Welcome

Welcome to our blog.  My name is Terra and my husband's name is Craig.  Craig and I were married in September 2006 and welcomed our only daughter, Mia Rayne in October 2009.  Mia has an extenesive medical history including premature birth, severe asthma, allergies, acid reflux, duplication of the 11th chromosone, frequent pneumonia, and eczema.  Mia's most recent diagnosis is Autism.  Autism is a journey.  Every journey begins one step at a time.  We invite you to walk with us through Mia's journey.

One of Mia's 2 year pictures.

Craig and I both work full time jobs, as well as keeping up with all of Mia's medical needs, therapies and appointments.  We currently do 40 hours a week of ABA therapy, 1 hour a week of speech therapy, 1 hour a week of occupational therapy, and 1 hour a week of developmental therapy.  Soon we will also be adding 1 hour a week of physical therapy.  

 Mia takes many different medications including allergy shots.  We also use supplements to help provide her with the vitamins and minerals in which she is deficient because of her diet and sensory issues with certain foods.  

We attend Vienna Baptist Church, and know God blessed us to be Mia's parents for a reason.  Raising a special needs child is never easy.  We feel very lucky to have each other, and very thankful that we are both active in Mia's life and her medical treatments.

We do not qualify for SSI, Medicaid, Food Stamps, etc.  Most of Mia's medical conditions have costs related to them that are not covered by insurance.  For example, the special filters we use in our furnace are very expensive and we always have to keep the fan running to trap those allergens.  This increases electric usage dramatically.

I came across this saying on an autism website, www.tacanow.org., and it really touched my heart.

"It takes courage, to be of heart, to let go of fear, not to be afraid to see and speak the truth, to let love be your driving force not anger, to live life as everything is a miracle, to see uniqueness,  beauty, and perfection in our children.  Remember:  The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."