A summer afternoon, a swollen lip, and a stinger we didn’t see — not until it had already left its mark. This is a glimpse into what it’s like parenting a non-speaking child when pain can’t be pointed to and comfort feels just out of reach.
Posts tagged On Your Left
A New Chapter: Harrison’s First Day of Preschool
Today was one of those days that feels like a turning point. A moment that you know will stick with you — not because it was big and loud, but because it quietly reshaped our…
Behind the Smiles: When Fatherhood Feels Powerless
Something that is rarely talked about, especially by fathers, is how all of this just sucks sometimes. I’m not talking about parenting in general. Nothing like that. But being a parent to a disabled child….
Coping with Silence, Missing My Son’s Voice
I miss my son’s voice. When I say that, I don’t mean the baby voice when he started jabbering, or any variation of that. No, I literally mean that I miss his voice. His actual…
The Unpredictable Emotions of Fathering a Disabled Child
As a father to a disabled son, I am still learning to navigate the unpredictable emotions of grief and guilt that accompany this journey. Yesterday, we were at Disney World, a place of magic and…
The Scars of a Year Ago
Thursday, March 4, 2021, at 1:05 PM I felt the coldest, soul-draining fear I have ever felt. Excitement and joy were replaced with panic and dread. Not exactly the words you want to use to…
Finding Normal When Things Are No Longer Typical
Today is Harrison’s birthday. That is still crazy for me to think about. Not just because time has flown by and how on Earth could my baby boy already be 1, but because we’ve gone…
To My Birthday Boy!
Happy Birthday! I can’t even begin to count the ways how weird that feels to say. You’re officially 1. How did that happen?! I realize that’s something most parents are going to say. Time flies…
Eight Months of Brave & Fearless
On March 4, we sat in a hospital room in Lexington, our newborn son down in the NICU with countless monitors and tubes. The day’s events had left us speechless. We were scared and had…
A Late Night Hospital Frame of Mind
So I’m sitting here, in a dark hospital room, with nothing but a fan, ocean white noise, and the sound of my typing going on. Jenna is asleep, and I’m sitting in the glow of…
Ability Unlocked: Rolling Over
We knew he was getting close and that he’d likely do it just before his surgery. Leave it to our son to prove us right this one time! Over the weekend, it finally happened. A…
The Seventh Month Calm
Today marks seven months! I swear the deeper we get into this first year, the less real it feels. How is my baby boy seven months old already?! How has it already been seven months?…