WELCOME TO "A IS FOR AAEDIIN, NOT AUTISM"
"They tell me his condition is lifelong. His inability to communicate, lifelong. His inability to make eye contact, lifelong. His inability to make friends, lifelong. His inability to keep himself safe, lifelong. His inability to be independent, lifelong. But you know what's TRULY lifelong? --
My determination to prove them wrong!"
-National Autism Association
Aaediin & Me - Summer 2009
Welcome! My name is Je'Kendra Q. Robinson. I currently reside in Atlanta, GA. I am a 25 year old model, youth advocate, Political Science, Pre-Law Student, and a mother of three(3) (Psi (my only girl)-4 going on 5 in Sept., Hunter-3, and Aaediin-2). Oh, I failed to mention another piece to the Je'Kendra puzzle. I happen to be going through a much stressed divorce.
THE BIRTH OF AAEDIIN
Let's rewind a bit. Five (5) months after having Hunter, I found out I was pregnant again. My only concern at that point was, "Would this 23 year old be able to handle marriage, a two(2) year old, a one(1) year old, and a newborn all at the same time?". I convinced myself mentally that I was fearless and could conquer anything.
Months into my third pregnancy, my marriage took a plunge and began to have a lot of turbulence. My husband was sent to work out of state and I was left to take care of the kids and handle the third trimester of my pregnancy alone. That wasn't the only thing I did alone.
On March 19, 2008, I woke up to labor pains around 9am. With my husband 3.5 hours away in Tennessee, I notified him most immediately. Oh, I failed to mention a tornado just hit Atlanta days before; so, streets were closed, traffic was backed up, and it was raining. (Oh, not to mention, I was having a very bad hair day...I mean - BAD, and it was NON-Rain Related.) I remained in excruciating pain trying to wait on my husband. Around 12pm, I threw in the towel, and asked my brother-in-law to take me to the hospital. My husband was still maybe 1 hour away. I went inside signed paperwork, and asked the secretary if I could go to the bathroom. I urinated, and just I stood up, BLOOP...my water broke. Ughh. So walking back was quite the task... I finally made it back and told my brother-in-law I would be fine. "I mean...I'm having a baby.. I'm sure I'll be in labor for at least a couple more hours, and my husband should be here by then," I thought to myself. As he departed, I was moved to a curtain section within triage. I was then checked to see how far along I was dilated. I was surprisingly at 7cm, and in a lot of pain.
I didn't make it to my room til about 20 minutes later. I received my IV, and was sooo looking forward to an epidural. Once my IV was inserted, my midwife said I was dilated at 9cm. Of course, I'm freaking out because I was there alone, and no telling when the baby would come or when my husband would arrive...and I was having a natural birth. I talked this big game when pregnant with my daughter and son that I was going to have a natural birth. Well, that didn't quite work to well or in my favor. So, this time, I proudly told everyone that I was getting an epidural, and now look. I was giving birth naturally. My midwife was all about natural births anyway. She instructed me to stand and walk, and when I received a contraction, she wanted me to bear down. Well. at this point I'm screaming, crying, and scared. I mean Psi was 9lbs at birth (epidural); Hunter - 8lbs (he, too, epidural). So, there's no telling what I'm pushing out now, and I have to feel it all natural???
Well, after 20 minutes of screaming, clawing (the nurse), and crying, I gave birth to another 8lb baby boy while standing up in the bathroom. LOL. I stood, and surely enough they caught him. The midwife asked the craziest question after it was all done. "Would you like to cut the cord?"...lol.. You don't even want to know the responses that came to my mind, but I kindly, but in a freaked out way, said, "No Thanks".
(My husband made it to my room ten (10) minutes later. Unfortunately, he missed all of the action.)
Aaediin S. Triplett
(Mar 19, 2008: 1 Day Old)
Aaediin was by far one (1) of the greatest babies. His behavior was beyond phenomenon. He was and still is a very happy child. At around 10 to 11 months, Aaediin began to babble and say short words like "hi" or "bye". Then all of a sudden he got quiet, and remained that way. At eighteen months, still no speech. My other two(2) kids began speaking at very young ages. Psi could count to five(5) at ten(10) months. Hunter knew all of his ABC's at thirteen months. All I could do was think, "All children develop at their own speeds... like crawling...or walking...He'll come around when he's ready." Isn't that what we all think???
Because my best friend's niece suffered from delayed speech (among other signs) and was diagnosed with autism, I began to research the developmental disorder. Aaediin expressed quite a few of the listed signs and symptoms, but I did not want to open up to anyone about my thoughts. I finally told my sister-in-law what I believed his delay was (Her son (who is 4 months younger than Aaediin) was speaking very great and was well advance...So, we all knew something was wrong, but we never talked or addressed it.). My son must have autism or some other developmental delay. Something is wrong.
At 25 months, Aaediin's pediatrician referred us over to an autism center along with rehabilitation centers. I never knew that the wait-lists to be seen were so full. Getting a diagnosis was not as easy as I thought. We finally got a reply two(2) months later. We visited Marcus Autism Center of Atlanta and I met a wonderful social worker. I would list his name, but I haven't gotten the permission to, but anyway. He referred me to various people, places, and programs. When I met him, I knew right then and there that things were gonna be okay.
(Oh I failed to mention that during this time my husband and I had been separated for quite some time. His job has him in Texas, and he currently resides there. Because he took the car, life became extremely tough for me. One of the greatest photographers, which happens to be a great friend of mine, and his wife extended themselves to help me get from one(1) point to another, food, and etc. I am so grateful to have them in my life and my kids' lives. Oh, and one of my "bestest" friends drives all of the way from Snellville to get us from point A to point B when available too. I am sooo grateful to have these individuals in my life.)
On July 20th, Aaediin met with a developmental psychologist. After testing, Aaediin was diagnosed with Mixed Receptive Expressive Language Disorder & Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PPD-NOS).
AAEDIIN (JULY 2010) - AGE 2
I will be documenting our journey through this process. I hope that our travel can somehow inspire others going through the fight. I talk to parents almost daily and am definitely motivated. We'll beat this, and overcome the "norm" and the "statistic".
(I cannot promise that I'll be on time with postings, but I'll definitely try to write at least 2-3 times per week. Also, I am a grammar nut; however, I'm not going to really edit these postings. So, please forgive me for any errors you may catch or see. :) )
For parents with children with setbacks and developmental disorders. We can definitely get through this. I hope that my blog can inspire and inform others. Stay tuned I have a lot to say.
AAEDIIN & ME - FALL 2009
Thanks again for reading.
-Je'Kendra*
