On some nights, as my daughter watches her pre-bed TV downstairs in our living room with my husband, I opt for putting my son to sleep in our bed, rather than lying with him in the darkness of his. I dim the sconce lights low on either side of our bed, and get some work…
Author: Maya
Mother to two beautiful children, multitasker extraordinaire, co-founder of a non-profit and employee of large corporation, wife to an opinionated, supportive husband, avid avoider of political discussions.
From the Autism SOP: Getting an EEG
I love my little boy. So much. He was UNBELIEVABLY tolerant and patient when he spent 24 hours at the hospital while enduring an overnight EEG test. This poor kid had to walk around with his head wrapped up like a mummy and weighted down by a box of EEG “shtuff”, while his entire body…
Good Things: A List
Just a list. In case a random earthquake causes a mountain to pop up and stand in my path, I want to document a few nice things for the record. All of these things parallel my son’s transition into his new school (we’re still paying for it out of pocket, and driving up there four…
Away from It All
I’ve spent far too much time editing these photos and have no time left in the day to write anything mind-blowing. I took these portraits over the weekend during a rare family day (because either I or my husband am always working) at Oxon Hill Farm in Maryland. No matter what decision is issued by…
The Gift of His Smile
Every evening, when my son has reached his apex of energy for the day (read: screeching, opening and slamming the doors on his sister’s play kitchen, repeatedly pushing the buttons on all three of those damned refrigerator musical toys at the same time, begging/obsessing over food), we open up the doors of our kitchen and…
Dear Woman at the Park
I was informed this morning by my husband that another mother in our neighborhood – even though she had never met me or even communicated with me via email – did not consider hiring me as a photographer because she thinks I’m “so negative”. What follows is a lengthy explanation of who I am, if…
Love is Complicated
A friend once asked me – and she was asking this as a long-time friend who knew that I trusted her, and with whom I shared a 100% honesty rule – if I loved my son less than my daughter because he is autistic. I considered the question seriously. After all, this was a friend…
What I Imagine He Sounds Like
Last night I dreamed that my son could speak. The details are fuzzy. But I do remember that it was not some miraculous binary shift; he did not start uttering amazingly long, eloquent phrases, a fact which made the whole thing seem that much more real. But he did tell me what he wanted. And…
The Defensive Stance
A few weeks ago I took my daughter in for her first dental visit. The appointment was at Children’s Hospital in DC. This location meant that we would have to park in a large underground garage, take an elevator to a large thoroughfare/lobby area, and walk down at least two large hallways, along with anybody…
Filmstrip of Memories
This has been THE blog post that I have avoided writing, ever since I started gathering my thoughts about my son’s autism. I have been putting this one off for a long time in order to avoid ruining the rest of my day. But I need to document, document, document. *********************** Me, standing over his…