Where I’ve Been: Our Story, and Why I’m Back

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Hi mommas. It’s been a minute. Okay, it’s been a LOT of minutes.

The last time I posted here, it was the summer of 2020. Christopher was a toddler, the whole world was in lockdown, and I was writing about pregnancy pillows and birth plans like I had this whole mom thing figured out. (Spoiler: I did not.)

Then I disappeared. I kept meaning to come back. I even started a post called “Where I have been for the past 3 years…” and never finished it. Honestly? The story wasn’t done yet.

Christopher is 7 now, and I’m finally ready to tell you where we went. Get a coffee. Maybe a tissue. This one’s long.

A Baby, a Pandemic, and a Cross-Country Move

Christopher made me a momma about a year before COVID turned everything upside down.

In the spring of 2020, right in the middle of all that, we packed up and moved across the country so I could start law school. New city, new school, pandemic, toddler. I honestly don’t know how I was functioning. Coffee. It was coffee.

“I Think He Needs Speech Therapy”

Right after Christopher turned two, I asked his pediatrician for a speech therapy referral. He wasn’t talking the way I expected, and my gut kept saying don’t wait.

I brought it up almost the second we walked into his two-year checkup. He hadn’t met any of his speech milestones, and I wanted to do something about it as early as I could.

They gave me a number to call, and I called. And he started speech therapy almost right away, which I’m still so grateful for. If you’re sitting on that call wondering if you’re overreacting, make it anyway. Worst case, somebody tells you he’s fine.

A few months into therapy, his speech therapist recommended an autism evaluation. If you’ve ever heard the word “autism” said about your child, you know how fast your brain starts spinning.

We saw a pediatric psychiatrist, who diagnosed an expressive/receptive language disorder and sent us to an ENT to rule out hearing loss. His hearing test showed flat middle ears, so he got ear tubes. His hearing got better, thank God. His speech didn’t. I kept waiting for the words. They just didn’t come.

Another Move, and a Diagnosis

In 2022 we moved again, this time closer to my parents. Having family nearby mattered more than ever.

Christopher still wasn’t speaking. The summer he was four and a half, he had another evaluation, and this time the answer was autism.

I want to be honest about how that felt, because some of you are about to be there. It was scary. It was a lot. And weirdly, it was also a relief. After years of “let’s wait and see,” we had a name for it, and I could stop guessing.

I’ll admit there’s a grieving process, for who you thought your child would be and the reality of what is. It took me months, even years, to get used to the news.

The diagnosis didn’t change who Christopher was. He was the same sweet, funny kid he’d been the day before. It changed me. I went full momma bear on the research.

What We Tried: Our Family’s Path

Before I go any further, a very important note: I’m a mom, not a doctor. What follows is our family’s personal experience. It isn’t medical advice, and I’m not telling you any of it caused or would cause a particular result. Every child is different. Please talk to your child’s pediatrician and care team before making changes to their diet, supplements, or treatment.

A complete diet overhaul

That same summer, I completely changed Christopher’s diet. Artificial flavors, dyes, refined sugar, and preservatives went out. Whole foods came in. I also started him on some supplements for brain and gut support.

Was it easy? Ha. If you’ve ever tried to take goldfish crackers away from a preschooler, you know. But we did it. (I’ll be sharing a lot more about clean eating, and what it looks like in our kitchen, in future posts.)

Stem cell therapy

I had been reading about stem cell therapy for a while, and we decided to try it. Christopher had his treatment that fall.

I know stem cell therapy is a big, and sometimes controversial, topic. It’s still considered experimental for autism, and it’s not a decision anyone should make lightly or because a blog post said so. It was the right choice for our family, at that moment, after a lot of research. Your family’s choice might be completely different, and that’s okay.

“Mommy”

A couple of months later, Christopher said “mommy” for the first time.

I still can’t get through this part without tearing up. My almost-five-year-old looked at me and said “mommy.” I had waited years for that word. I’ll never forget it.

It was an ordinary day, our normal routine. I was in the kitchen cooking dinner, and Chris needed my help with something. I wasn’t paying attention, so he yelled “mommy!” I froze for a second, then dropped to my knees and hugged him. It was the most beautiful moment.

I can’t tell you what made the difference, and I’m not going to pretend I know. Kids grow. Therapy adds up. Time does its thing. What I know is his speech started coming, slowly. A new word. Then two words together. I celebrated every one like it was a holiday.

One More Move

In 2024 we moved one more time. (That’s three cross-country moves in about four and a half years, if you’re counting. I’m a professional box-packer now.)

Since we’ve been back, Christopher has done 40 hours of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) and ABA therapy. Again, mommas: this is our story, not a prescription. HBOT and ABA are each their own conversation to have with your child’s doctors and therapists.

And today? Christopher speaks in full sentences. His behaviors are age appropriate. He is thriving.

Why We Homeschool

School has been its own saga. Christopher was in a few different schools over the years. In general ed, he fell behind. And here’s what made me so frustrated: kids who are past a special day class but not quite ready for general ed kind of fall through the gap. That was Christopher.

So I pulled him out and started homeschooling him. And mommas, he took off. He has skipped through two grade levels and is now close to his peers’ 2nd-grade level. I am so proud of him I could burst.

Homeschooling isn’t for everyone, and I’m definitely not here to tell you it’s the answer for your kiddo. But it has been the right fit for ours, and I’ll be sharing what our days look like soon.

He Is Our Miracle Child

When I think about the little boy who wasn’t speaking, and then about the boy who now tells me about his day in full sentences, I don’t have any other word for it. He is our miracle child.

If you’re at the beginning of this, sitting in a waiting room or Googling “late talker” at 2 a.m., I was you. Trust your gut. Make the call. Celebrate every word. And go easy on yourself.

So, What’s Next for All Things Christopher?

I’m relaunching this blog with everything I’ve learned since that summer of 2020. Here’s what you’ll find here now:

• New mom life: the real, honest stuff about pregnancy, birth, and those first months. My older posts on pregnancy must-haves and making a birth plan have both had a refresh.
• Newborn must-haves: what you actually need (and what you can skip), by season and stage. If you’ve got a baby coming this winter, start with my Newborn Must-Haves for Winter checklist. Christopher was a January baby, so I’ve been there!
• Baby toys by age: simple, developmental toys that actually fit your little one’s stage.

And coming soon, the topics closest to my heart:

• Autism parenting: our story in more detail, what’s helped us, and resources for mommas walking a similar path.
• Homeschooling: how we do it, what works for Christopher, and what I wish I’d known.
• Clean eating for kids: how we cleaned up our kitchen and what a real day of eating looks like at our house.

New here? The Start Here page is the best place to begin.

Thank you for being here, mommas, whether you’ve been around since 2020 or you just found me today. I’m so happy to be back. 💛

Has your little one had a “first word” moment that made you cry? Tell me about it in the comments. I read every single one!