This Moment
Things at Strange Bird Manor have been… lovely? Can that be right? Did I just type that? Well, I did. Since we started the new treatment protocol for the fireman, he’s had infintely fewer explosive outbursts and we’ve been able to reach him in a way that has been unparalleled before today. I have a...
Loitering In The Alleys (Of The Internet)
I haven’t been around because I’ve been hiding out in the warm and fuzzy corners of Pinterest. Come join me. Follow me. I’ll follow you. It will be a lovely Pin-Fest. http://pinterest.com/verystrangebird/
Star Fish
My sweet boy’s chubby little hand, sticky from sweat and sugary snacks, curls into mine and we walk together, sharing stories of our day. He learned a new ninja move. I sold a house. We giggle, and make silly faces at one another. ”Do star fish, mamma! Yeah! Do it! Do it!” I lean over,...
A Shift… Finally
The tides have turned here, at chez strange bird. The fireman is on a new medication that has already, in such a very short timeframe, made such a huge impact. Last night, my sweet sweet boy and I fulfilled a dream that I’ve harbored since he was only a dream in my heart: we played...
Not Otherwise Specified
None of us fit in a box, neatly labeled or easily identified. My whole family, we’re a bunch of special needs individuals. We blur the lines, we question and challenge definitions, we defy categorization and we all, yes- even the dog, require medication to function on a daily basis. And if a doctor were forced...
Become Who You Wanted To Be
When I was a teenager I had so many dreams. Dreams of making it big, becoming a journalist or a novelist. Being amazing at whatever it was that I did. I had drive and intent and motivation. I moved forward quickly, setting my sights on my prey and leaping with the intensity of a starving...
Keep Calm And…
I was in a really dark and bleak place when I wrote the last post. It was a bad day in a series of increasingly worse bad days and I was feeling like there was no way out and no path to a better place… a higher ground. Monday was difficult. I went to work...
Mother’s Day.
Happy Mother’s day and fuck autism. I recently had a friend who said that she never complains about her situation and just puts her head down and deals with it. I would give anything to have that kind of strength, but I don’t have it. I’m weak and angry and depressed and hopeless and everything...
Not The Queen Of The Autism Ball
We bought noise-canceling headphones for the fireman, to help with his sensory issues, but I’m the one wearing them right now. And. I. Love. Them! If only I could wear them to work, to the grocery store, in my car… tuning out the world is FANTASTIC! He may be on to something here, with his...
Why Do You Write?
I write to let go. I write to engage. I write to witness. I write to be heard. I write to create. I write to recreate. I write to rewrite. I write to remember. I write to forget. I write to feel. I write to stop feeling. I write to get lost. I write to...
Fight The System
I’m breaking the binds that hold me in this “stuck” position that I’ve been in the for the past few months. Like waking up out of a fog, I’m moving forward, being pulled towards our family goals and finally seeing the light at the end of this tunnel. Earlier this week we had our first...
Sunshine, A Mexican Wrestler & Control
Glorious day! The sun finally decided to join us here in Portland and it couldn’t have happened at a better time, seeing as I was ready to flee my life and join a band of merry gypsies on their worldly expedition/tour of thievery. The gypsy life seems rather dirty- I’m picturing the whole lot of...
