Mary is a blogger with a mission. She wants to make the world bigger for her nonverbal daughter, Jessie. She writes about their Angelman syndrome journey and how their life changed when they found her AAC voice.To celebrate changes ahead, I wanted to make a special dessert for my husband. Inspiration came when I saw watermelon on sale. After a summer of overindulgence, a watermelon cake is not only figure-friendly, but it looks impressive, too! I chose a small, seedless…
We spent our last blast of summer at the beach. Jessie swam in the ocean, sifted sand on the seashore, searched for wild ponies, rode a go-kart, and went to an outdoor concert. To top it off, our hosts provided delectable meals. While we ate like…
Before the phrase “bucket list” was coined, I had one! I was 9 when I read the book “Misty of Chincoteague.” For many young girls, this novel made us realize two things: We wanted a pony of our own, and we wanted to visit…
She saw him from across the room. I’m sure everyone in the restaurant did. However, the difference was Jess wanted to meet the young man while the other patrons tried not to notice him. As far as Jessie was concerned, a person being on the spectrum…
For a moment, I lost her. We had just been swimming and were walking back to the car. I doubled back to put the inner tubes away and the next thing I knew, she disappeared. The gate was locked and Jess was a gone girl. My…
This morning was like any other day, except it wasn’t. Instead of my doing “everything,” Jess pitched in to help without being asked! As a mom, it’s almost always easier to do chores myself, but I need to stop that. It’s…
Several years ago, when I was given the choice of going to an American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention or the Closing The Gap (CTG) Conference to help in the Speak for Yourself booth, hands down, I chose CTG. The reason…
During the summer, Jess goes out twice a week with Shonda. I like that they go exploring and shopping together. Yes, it’s nice to have alone time, but it’s even better for Jess not to be with her mom all the time. If she were a…
The one thing I know for certain is that life does not go as planned. When Jess was a wee one, I assumed she’d be a barn rat (someone who lives and breathes horses) and have friends to tell her secrets to. Though…
Every Fourth of July, Nathan’s has a hot dog eating contest. This year’s winner scarfed down 74 dogs within 10 minutes — a feat that leaves me feeling both awed and disgusted. First of all, why? Why would someone want…
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