Hi, my name is Leanne Menzo. I am a mommy to three great kids, the youngest of which has autism.
Addie is a beautiful, vibrant, and amazing little 5 year old girl who has so much to offer this world, but does so while battling many challenges on a daily basis.
Our dear friend, Tammy Smith who owns The Rusted Lens had a great idea to start documenting Addie's progress in pictures, and we could use the forum to also raise awareness, and importantly acceptance for those affected.
In this blog, we share our real life. The real, raw, authentic daily life of our family and how we are navigating these waters.
The format is simple. Each week I write a letter to Addie telling her about our experiences from the week and we accompany the letter with photos of our experience. The photos are our real life - and often capture the less than glamorous moments.
The challenge will be for me try and express all the emotions and feelings our family may be experiencing in these letters.
For example, in any single accomplishment I can feel excitement, joy, guilt, sadness and anger, all at the same time - and that is just from just something as simple as having Addie drink out of a real cup!
I think it's important to know that whatever the emotions I may feel I always feel blessed. I'm blessed that she is mine, and I get to take this journey with her as we guide each other in the same world, looking through very different eyes.
Her journey thus far has changed me from being an OCD, uber planner mom to a person who tries to live in the moment and appreciate all it has to offer.
She has also taught us that sleeping at night is just a light suggestion!
What to expect?
We don't know! That, to some degree is the magic of this idea... Addie has changed so much in the past few months, let alone years, making it nearly impossible to predict what 10 or 11 year old Addie will be like.
Will she finally be Potty trained? Will she be communicating? Will she be dressed??? In all seriousness, no one really knows. The interesting (and frustrating) thing about autism, is there is no road map, no script, and no guide as to how these children will progress or develop.
I'd like to introduce a few characters you may see in addition to Addie and myself along the way.
"Daddy" Jason who is my absolute rock in life and the most fun, loving and patient father I know. "Big sister" Clara who is amazingly creative and caring to her little sister, and "Big brother" Gabe who is always ready to tell a joke and take care of Addie. Finally there is Ruby, our trusty canine companion!
You will also be introduced to Tammy Smith, from The Rusted Lens who not only is the mastermind behind this very special project, but also has agreed to take many of the photos! She is truly gifted and we are blessed to have her with us on this journey.
We will also be meeting our many family and friends who support us along this journey.
Our sincere hope is to bring awareness and acceptance to those that live with autism, through "our" journey.
Thank you for joining us on the trip!