iannetwork.com

I don’t have enough words to express my gratitude to all families who have helped me spread the word about my new business addition.
It has been a busy week with several tv interviews. I certainly could not have done without the help of some very special families. D and M thank you so much for allowing me to be part of your lives.
Also a big thank you to my husband who once again made my dreams come true. I certainly could not have done without him.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!

I am so proud to announce the newest addition to the IAN family: The Creative and Learning Center. The Learning center is a place for children of all abilities to feel included. When our son was younger we struggled to find good extracurricular activities. Most of the time we were in classes with staff who did not understand our son’s unique needs and therefore were not able to successfully include him. I really hope that the CLC will be able to give all families and children a place to experience success

I can’t believe that my son is going to kindergarten. I think (I know) that I will be shedding many tears tomorrow when I drop him off for his first day of school. I have very mixed feelings about this and I am sure that many people can relate.
It is hard to see my baby grow up so fast. On one hand, I am so proud of him and this is a huge milestone that we have to celebrate. On the other hand, it is hard not knowing what the future holds. Will he make friends? Will his teachers understand him? what is going to happen during recess? will he be by himself?
All I want is for him to be happy. I wish I could protect him forever…but the reality is that I have to allow him to figure things out on his own even if it causes him to get upset or frustrate.

Time flies…

All I can do is to make the most of every moment I get to spend with him and create great memories

We have been officially open for business for a little over a month. It has been crazy but a good kind of crazy. I met great new parents and some amazing children. We are approaching our half way mark for the summer classes and starting to plan our fall schedule. If you have any suggestions of classes that you would like us to add please let me know.
In summary, it has been a great first month. The best part is that I get to spend a couple hours in the afternoon with my son when he comes for classes

Hello Everyone,
Just want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who came to our grand opening. We are now officially open for business and getting lots of phone calls. Thank you!

My son just turned 5 a few days ago. It is hard to believe how fast time has gone by. I felt sad on his birthday because i am afraid he is growing up too fast. I remember, as if it was yesterday, when I was holding him in my arms at the hospital and finding amazing how much I already loved him.
Here we are now 5 years later. We have been through some ups and downs, but the one thing that will never change is how much I love him. He is always teaching me new things and he amazes me every day. I know that I can never go back in time but I can always try to make the most of the present so we can share great memories together. Happy 5th Birthday son!!!!

There has been a lot of talk about maternal age and autism. Basically, the older the mother, the higher of chances of giving birth to a child with autism.
I certainly believe that this is true for down syndrome cases but not autism.
I had my son at 27 years old and my daughter at 32. So far my daughter is meeting the milestones as expected.
I guess that in my case this theory is busted!

Just finished watching Temple Grandin. My husband and I certainly shed some tears and at the end of the movie we just couldn’t describe our emotions. All I can say is ” different but not less”- Temple Grandin

Hello and welcome to my blog. I can’t wait to hear from you.

So here is my first topic: What have you done to cope with the diagnosis and what changed in your life?

I can tell you that my life has changed a LOT. Here I am starting my own business and my own blog.  As hard as it was to hear the diagnosis from a doctor, it all started to make sense to me once I was able to start thinking clearly.  Now I know that he asks some questions over and over because he is not processing the information, and/or because he is not understanding what I am asking him to do. I think it made me a better mother too. On the other hand, it also made me angry for not seeing all the signs…maybe I did see the signs but was trying to convince myself that I was just seeing things, or just making excuses…

For so long we always heard that our son was just “complicated”. Such a smart boy, with a lot of language and the desire to socialize…but never a concrete diagnosis.

Copping was a long process. I felt guilty, angry, anxious, sorry, helpless, fearful…needless to say that I cried a lot.

Those feeling have not all gone away, but I feel stronger now…I still feel I am copping and learning how to deal with my feelings one day at a time.

Regardless, I love him more and more and would never change a thing about him.