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Welcome, friends—I’m so glad you’re here.
I’m just a simple Southern mom with two grown kids, a busy life, and our sweet 5-year-old daughter who keeps us on our toes. I rarely take time for myself, which is part of the reason I finally felt called to start this blog. After four years of walking a road I never expected, I’m ready to share our journey in hopes that it brings encouragement, comfort, and maybe a little courage to someone else.
Our autism journey with our daughter, Adilynn, began four years ago. When I say I was uneducated and unprepared, I mean it in every sense. Adilynn came to us through adoption—quick and slow all at the same time. One phone call, and at nine months old she arrived from the foster care system, tiny and beautiful, with dark hair and bright brown eyes that lit up the whole room. But her face told a quieter story. She rarely smiled, rarely laughed, and often held no expression at all.
That’s where our story began.
As the weeks turned into months, we faced sleepless nights, heartbreaking screams at the thought of being placed in her bed, tears at the feel of lotions on her skin, battles over washing her hair—everything seemed to overwhelm her little senses. She was in sensory overload, though I didn’t yet have the words for it. In my innocent, hopeful mind, I believed that with time she would “adjust” and we would all be “normal” again.
But what is normal, anyway?
Some say it’s following the rules, fitting a mold, being typical. But I quickly learned that wasn’t our path. Our normal became thinking outside the box. Loving differently. Parenting differently. Meeting her where she was, even when it looked nothing like what we had done with our older children.
Life is a journey and we take it one day at a time.
Sincerely,
Julie
julietodd@autism-beautifulfeet.com
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One of Adilynn’s favorite Items: PicassoTiles 100 piece 3D Magnet building tiles
Autism-BeautifulFeet by Julie Todd 