Avery was placed with our family at 16 months old. Upon arrival into our lives we began to see certain delays that we though would be worked out as Avery became more comfortable with her new home. Between the ages of 16 months and three and a half years old, my husband and I took her to countless specialists and observations. Finally at around two and a half years old, Avery was diagnosed with nonverbal autism and a global developmental delay. The diagnosis was not surprising to us. The lack of walking, the glazed stares, the flapping, the stemming, the lack of affection, the minion-like language- it all finally made sense. At this point, Avery was not eligible for adoption, the ultimate goal for her was reunification with her birth mother. So what's an autism diagnosis, it doesn't really effect us, right? 

 

Wrong- Once the long-term care was laid out for her biological mother to see, Avery's diagnosis seemed way more daunting than she could handle. 

 

I had just given birth to Avery's brother when we learned that Avery could potentially be eligible for adoption. By then it was a no-brainer, she was our daughter. We still had to ask ourselves the tough questions- but at the end of the day the biggest question was: If not us, then who? We couldn't even fathom, it had to be us. No one could love on that sweet girl more than we could! 

 

Avery's adoption went through when she was three years old, and since then.... phew. I started a smaller blog as a way to keep family and loved ones updated on our journey. As it turns out, the autism world is huge! You or someone you know has autism, and we all have the world's strangest experiences. As I read blog after blog I feel myself feeling a sense of relief that there are other families out there experiencing our level of dysfunction. Im hoping that by creating this blog- I can do the same for other mommas out there. 

 

So please read, and share! You'll laugh, cry, and hopefully cry laughing- because our day to day with little miss Avery is not for the faint of heart. Eventually we would love to help the autism community find ways to make their days easier. Maybe straws aren't what makes your kid tick like mine, but I bet we've tried a sensory swing or two that you never knew you needed! Each autism diagnosis is different, but you can find funny little similarities here and there.