The blog has been quiet for the last few weeks. It’s not that nothing has been happening- it has- but I honestly didn’t know what to write about first.

The most important news first: Sawyer is doing better.

Those who have been following us for a little while now know that Sawyer has been struggling to adjust to life in Tennessee, and he has been in therapy for a couple of months now to help him learn new coping mechanisms and techniques to deal with his emotions. He’s still struggling a lot in school, and I am communicating with his teachers on how we can help him in that area, too. Another big win for us is that we finally got in for his first appointment with his new primary care doctor, and we are on the road to getting Sawyer on some medication to help him get through each day a little easier. The biggest thing is that he’s not crying and having meltdowns every single day anymore when he comes home from school, which is a huge relief. He’s getting used to things here slowly but surely, and that’s ok; I won’t rush him. He will do everything he can in his own time.

Puberty and all the wonderful hormones that come with that have really made a big difference in my boy, and it’s been tough for him and for all of us around him. We don’t know how to navigate this new territory, and I have been so thankful for my friends in different special needs parenting groups and their encouragement and support. On the really hard days, when I feel scared for the future and sad for my normally sweet and happy son, it’s them I can turn to for guidance and empathy. Of course I lean on family, too, but it’s oddly comforting reading about someone else’s child going through similar trials as what Sawyer is experiencing and how their family handled it. The thing about autism is that no child with autism is exactly the same; they all have their own quirks and behaviors that make them unique. I know that’s true with any child, but I think the stereotypes about autism make it easy for people to believe that every kid with autism struggles in the same areas, but that’s not the case. Things that trigger anxiety in Sawyer don’t even register with other kids on the spectrum, and so forth. But it’s in this life of unique challenges that special needs parents can lean on each other because we get it. Even though our household may not face the exact same problems and issues as others, we can take comfort knowing that there are other parents out there who are just as scared or uncertain about their child’s futures as we are and we can all be there for each other as we figure out what to do. It’s a sad thing to bond over, but it’s a fact of life as a special needs parent.

One really exciting things is that I published a book!!

I have been a writer my entire life. It’s something I’ve done since I was a very young girl, from diaries to poems and songs, to short stories and essays. I have kept a diary of some sort since I was in elementary school, and I’ve had a few different blogs over the years as well; writing is therapeutic to me and it really helps me find clarity in the chaos of life. I have tried several times to write books, but I always seem to lose interest or inspiration somewhere through the project, and so I’ve never actually finished one- ’til now.

I have been quietly writing a marketing book for about a year now. I’d write it for a little while and then forget about it, then work on it again for a little while, and so on and so on. Well, I finally got to the point where I felt like it was enough to make a nice little eBook, and so that’s what I did: I published an eBook called The Branding BluePrint: Building Your Brand from the Ground Up. This is not some long, in-depth book that will teach you everything you need to know about branding; it is meant to help get someone who is starting a brand or business pointed in the right direction to establish their brand/business. A secret that not many people is that this is not my very first book ever to be published; I’ve actually published 4 short stories under a pen name that I will not disclose here. 😉 However, this is the first book with my own, real name attached to it so I am very excited and proud to announce it’s release. The fact that I have an author page on Amazon now is pretty wild, but so freakin’ cool! I have worked as a graphic designer since the early 2000’s, and I’ve created a lot of logos and brand elements over the years for different small business owners and event a couple of high profile companies. I am good at branding; it’s something I pride myself on. Over the years, a lot of people have come to me to ask for help or advice on how to start a new business and get their brand established, and that’s where the idea for this book came from. If you or someone you know is starting a new blog, business, or even a YouTube channel, you may find it helpful; you can get a copy on Amazon for any e-reader device. And don’t worry- I’m not going to use this blog as a place to constantly advertise stuff; that will be the last time I mention that particular book here.

I was raised to use your gifts in life to be able to help others when you can, and I enjoy helping people- that’s one reason this blog was started as well. If our journey as an autism family can help educate other people about autism or even help comfort a mom whose child has just been diagnosed, then that is wonderful and this blog is serving its purpose. One thing I have thought about a lot over the years is whether or not blogs are still a “thing” and whether or not I should turn my posts into a book or books. I wrestle with that idea a lot, but it’s always in the back of my mind. Would I be able to help more people by turning our experiences into a book or multiple books? Possibly. Should I go for it? I don’t know.

One thing I firmly believe is that if something keeps pulling at your heart or mind, that is God trying to tell you something. I feel like if you keep feeling that you need to do something, that’s God pushing you towards the path you’re supposed to be on. That was one reason I started this blog; I kept feeling compelled to write about our experiences as an autism family, and when Sawyer told me he thought I should do it because he wanted people to be able to understand him and other people like him better, I knew I had to. I don’t know how many people read this blog. I don’t keep track of how many visitors the site gets or how many clicks each post gets; that’s not why we’re here. But on the few occasions when someone has reached out to thank me for sharing our story because it helped them to realize that they needed to have their child tested for autism, or that they needed to stop feeling scared of labeling their child or putting them into therapy, or that it was comforting to read that I had gone through something similar to what they had, I have felt so happy that I followed my gut to start this blog. Moments like that make me feel better about putting our family “out there” the way I do, and that makes it worth it to me and to the kids, too.

This post turned into a little bit of a rambling update, but welcome to my brain- that’s why I blog instead of vlog. Can y’all imagine how chaotic and crazy my channel would be if I did YouTube? Holy rambling Britt, Batman! Yeaaahhh… I think we’ll stick with the blog. 😉