top of page
All Posts
Leanne Menzo
Nov 2, 20232 min read
Trick-Brrrrr-Treat
Dear Addie, This week was Halloween, and everyone dressed up, even Mother Nature. That's right, she traded in her warm fall vibe for...
78 views1 comment
Leanne Menzo
Oct 26, 20234 min read
A Text
Dear Addie, This weekend, I sent a text that would have read very differently just four short years ago and was reminded of just how far...
140 views0 comments
Leanne Menzo
Oct 19, 20232 min read
Homeschool Time
Dear Addie, Fall is finally here! The leaves are beginning to change to warm colors, and the temperature is not 1000 degrees, so with the...
111 views0 comments
Leanne Menzo
Oct 12, 20232 min read
Fall Festival
Dear Addie, After taking a bit of a spill and introducing your nose to the floor earlier in the week, a little fun couldn't have come at...
147 views0 comments
Leanne Menzo
Oct 5, 20232 min read
Round 2
Dear Addie, There we were in your happy place, walking to look at the ocean waves, and you started…” Elephant! An Elephant! Elephant!” A...
131 views0 comments
Leanne Menzo
Sep 29, 20231 min read
You Knew
Dear Addie, You stood staring at me as I lay in bed, like a pile of crumbled bricks, eyes closed, washcloth on my forehead. You knew. I...
146 views0 comments
Leanne Menzo
Sep 21, 20231 min read
A Right Hook
Dear Addie, I rubbed your back and held your hair as an unwelcomed tummy bug warranted extra care. An eerily calm took over your day with...
201 views0 comments
Leanne Menzo
Sep 14, 20232 min read
Fear
Dear Addie, If you've met one person with autism, you've met just that, one person with autism. This is a phrase often uttered within our...
119 views0 comments
Leanne Menzo
Sep 7, 20231 min read
The Blur
Dear Addie, And just like that, a new chapter begins – seventh grade. Addie, I am not going to lie; these middle school years were never...
128 views0 comments
Leanne Menzo
Aug 31, 20233 min read
Rainbows
Dear Addie, Hurricane Idalia blew through this week, bringing heavy flooding rains and treacherous winds across our great state. As...
78 views0 comments
Leanne Menzo
Aug 24, 20233 min read
The Sofas
Dear Addie, I cleaned the sofas. We purchased these sofas a few years ago, and with kids, pets, and life, I was so excited that I could...
190 views0 comments
Leanne Menzo
Aug 17, 20233 min read
Simple
Dear Addie, I am beginning to sound like a broken record here, but I do not think I would ever tell anyone this journey has been easy....
116 views0 comments
Leanne Menzo
Aug 10, 20234 min read
The Guessing Game
Dear Addie, No parent likes it when their child is sick or hurting. Add in high pain tolerance, lack of traditional communication, and...
230 views0 comments
Leanne Menzo
Aug 3, 20232 min read
Magic Fairy Dust?
Dear Addie, For a long time, I wondered if life would just be a series of chaotic exhaustion from here on out. I wasn't handling this...
155 views0 comments
Leanne Menzo
Jul 27, 20231 min read
Until They Couldn't
Dear Addie, For me, it was dance shoes; for you, it is your swing. They both held days of joy and sadness. They gave us hours of calm we...
114 views0 comments
Leanne Menzo
Jul 20, 20233 min read
Hang Two
Dear Addie, When we received your diagnosis years ago, the thought of you "hanging ten" and surfing gnarly waves was the farthest thing...
116 views1 comment
Leanne Menzo
Jul 13, 20232 min read
The Lottery
Dear Addie, It has been six long years, but we finally hit the lottery! Crazy right?! Now while I wish I could say that we will be the...
241 views1 comment
Leanne Menzo
Jul 6, 20233 min read
America's Birthday
Dear Addie, The fourth of July – dare I say, the most overstimulating holiday of the year? Noises, lights, smells, and crowds all...
94 views0 comments
Leanne Menzo
Jun 29, 20233 min read
We Rocked It
Dear Addie, Truth - in the beginning, I wanted to have you somehow conform and melt into what I perceived was a normal life. Like there...
218 views1 comment
Leanne Menzo
Jun 22, 20232 min read
Exposure Is Key - Blackberry Edition
Dear Addie, This past weekend we were invited to the O’Brien Family Farm in Coats, NC, for a bit of fruit & farm education and some...
138 views2 comments
bottom of page