Leo, Our Little Lion Man

    Recently, we've been getting this question more. And I want to be honest, I don't quite know how to answer that question. I believe it is asked with sincere desire to see the difficulties we/he have, and to seek to understand something that is not experienced by the person asking. But it's a little weird to answer and I want to try and explain why...     When Leo was younger, this felt a bit more applicable. We had specific questions that we were trying to answer and there were still some typical milestones being met. I think that's the biggest thing. We had specific questions that we were trying to answer. Leo was failure to thrive. We couldn't travel without him drenching himself in sweat in the car seat. The stroller was a similar story. We were seeing new specialists or finding another doctor. We were starting a new therapy, practicing a familiar one. Etc. Etc.      And in our current stage, I don't feel like we have as many or as pressing specific quest

 If you would like to receive notifications--I think it's emails--when I post on here, you can find the "follow" button on the left hand side of the page on the blog! It's under the menu options.  This is to help if you were wanting to continue to follow even though the blog posts won't be on facebook anymore.  Please let me know if you have any issues with this. This is pretty fun, making my blog "subscribable". But new to me, so, yeah, let me know if you have any issues. 

    I don't know why I'm having a hard time starting this post. So, see I've been floundering with writing another update because I have this internal conflict. One side says, "I need to talk about Leo, how he's doing, and nothing else." The other side says, "There's not much to update on so do you need to keep writing?" And, yet, another side says, "Your friends read this to hear about Leo, not your thoughts."     But, in reality, this blog has changed its shape. It started the night Leo was born. It was a way to tell our community what was up for Brad, Leo, and me as the world as we knew it had shattered. It was way easier to write one post than send a thousand texts (and that's zero complaint about having community and people to text). It was literally the medical updates that doctors would give. And throughout Leo's life, those have gone from multiple updates in a day, to multiple appointments in a week, to months and months

God gave me a sweet gift in parenting today. I think that lots of parents have experienced something like this in their own way. I also think that Leo being not neurotypical means I experienced this in a different way. I want to share this because I hope that other people--parents specifically--can relate and not feel alone. I also share this because I want to express a way that Leo's therapies can affect how I view things. So, I want to relate to people by feeling like this is a normal parenting thing, and I also want people to see how my parenting journey is different... (just to be clear, that doesn't mean that I have to get both of those things. just recognizing in myself that i am desiring both of those things) I've been anxious today for a variety of reasons. And--time for a personal moment here--recently God and I have been talking through my screentime habits and how I use watching a screen (tv shows or social media) to escape my anxious feelings. Screentime is how

 Pictures that--I think--do not seem like significant things, but mean something significant to me.  A book in Spanish, a coffee shop, and Leo's stroller and food. It's a defiance of expectations: expectations from my past self and a perceived social norm. My past self thought that speaking to him in Spanish or being out and about with a g tube were not possible. When we learned the extent of his brain damage, I questioned the reality of teaching him Spanish. And, while I wish I spoke it to him much more than I do, it's a sweet opportunity to communicate to him, myself, and others that he is capable of learning even if initially his level of comprehension is questioned. And it reminds me of the greater picture, too. One of the best parts of being Leo's mom is that I get to expect things from him every day. Being immobile and nonverbal his communication or lack thereof can be perceived as a baby's level of comprehension. The truth is his comprehension is there. And I

 What a month! We're all saying all the things, right? "Can you believe it's JULY already?!" "The summer is flying by!" "We've got a lot going on!" "Wasn't it just January?" In light of the fullness of life, I'd like to invite you to take a moment and breathe deep with me. I mean this in all seriousness. If you relate to any  of the above, take a breath. What has 2024 been like for you? What richness have you experienced? How do you know God better? What has fallen apart? How are you different? What  is your life full of ? In the midst of bustle, don't forget the beauty in life, the needs you have that are beyond met, and the presence of Jesus. Now. June for our household :) We had an exciting June. The first full week of June, Brad and I got away for 3 nights. We are, again, reminded of the beauty of community. And we are so deeply grateful for our community around us. We do and have done nothing to deserve it. So, our fr