Introducing Tiny Tornadoes

Let’s start off with an introduction… I am a Christian, saved by Grace, through faith on account of Christ. Trying to be a Godly wife and mother. Praying that God will mould me into a Proverbs 31 woman.

I am married to the love of my life and together we have two gorgeous little boys who have well and truly turned my world upside down and daily turn my house inside out. They are my Tiny Tornadoes “T1” three and a half years old & “T2” nine months old. My life will never be the same and I wouldn’t change it for anything!

Parenting has dealt its fair share of challenges and blessings. T1 has always been challenging but seemed to be meeting his developmental milestones. At 12 months old he had above average verbal communication but by 14 months had stopped verbally communicating all together. Meltdowns and severe behaviour became the norm. Around the time he turned two and a half years old, and I was pregnant with T2, T1 had a confirmed diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Throughout this time I was suffering with anxiety, postnatal depression and what I call post diagnosis depression. I was not coping but did not get professional help, to the detriment of myself and of my family. Once T2 was born I was again hit with postnatal depression and “not coping” hit a whole new level. The difference was that this time I was ready for it and prepared to seek help. Now the cloud has lifted and I feel like a whole new person, wishing I had not been so stubborn and sought help much earlier.

So here I am now starting a new chapter of life and parenting. T1 is now attending part time at an Early Intervention Centre for Children with Autism and it is almost as if I have a different child. He is still Non-verbal with only 6 words in his vocabulary that he uses sparingly, but a few months ago he had none. With the help of early intervention we now have other methods of communication and providing him with an environment in which he can thrive not struggle. T2, although not showing any signs of Autism at this stage, is a reflux baby and also a challenge. This one is certainly strong willed and determined to have things his way. In spite of it all, I have been blessed to two boys that are extremely affectionate. My days are filled with endless cuddles, kisses and smiles. Right now I could not ask for anything better.

We had decided to homeschool our children before we had them. Now with T1’s learning and communication challenges there are no second thoughts when it comes to home education. He would most certainly be left behind in the schooling system. The purpose of this blog is to share the journey and the learning with you. The learning will no doubt take place in me just us much in me as my Tiny Tornadoes.