Walk Now for Autism Speaks

5k's are going on around the country to raise funds, awareness, and support for Autism. I know that many of our children fall in the spectrum. If you'd like to support an event near you, go here to find out the details!

National Microcephaly Day

Today is National Microcephaly Day. And so today, I celebrate my daughter.



And, I share some facts: Microcephaly affects 2.5% of the entire population. Microcephaly is a neurological disorder where the head circumference is less than it should be on a typical child. Microcephaly can be present at birth or can present itself within the first few years of life....Some children have mild to moderate delays, while many others have severe delays. Some children are diagnosed with Primary Microcephaly while others have an associated syndrome or a long list of diagnoses.

info taken from Foundation for Children with Microcephaly

While I was pregnant, we knew Samantha had microcephaly. We just didn't know why. Five years later, I may not know how she developed microcephaly, but I think I understand a bit why she has it. She has microcephaly to teach me. To help me. To guide me. To refine me. To share with me the love of God. And to make my heart melt ~ because we all should feel that. I said it today already, but I'll say it again. If microcephaly is responsible for giving me this gem of a girl, I'll take the whole package.

If your child or someone you know has a child who is diagnosed with microcephaly (or other closely related neurological disorder), you can visit the Foundation for Children with Microcephaly for more information and to connect with other families.

Kidz Makes the News!

KSL Newsradio, a Utah station, highlighted us on their show and website today. Check it out here!

Imperfections

Source

Source

Source

People Who Hurt People

I am so glad I came across a post on the blog Teaching All Students (a blog I recommend!) because I was directed to these videos, and I quite simply had to share them with all of you.

Giving Voice

I loved this video is featured on the Giving Voice website. AAC user, Lewis from Newcastle speaks up for young people with speech, language and communication needs.

A Few Things to Make You Smile

I've found a few things this week that have brought a smile to my face, I thought I'd pass that smile along! =)

(Images linked to sources.)

Need even more reasons to smile? Check out About.Com's ABC's of Humor for Parenting Special Needs.

God's Gifts

"God's gifts put man's best dreams to shame."

~Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Boat Song

If you were a boat my darling

A boat my darling

I'd be the wind at your back

If you were afraid my darling

Afraid my darling

I'd be the courage you lack.

If you were a bird

Then I'd be a tree

And you would come home

My darling to me

If you were asleep

Then I'd be a dream

Wherever you are

That's where my heart will be

Oh do you know we belong together?

Oh do you know my heart is yours?

Source

If you were the ocean

Then I'd be the sand

If you were a song

I'd be the band

If you were the stars

Then id be the moon

A light in the dark my darling for you

Oh do yo know we belong together?

Oh do you know my heart is yours?

Oh do you know we belong together?

Oh do you know my heart is yours?

Oh do you know we belong together?

Oh do you know my heart is yours?

Because Play Matters

I loved this post from Make and Takes reminding us that tomorrow is World Wide Day of Play.



They put together this great list of nature-related activity ideas! Check them out!

• Rock Finding
• Rock Painting
• Make Nature Faces
• Bean Bag Toss at the Park
• Photo Scavenger Hunt
• Paper Plate Frisbee
• ABC Letter Splash
• Geocaching Fun
• Dance with Ribbon Rings
• Nature Tic Tac Toe

I want to add these rock ideas to the list:

• Alphabet Rocks
• Tattooed Rocks
• Story Stones

Source

Also, I know we've shared lots of adaptive Halloween costume ideas, but I wanted to share this post that shares an inclusive list of Halloween costume ideas, just in case you need some idea inspiration!

Happy Weekend, everyone!

There is Grace in Acceptance

Source

Your Story

Source

Special Needs Adoption

by Elizabeth Fennelly of Following a Call to Adoption

Special Needs Adoption? Me? I’d never have considered myself “special needs adoption” material. I’m a “planner” and, although I generally ignore it, the fact is that I’m freakishly analytical. I think, rethink and over analyze everything… to death! I’m the kind of person that keeps pros and cons spreadsheets and right now, the analyst in me is freaked out and hyperventilating, wondering how it’s possible that we’re preparing to adopt a functionally deaf and blind toddler. Yes, I checked “blind – okay” on my spreadsheet, but deaf? No, that certainly wasn’t on my list and deaf AND blind, you better believe that wasn’t part of my plan! I’d planned it all out. We would adopt internationally; we’d adopt two little boys that wouldn’t have a home without us, but came “no strings attached”. I wanted orphans because I couldn’t face the guilt of delighting in my child, knowing that my joy came at the expense of another mother’s broken heart. So, no, a local little boy with significant handicaps was absolutely not part of my plan.

Am I panicking? Yes, I get a case of the “panic attacks” at least once a day and I ask myself over and over what I am doing and whether I’m about to make a huge mistake, one that will affect not only me, but the person that I love like I never imaged I could and who loves me no matter how obnoxious I am, and then, there’s this little blue-eyed miracle baby that doesn’t know we exist. But, no matter how many questions the rational me asks and how many frightening scenarios my mind creates, I don’t care because I love this child and it is stronger than any of my fears.

Am I the special needs adoption type? Yeah, I’ve still got to say that I’m not, as far as I’m concerned, I’m not adopting a “disabled” child. I am in awe of this toddler, who is happy and curious, despite facing a cross that makes my diabetes seem about as burdensome as a cold. I am fascinated by his ability to adapt and interact with all the “normal” people around him and by the fact that, although most people would consider him completely cut off from the world, he is affectionate and loving, recognizing when his foster mom is unhappy and delighting in making her laugh. This baby, who qualifies as both deaf and blind, and, according to society’s perspectives, is nothing but a burden, has a set of birth parents that loved him so much that they gave him up for adoption when they realized that they could not meet his basic needs. In addition to his birth parents, my little boy’s foster parents absolutely adore him. His foster parents have cared for him through his “deaf, blind, will never crawl or walk, or talk” diagnosis and, with the determination that can only be found in love, refused to accept that he would be condemned to a wheelchair and taught him to crawl, and to walk, and to run. And then, here we are, two random adults that have never met this little survivor, but are prepared to love him forever, not because we’re preparing to talk about how wonderful our kid is doing in school or what a great career he has, but because “there is no me without you”. That’s three complete sets of parents that are prepared to step way beyond their comfort zones, two of whom have or will have their hearts broken by loosing this little “burden”, and accept that sorrow because they love him. How many children have that kind of batting average? This is an amazing child and, God and the Province willing, I will rejoice in being his Mom.




We adopted a special-needs child, not because he was the best we could do, but because he was an amazing child, who happened to have some special-needs. Although many of my wonderful child's disabilities turned out to be terrible misdiagnosis - he does not have Cortical Visual Impairment of the first order, but mostly seems to have suffered from vision delays due to the fact that his extreme GERD meant that he was on his back almost all the time and his optic section of the brain was compressed by his flattened skull. When we brought him home, we increased his protein and calorie intakes significantly and the resulting growth spurt decompressed the back of his brain. Now, while he stills has his bad sight days, his principle problems are the stroke he had at birth, which means that his little left foot is constantly on point, his GERD, which resulted in a fear of food and means that he is only now learning to chew at age 5 (but he is such a trooper and tries so hard, even if you can see that he is kind of scared of choking!), and the fact that he has profound hearing loss. (Being born at 25 weeks and weighing in at 700 grams will make life a little harder.) However, he is an amazing and incredible child. I am profoundly grateful and blessed to be his mother. He is the greatest blessing of my life and, while everyone thought we were crazy to start with our family with a special-needs child, I believe that society has it all wrong about these kids. Kids are not commodities or some success goal. Kids are the opportunity to love beyond anything we imagined possible and our special-needs kids both return that love in a way that leaves me absolutely humbled. I am a Christian Catholic, so that affects the way that I view everything, but, when my son loves me and forgives me for failing to be Mom of the Year, he offers me a direct glimpse into the generosity of God. My son loves me unconditionally and it is humbling to have such a tiny, and often mischievous, little boy offer me the help and example I need to get up from my fall, ask forgiveness and try again. People ask me how I survive as a special-needs adoptive mom and I tell them that what they're seeing isn't surviving, it's thriving and I wouldn't change my life for the world!

(I am also a special-needs, foster-care adoption advocate and I believe that 300,000 plus kids in care, waiting for families to call their own, is a tragedy that must not be ignored!)

Just the Essentials

My mother-in-law recently started using essential oils for many common ailments.

Although I tease her incessantly about her "witch's brew book"....



I have actually found these natural remedies to be very successful on many occasions. Enough so that I just had to share this idea with you all! I'm sure many of you already use essential oils, but if not, you may want to consider it. Most people and research recommend doTERRA brand over others.

Simple Reminder

Source

Wait it Out?

I lived and breathed this song for a long time.
I cannot believe I haven't shared it on kidz yet.
Please take in the lyrics and eat up the message.

Where do we go from here?
How do we carry on?
I can't get beyond the questions.
Clambering for the scraps
In the shatter of us collapsed.
It cuts me with every could-have-been.

Pain on pain on play, repeating
With the backup makeshift life in waiting.

Everybody says that time heals everything.
But what of the wretched hollow?
The endless in-between?
Are we just going to wait it out?

There's nothing to see here now,
Turning the sign around;
We're closed to the Earth 'til further notice.
Clambering for the scraps,
Clambering in the light.
We're closed to the Earth 'til further...

An all-out one, only one street-level miracle.
I'll be a an out-and-out, born again from none more cynical.

Everybody says that time heals everything.
But what of the wretched hollow?
The endless in-between?
Are we just going to wait it out?

And sit here cold?
Look, you'll be long gone by then.
And lackluster in dust we lay
'round old magazines.
Fluorescent lighting sets the scene
For all we could and should being
In the one life that we've got.

Everybody says that time heals everything.
But what of the wretched hollow?
The endless in-between?

Are we just going to wait it out?
Just going to sweat it out?
Just going to sweat it out?
Wait it out.

When it came to accepting a life I didn't expect, one that seemed to be sprinkled with (and sometimes even doused with) pain, I asked myself the question. "Am I just going to wait it out?" I decided that no, I didn't want to just wait. Even if I was living in pain or regret or fear of the unknown, I wanted to live -- to truly be present. I didn't want to spend my one precious life waiting for it to get better. I have to remind myself of this often.... not to emotionally step outside my life because I don't like what I'm going through, not to put off my potential for happiness because I haven't been dealt the exact cards I wanted.... to live in the here and now every moment.

It reminds me of these quotes.

Source

Source

Even More Adaptive Costume Ideas

One of our readers, Leanne, saw our previous adapted Halloween costume posts and reached out to share some more ideas with us! Her 11-year-old son, Nathaniel, has Spastic Diplegic Cerebral Palsy and, "is a ray of sunshine in our lives."

We have always incorporated Nathaniel's wheelchair, wagon, or even electric scooter in his costume.






The most special costume to us is the tank. My husband Larry made that for him in 2008 before he was deployed to Iraq.




Thank you for sharing, Leanne!

If you missed our previous costume posts, be sure to check them out here and here. Or if you have any more ideas to share, please email us with pictures (kidzorg.blogspot@gmail.com). Halloween will be here before we know it!!!

Special Spirits

Source

Source