Oh man. It has been a minute since I’ve shown up here (kinda busy showing up everywhere else and writing has taken a back seat). There’s lots happening right now, so this is just a little bit of a catch-up post.
I wrote a book!
Well, another book. This time it’s a children’s book, The ABCs of Inclusion, and it has been such a learning experience. The book is a picture book about disabilities and features 26 real kiddos with diagnoses like autism, hearing loss, epilepsy, and Down syndrome. It teaches young readers that it’s okay to be different. (Sign up for order updates here!)
With my first book, I self-published in about 6 weeks. This has been a completely different experience. In January 2022, I began working with Wise Ink Creative Publishing out of Minneapolis. It’s now November, and the book is just heading off to print. So obviously it’s been a much longer process than self-publishing was for me. It’s also been a LOT more work. It’s work I am passionate about and love, but work that is new to me in a sense. I’ve never truly marketed a book and there has been such a learning curve. Truly though, I have been loving every aspect of it, even when overwhelmed.
I received the first official copy earlier this week and it was such a surreal moment. It’s hard to believe that soon, it will literally be in different corners of the world.
I’m still sharing
While I haven’t been writing much, I’ve still been sharing lots. Take your pick, because we’re now active on TikTok, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Social media has taken off in a way I never anticipated and we are closing in on 1 million followers across platforms. I never imagined our journey would resonate with that many humans. I love sharing and educating, but I also try to maintain a balance within my life. If I don’t feel like posting, I don’t post. I never want our presence there to feel forced or like a job. I just want it to be what it always has been: somewhere to connect and learn.
Coop is a whole damn toddler
Truly. Holllllyyyyy three-year-olds. Every single day, I am sure I am done for. He is communicating so much, in both spoken language and ASL. But with that comes communicating some BIG emotions in ways that aren’t yet super polished. Mostly just loud, in-your-face screams, a little hitting. Normal toddler things…but also most toddlers can’t rip their ears off and refuse to listen. So there’s that. All that aside, my patience surprises me most days. There is joy in teaching Coop about emotions and expressing them and seeing that sink in, even if it’s only once every so often. This age is HARD, but it’s also so mind-blowing to see this little human becoming his own person with an attitude and opinions and imagination. He is spirited beyond belief, but I am choosing to embrace the good in that. As always, he continues to be my biggest teacher.
So….what’s next?
Nope, we are not having another baby any time soon. I quite literally cannot fathom that and we are happy as a little family of three for the time being. We’ve got some exciting partnerships coming up, some pretty neat travel experiences…and of course, just getting through Minnesota winter. I can’t promise to be any better about updates via writing, but I will still be sharing on socials, so join us over there. As always, thanks for your kindness and investment in this journey.
