Taps mic
"Is this thing on?"
skkreeechhh
Oops...my bad. 😌
😊 Hi there. My name is Ruth. I am a mother of 3 and although I can talk about myself, this isn't about me. It's about you... JUST KIDDING! lol
I'm writting for my sons. (Or maybe to unscramble my brain after all of these years of non-stop going?🤷)
Welp, who knows. Either way this will mainly be used to talk about them...and us...and vent...and cyber yell, banter, inform, have fun, and pretty much write about our day to day lives. This is in effort to bring awareness to many struggles and triumphs in the Autism and Klinefelter's community. Or is it called family? Whatever. I'm not used to talking to anyone about it but I'm sick of feeling alone. Maybe this will make you feel better by knowing you're not alone.
And so I begin..
Anthony (best known as AJ) is my 5 year old. He was diagnosed with autism when he was 3 almost 4. On a regular day, my little boy could run circles around Usain Bolt and will STILL have energy to practice his amateur parkour moves. 🤸🏃🤦😂
What pure joy/utter terror he is. Lol. I noticed at about 3 that he didnt grasp how to form words for sentences, but could verbatim recite episodes of Caillou and Thomas the train. (echolalia)
Verbal speech was the biggest sign for me, because he was an early walker, runner, climber, etc. So we didnt see the signs. (Tip toeing, lining up all of his toys, major meltdowns, fits, you name it-> we thought it was the terrible 2's but I guess not because he's 5 now, guys. 🤷 lol)
After a visit to the pediatrician and some neurology exams, he was diagnosed. I don't think I ever grasped how difficult autism can be for both the child and their familes, but trust me, we can tell you that it's no walk in the park. I was very distraught but I figured I can handle it because I'm a bad-ass-mom-who-won't-give-up! And appearantly I also spawn bad-ass-kids-who-don't-give-up either. Lol.
Now, on to my youngest son Andre. He is 4.
When I was about 20 weeks pregnant I was in the hospital. I had terrible morning sickness which is called hyperemisis gravadium. I missed so many prenatal tests because of my hospital stays that my OB told me I needed a more expensive test to see if the baby is developing properly. I missed an earlier test that was to look for signs of genetic conditions. The test I was to take was called the harmony test... This test brought anything but harmony.
I was called immediatly was told the genetisist wanted to speak to my husband and I. (I was definitly freaking out.)
So we go in at 10:00am, we were to sit in a room with a screen and speak to a genetics counselor in California. When she came on the screen she told us our son had an extra chromosome and will be born with a condition called Klinefelter's Syndrome/47 XXY.
"WHAT??!"
My stomach felt like I'd been punched. "How?!" I blurt out, as my eyes swell with tears. The rest was a blur. Chromosome abnormality is the last thing a pregnant woman wants to hear. I was asked if I wanted to terminate my pregnancy which I obviously declined and spent the next 16 weeks researching and preparing myself for this...(or at least I tried.)
Andre was born at 36 weeks and was beautiful. We spent the 1st year of his life in Miami Childrens Hospital though. Eating disfunction, breathing disfunction, hearing dysfuncton, seizures and physical/developmental delays. Tests, tests, and you guessed it, MORE TESTSSS, but he is strong. I'll get more into details in later posts about both of them but for now, you can kinda grasp our battles. He is 4 and still pre-language aka non-verbal but I have so much hope and faith in him. He overcomes so much. He is gentle and cautious but also a little sneaky. Lol. A smiling ray of sunshine and a perfect little brother to AJ who is the leader out of the two of them. Lol.
I also have a 12 (almost 13) year old daughter named Arianna. She wasn't born with any defects and is pretty much a normal preteen. She loves playing sims and at times I lose track of her because she is always in her own world and is so quiet. The only time I hear from her is when she is hungry. Lol. Just kidding...kinda. 😂😭 She is one of my biggest helpers and my best friend. She supports her brothers and tries to teach her friends and other middle schoolers about accepting people for who they are and not trying to bully them or alienate them. She says she wants to be a scientist so she can do research to help her brothers. What an angel I have...well 3 angels but she's like the biggest, glittery one. Lol.
I have so much more to write about but I'm sure I have written more than most people will read. This is such great therapy. Extra bonus is it's free! 🙌👏☺
Well guys , that's all for now. I will keep writting daily so look for me or whatever. Lol.
Until next time...
-Busy bees buzz.
