Tobin, You are turning 10.Ten years old! Double digits! I can’t even believe it. You’re getting so much taller. Those scrawny legs stretching so long, when I hold you, it looks like I’m barely lifting you off the ground! Your permanent teeth are filling out your smile, and you and I wear the same size... Continue Reading →
—Anna-Marie— “Science, art, community, and nature make manifest that bad will or mistakes can lead to progress, like Bob Ross on his show The Joy of Painting reminding us that when we make big mistakes on canvas, we can turn them into birds—‘Yeah, they’re birds now!’” ... Continue Reading →
—Tobin and Anna-Marie— Our son Tobin is a sweet, determined, loving, and ornery little six year old. He is also nonverbal and on the autism spectrum. A couple of years ago, we made a little video and had our son Knox introduce his brother, explaining Tobin’s likes, dislikes, strengths and struggles. These were based on... Continue Reading →
—Anna-Marie— Growing up, I was scolded for one thing far more than any other—talking. I’ve just always had so much I want to say. It’s like the valve between brain and mouth has always been open for me. And the same is true for writing. I remember I used to have this red felt-tipped pen... Continue Reading →
—Anna-Marie— It happened so fast. Usually I can pick up on the signs and have time to redirect or move us to a safe location. But this time, I missed all the signs. We were sitting, breathing in the September night air, enjoying the last few moments of one of Knox’s baseball games. Brian had... Continue Reading →
—Anna-Marie— One morning, after dropping Tobin off at school, another mom and I pulled our cars together so we could talk and catch up. I remember the conversation so clearly. At the time, Tobin had been attending his school for almost a year, and this particular morning, this sweet mom and I were talking through our... Continue Reading →
Our eight-year-old, Knox, is an "old soul." There is just a knowing that he has... like he can feel people and situations. He's still an eight-year-old, full of laughter and fun and light, and he still makes mistakes... he's not perfect but he is so Good. He's been through heavy himself, and heavy with us,... Continue Reading →
—Anna-Marie— Tobin has a hard time with eye contact. Lack of eye contact is one of the markers for autism. It’s also one of the markers for attachment issues in children who are adopted. I can remember those first months Tobin was home, how I would always try to get his eyes. I’d play the... Continue Reading →
—Anna-Marie— Last year, for Autism Awareness Month, our then seven-year-old son Knox and I worked on a video project as a way of trying to spread awareness of autism during the month of April, along with shining a light on our sweet Tobin. We worked together from the start. I interviewed Knox and recorded the interview. Then... Continue Reading →
(Or "What's in a Name?") We felt like this week’s post should be written together. We've used font colors for clarity. (A-M is green. B is orange). —Anna-Marie— We named our oldest son "Knox." We loved the way it sounded, the way it felt in our mouths as we said it, the way it is... Continue Reading →
PURSUING TOB 