Many months ago, I wrote about the nightly message with which I send my girls off to sleep: you are smart, you are kind, you are important, you are brave, you are strong, you are beautiful, and you are loved.  While Eloise is still working to find her words, Clara has internalized this message and often finishes it for me.  She likes to say every other word, she tells me, it’s a pattern.  And you know what else it is?  It’s working.  When she plays with her dolls or her beloved unicorn, I can hear […]

It’s 10pm on International Autism Awareness Day. The last thing I should be doing right now is writing because I’m dog tired. Tired from working longer hours than maybe ever in my lifetime, both professionally and personally. Like everyone out there reading this, I’m sure. But then again, it’s totally normal for me to be writing after the rest of my family has gone to sleep, especially since the world closed down. I haven’t been sleeping well, or at least I haven’t been able to fall asleep easily. My mind wanders, and despite my best […]

One year ago, we drove our sweet Clara to Boston, MA for a neuropsych evaluation at Boston Children’s Hospital. Matthew and I weren’t particularly worried or even nervous because she had made so much progress in the months leading up to the appointment. The evaluation lasted for what seemed like forever, but we were happy about that. We finally felt like all of Clara’s skills were really being assessed, and maybe even appreciated. We sat back as the pediatrician and psychologist performed various tests, intermittently asking us questions but for the most part, letting Clara […]

Well folks, she did it. As of today, we’ve got a full-blown preschooler on our hands! And like she does everything in life, she did it with a lot of passion and a little bit of sass. Last night, we packed Clara’s new space backpack, a gift that has been sitting dormant in the guest bedroom for weeks now. Extra clothes in case of accidents, winter gear for outdoor adventures, nut-free snacks for mid-morning sustenance. Then, we picked out her outfit, an adorable navy dress with gold accents- one of my recent favorite consignment shop […]

Today kicked off The Month of Clara. Throughout the next month, we will learn a great deal about our little one’s abilities and we will celebrate all the things that make her special. Clara begins ballet this week, something that she can’t stop talking about. She’ll don her pink tutu and ballet slippers, she’ll twirl, and hopefully, she will make friends. The following day, she will join her family and friends as the head of Clara’s Crew as we walk to raise awareness and funds for Autism research and supports. And in addition to those […]

Clara is a silly sleeper, something that I have come to appreciate on nights like these. Tonight’s nonsense came after a particularly emotional weekend for me. I can’t truly put my finger on what has been bringing me down, but I do know that the trigger has been Clara’s potty training accidents. Don’t get me wrong, she has been doing phenomenally well, and I am deeply proud of the progress she is making, but I just can’t seem to shake the disappointment when she has an accident. For some reason, it just kills me to […]

They say that people with Autism have difficulty recognizing, understanding, sympathizing with and/or empathizing with others’ emotions. I can’t really say I agree with this stereotype. They also say if you’ve met one person with Autism, then you’ve met one person with Autism. This one, however, I can get behind  more than ever, as you will soon see how Clara defies yet another Autism mold!  Our summer vacation together has been off to a lovely start. The girls and I have been spending plenty of quality time together and I must say that I’m absolutely […]