to keep playing soccer, so we may sign him up again in the fall. There’s a summer league but it is only May and we have highs of 95-99 degrees. The summer practice/games will just be way too hot for our little guy. He isn’t a huge fan of the sun and that mixed with his asthma, I just think the fall would be a better time. One positive from this whole soccer experience is that he has made 3 friends. He actually remembers their names and plays with them appropriately! It makes me happy that he has become more socially appropriate and is actually able to make friends.

Moving back to school, I think we are pretty set on moving Zion to the school I teach at next year. I know as parents, most of us worry about our children often. I worry about Zion a lot. Daily, like all day daily. It is a stress that I often keep to myself so it eats away at me sometimes. When he comes home and tells me a little boy pushed him, hit him, or calls him a name, I feel helpless that I am not there to protect him. I know I need to let him grow and become independent, but as a mother of a special needs child, it isn’t something that comes easy. I feel like him being at school with me he will be more comfortable and I can be in the loop more of what goes on with him at school. I don’t get a ton of details on his days right now and often times I am not even told that he’s being picked on unless it is by him. Zion is a unique little guy, and not everyone understands his quirks. I feel like life for him right now is easy and the real challenge begins as he gets into the older grades.

Thank you for reading. It is because of this blog that I am able to channel for fears, hopes, and everything else. I don’t like to talk about things out loud. So writing them in this blog and letting everyone read it makes me feel like I am venting (just to a large population). I love to read your comments, suggestions, and just support in general that we get every month. Thank you again, we truly appreciate you!

If there is one thing I learned from my first baby, it’s that having a reliable (and quality!) breast pump is a must. Being frugal in nature, I’ve always gravitated towards the least expensive options with everything, and sometimes, that meant paying double because it wasn’t the best choice. Namely, my breast pumps. Yes, I said “pumps,” because I had to buy two. Such a frustrating experience. I truly wish I had known about this option when my little ones were born – I could have saved so much money!

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