Hello world!

Hi. My name is Courtney and I’ve been praying about whether to start this blog or not for a while now. I live in a world full of puzzle pieces that interlock but sometimes those puzzle pieces are unique. I am a mom to 3 beautiful, talented, athletic, intelligent kiddos. All 3 of them unique in their own right, but my main subject matter in this blog will be Keelan and our journey through his daily walk of living in a world he sometimes doesn’t understand or overwhelms him. Keelan is almost 8 years old and has a diagnosis of Autism. However, we don’t let Autism define him or keep him in a box. It is a diagnosis and helps us get him services he needs but he is his own person. So what happens when we want to Keelan to experience neurotypical sports, school, activities, playdates, family time, holidays, chores, and more?? Well I’m going to share that with you.

My promise in this blog is to be authentic, to share the good, the bad, and the ugly. Some days as a special needs mom are rewarding with the simple achievements. Some days are difficult and frustrating. I wouldn’t change anything though. His love and caring for his family is contagious.

Keelan has a puppy named “Reggie” that he sleeps with every night. He loves Stitch anything and has a weighted stuffed animal. Keelan loves fleece blankets to wrap up in, playing tag with his big brother and sister, learning about the planets, water balloons, and swimming. In school, Keelan loves Math and his teachers. Recently, Keelan has joined a rec baseball leage. His team is the “Pirates” and I’ll share more about this amazing set of coaches and team in future blogs.

When it comes to food, Keelan is extremely picky and we will explore the different ways we try to introduce new foods, how we pack for long days/weekends/vacations, and yes even bribery.

So thank you for joining me on this puzzle piece journey.