I Am A Baby Boy From Guatemala

I had been an only child for eight years so when my parents told me I was going to be a big sister I was shocked. I thought I was going to be an only child my whole life. It was normal for me to do things alone and I’m normally not thrilled about change but I was excited. We decided to name him Houston Michael Peters. He was originally supposed to be born on the thirty first of January, the same day as my dad. But he was born 2 days early on the twenty-ninth of January two thousand and fourteen and that's the day my life changed for the better.

There are plenty of programs to help families that are affected by Autism. We have chosen several programs that will help the family understand Autism, find support in the Autism community, and find an outlet for James so that he can meet others and be in a safe environment beneficial to his needs. Our first organization is Autism Speaks. Autism Speaks sets forth the mission to help individuals on the Autism spectrum throughout their entire life, gain support from the community for individuals with Autism, advance Autism research, and help meet the needs of families impacted by Autism. Autism Speaks mission statement is “ Autism Speaks enhances lives today and is acceleration a spectrum of solutions for tomorrow” (Autism Speaks, 2005). Autism

My niece Mikah Bradford was born October 13th, 1988. She was born prematurely. Mikah spent the first month of her life in a neonatal incubator. My second oldest sister Crystal sat by her side the whole time singing to her. I was born May 18th, 1990. Mikah and I grew up as if we were sisters. The year she turned thirteen she was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes. The doctors did not want to scare her too bad with the diagnosis, but looking back now they should have. Mikah kept eating what she wanted and gaining more weight. By the time Mikah turned twenty-one her doctors did not like the way her body was causing her pain. A few months after she turned twenty-one Mikah suffered a server diabetic attack.

Adopting my granddaughter, Azealia has changed my life in so many positive ways, despite the whirlwind of emotions that I have experienced. Countless thoughts of how I was going to care for and raise her ran through my head and I became overwhelmed. I prayed about it and asked God to help guide me, to give me strength, energy and wisdom.

Autism is a very complex disorder that deals with social behavior. People with Autism can have many different stages of Autism ranging anywhere from high functioning (people that act more normal and have less noticeable symptoms), moderately functioning (people with autism that are more noticeable than people who are high functioning, tend to have more ticks, but can cope and adapt more than low functioning), and low functioning (people with autism that more often than not do not talk, more noticeable symptoms, more ticks, and have a hard time copping and adapting). With there being

high-functioning form of Autism where people have poor social and communication skills, and his parents knew he would have a challenge developing relationships.

On January 29, 2001 at around four o’clock in the afternoon, a beautiful little girl named Leslie Arreaga was born. It was the first time I was able to hold and see a baby so up close. When I saw her for the first time I didn’t know what to say. All I told my parents was “ I love her and she is perfect.” My parents laugh at me because I was only four years old when she was born. I just couldn’t believe that I was finally an older sister. I remember that every time a person would come in and try to hold her I would give them a look saying “ If you hurt her, I will hurt you.” Leslie was the most precious little baby I had ever seen in my little four year life. She was so chubby, with big brown eyes and a little heart shaped mouth. The day my

At first I had no idea why I hadn’t seen my dad in days and why I would have to take a long trip to Washington. After sometime my grandparents sat me down and informed me that my dad did something wrong and was going to jail. They also gave me the life-changing news that I was going to move in with them permanently and they were going to adopt me. After being adopted by my grandparents and taken from my father and home

Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain. Waiting for the tests results, I find myself flushed; perhaps my blood pressure is rising. Sitting in a small windowless office set off from the main waiting room my knee begins to bounce in anxiety. This was the moment of truth. I’m awaiting the results to find out if Lillianna tested positive for Autism. I stand up and begin to pace hoping the colorful pictures on walls that were designed to relax and entertain kids will have the same affect on me. My mind begins to relive this epic battle I have found myself on; the battle of strength and acceptance of my daughter Lillianna, as I become her voice in the face of this disorder.

Ever since I was born, I have been Malik’s little sister. This has always been my identity. My brother, Malik, was born with a multitude of disabilities. At only two days old, the doctors told my family he was blind in one eye. By the time he was six weeks old, he had undergone three major surgeries: One for the heart, then on the esophagus and finally, the placement of a stomach tube. At age one, my family discovered he was 100% deaf. When he was three, he was diagnosed with CHARGE Syndrome, an incredibly rare and complex congenital disorder. Approximately 1 in every 10,000 children are born with it. Each letter in CHARGE stands for the disabilities used to identify it. When he was little, my parents were told time and time again by everyone

It was her first outing from the Ronald McDonald house since the operation. She did well considering what her body has endured. I was concerned we were doing too much with her, but Miranda wanted to go. Once, we arrived back at the house her body gave out on her a times. She was unable to stand up. Of course, this was upsetting for her. Kevin helped her to the bed, and I held her tight while encouraging her. She had faced each obstacle with relentlessness knowing God would carry her through. Right now, she constantly listens to worship music playing in our room to bring her the peace she needs to heal. Last night, Miranda spent several hours ministering to a young girl who has a baby in NICU. Miranda told her how she used the Message Bible to find scriptures for herself over the past several months, which she wrote over and over to memorize before the surgery. She told her each time fear would come into her mind, she would pull from the scriptures she had memorized. I just sat there in silence, listening to my daughter with joy in my heart. Over the years, it was heartbreaking knowing Micah and Miranda saw Kevin or me suffer. I wanted them to have a perfect childhood without pain or suffering. But, instead my children who are now young adults have seen more suffering inside the four walls of their own home than anyone ever should. Miranda spoke of seeing me have seizures last night and how it scared her to the point of anger at God. Then, she went to say ultimately it made her closer to God as she surrendered her life. Her strength of character, love of God, choices to believe in spite of pain, and courage were birthed during our crises. The very things I wanted to protect my children from created them to be exactly what God desired for their

Consequently, many tantrums are thrown when he does not get what he wants and it is hard for him to understand that people do not always get what they want. When we were younger, I was able to understand what he wanted and communicate that to my parents when they did not comprehend what he was expressing. Growing up with him has enhanced my communication skills because I am able to notice the nonverbal actions that many people overlook. Having a brother with Asperger’s syndrome caused me to mature at a younger age and be a role model to him. We are just two years apart and I was the first one to get a job and learn how to drive a car. He saw the luxuries that I was able to have and wanted the same. I had a job opening at my work so I had him fill out an application and he was hired. It was ideal for us to work at the same job because I am able to give him assistance and pick up his slack for he is a slow worker. Although he does make family life harder, I would not have developed into the person I am today without him. I am thankful that I have a hidden blessing in my family that has opened my eyes to recognize the diversity among

Although I gained the knowledge to be a more stable and positive individual, something was still missing in my life. The missing piece soon fell into place upon the birth of my twin boys, Irijah and Isaac. A multiple birth was a miracle within itself. It seemed unreal because no one in my family was ever blessed with two babies. Although it took a lot of adjustment, we made it through the baby period. The hard part did not come until they became toddlers. (During this time), I noticed complications (in the development) (of the twins). I soon learned that although they were perfect on the outside my boys were suffering with autism. Irijah is severely autistic while Isaac’s is mild. I knew that in order to conquer this obstacle, changes would have to be made. In the beginning I was unaware of what needed to be done, but I never gave up. I continue to fight for my boys and struggle to keep my sanity. This has been the toughest fight of my life because it involves a series of changes. These changes dealt with acceptance, transition, and adaptation. These were necessary steps because it gives the boys a chance to lead a somewhat normal life. Through the love of my sons, I have learned to adapt to change and have gained strength and perseverance that is necessary in life.

My cousin Katie also had a big impact on my faith throughout high school. She was like a mentor to me. I knew if I ever had a question, faith-related or not, I could go to her. Her relationship with her husband is so inspiring to me because they often pray together and attend Church together. God is truly at the center of their marriage. My freshman year of college, Katie found out that she was pregnant. Everyone was so excited for her, including myself. A few months later, Kate found out that her baby would be born with Trisomy 18. Most babies with this genetic disease do not make it to full term. On December 24th, 2013 Brantley was born. He was born a month early and immediately rushed to the NICU, where he would spend his whole life. Brantley was so perfect. Everyone would sit next to him and read to him. I remember this being the first time being angry at God. At first I didn’t understand why this perfect baby only got two days on this Earth when he deserved so much more. I prayed endlessly and found peace. I came to the realization that Brantley will never know suffering and that he can now spend his entire life with God. My cousin and her husband began a blog called Brantley Strong. My cousin included this quote which is the epitome of how my family and I have shaped our faith. "I believe that everything that happens in our lives, however awful, is an oppurtunity to bring Glory to Jesus. We all wished it would have been a different way. If we choose, we could hold it

In early 1977, the world as I knew it was slowly dissolving. My beloved grandfather became gravely ill, and transgressed to the next realm in August of 1981. This was a very dark difficult period for my family. The happiest days of my life were spent with my grandparents. It became extremely difficult to concentrate and control my emotions during this period. On June 6, 1984, the joy of my life was birthed into this world, my son. His birth signaled a new journey for me, setting a solid foundation for the rest of my life. I was a newly minted wife and mother with different responsibilities for the care and lives of two other people. This foundation helped me to deal with the blow of my grandmother transgressing from brain cancer less than one month after the birth of my son. My