Well yesterday - the first day of winter - Mr Bailey turned a big 11 years old.
I remember my baby boy who was born 5 weeks early - like it has been no time at all. He was so tiny and petite and cute and cuddly when he came out. That was the day I became a Mum.
Being premmie, I was discharged after a week and he had to stay in hospital a further 2 weeks so 3 weeks in all. One day I had to get the bus to the hospital, and I watched Year 10 boys off to play footy roughing around and teasing each other, as they do. And I had the overwhelming feeling that my son would never be like that, that he would be a sensitive soul and he wouldn't enjoy that sort of environment. And I feared that he wouldn't fit in. It was one of those light bulb moments. But how little did I know just how true that would be.
On his 3rd birthday we had our visit to the paediatrician - for once by myself - and I spent most of the appointment trying to get him to stop playing with the blinds, up and down and up and down and just completely ignoring any instructions I would give (in vain!!). The paed just looked at him and said "Oh by the way he probably has autism, so now we need to start getting him assessed".
I had to take him home, take him to where all his friends & family were waiting at the local playcentre for the afternoon and then cater for dinner as well at home after that. All I could say to my hubby was... "No it wasn't what I expected but we will take about it later". In case I completely lost it. Now birthdays are of course for us all to celebrate but sometimes they are bittersweet memories of that day too.
Because that was the day I became an Mum dealing with autism.
(First published June 2, 2012)
I remember my baby boy who was born 5 weeks early - like it has been no time at all. He was so tiny and petite and cute and cuddly when he came out. That was the day I became a Mum.
Being premmie, I was discharged after a week and he had to stay in hospital a further 2 weeks so 3 weeks in all. One day I had to get the bus to the hospital, and I watched Year 10 boys off to play footy roughing around and teasing each other, as they do. And I had the overwhelming feeling that my son would never be like that, that he would be a sensitive soul and he wouldn't enjoy that sort of environment. And I feared that he wouldn't fit in. It was one of those light bulb moments. But how little did I know just how true that would be.
On his 3rd birthday we had our visit to the paediatrician - for once by myself - and I spent most of the appointment trying to get him to stop playing with the blinds, up and down and up and down and just completely ignoring any instructions I would give (in vain!!). The paed just looked at him and said "Oh by the way he probably has autism, so now we need to start getting him assessed".
I had to take him home, take him to where all his friends & family were waiting at the local playcentre for the afternoon and then cater for dinner as well at home after that. All I could say to my hubby was... "No it wasn't what I expected but we will take about it later". In case I completely lost it. Now birthdays are of course for us all to celebrate but sometimes they are bittersweet memories of that day too.
Because that was the day I became an Mum dealing with autism.
(First published June 2, 2012)