On Monday, June 27th, Courtney was officially given the medical diagnosis of Autism. I said in my last post…”let the journey begin”. I misspoke. The journey isn’t just beginning. The journey began September 5th, 2013 when Courtney came into this world. Nothing has changed. She is still Courtney. She is still our very energetic, beautiful, little girl who loves life. She still has the same big beautiful blue eyes  that are watching and observing everything. She is still our little monkey…and trust me, she fits that nick name in every way possible. The diagnosis of Autism doesn’t change any of that. What it does do is open up the door to other therapies, strategies, and people who are ready to help us along the way.

Joe and I were not surprised at all when the doctor said the diagnosis. Of course it still stung a little bit to hear it and I’m sure I will have my good days and bad days when it comes to accepting what lies ahead. What I wasn’t prepared for was the many suggestions of things to look into to help her and how overwhelming it would all be to decide on where to start. I can’t even begin to imagine how a parent without the background that I have feel. The team discussed a few strategies and therapies to look into that I already knew about. That I already spent years researching and even getting trained in. How would this all feel if I didn’t already know all this information. I have spent the days since Monday making a few phone calls and trying to decide where to start. But the question I keep asking is…how do I know if I’m doing enough or doing too much. Yes, research shows the more intense therapies the better, but she is also a little girl that still needs to enjoy being a little girl. And by the way…these phone calls are all being done while holding an infant who doesn’t want to be an inch away from me and attempting to keep Courtney from swinging on the chandelier. You think I’m exaggerating on the latter part…well I’m going to refrain from posting the picture in fear of getting authorities called on me.

So here is how I should have ended my last post…let the journey continue!