After Halloween we found ourselves in full swing of the holidays. For Thanksgiving we traveled to Louisiana to see my in-laws, a trip that we were very nervous about for Stevie. Aubrey comes from a big family and we love it. But big families packed into small spaces causes anxiety for anyone, let alone Stevie. …
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Halloween
She picked out her halloween costume in mid-September. Since then she was ready to go get candy. We made a countdown paper chain as we creeped one day at a time closer to Halloween. She remembered last year – how it all worked. You wear a costume, you say trick or treat, you get candy. …
Brave
We are at Target, like we are so often, and she wants a sticker from the cashier. The cashier is a friendly older woman, probably with grandchildren of her own, and she wants Stevie to say please for the stickers. It isn’t an unusual situation or request. I want her to say please too, but …
September
Fall is in full swing around here, well except the weather! With the promise of cooler weather coming (hopefully soon) we have embarked on the adventure of figuring out a new normal. Now that Stevie is talking at home there are days where we forget about her diagnosis. Days where life seems “normal” But without …
What you can do
Asking for help is hard. It’s vulnerable and our society tries to tell us that only weak people can’t handle things on their own, but our God says otherwise. I spoke at church a few weeks back and part of what God taught me during that preparation was that, Yes, he takes care of us. …
One Month
It has been a little over a month since we began seeing the first extreme symptoms of Stevie’s SM. This weekend we had a breakthrough. On Saturday Stevie began talking to “nobody” – she would basically narrate things for everyone, so she wasn’t talking directly to anyone, but she definitely wanted us to hear what …
Welcome
Our story begins here… Our daughter, Stevie, has been diagnosed with Selective Mutism (SM). Selective Mutism is a complex childhood anxiety disorder characterized by a child’s inability to speak and communicate effectively in select social settings, such as school. These children are able to speak and communicate in settings where they are comfortable, secure, and relaxed. …
Fighting for Words 