I was Lying in bed in between both my girls. Both woke up super early so I was letting them enjoy some screen time while I enjoyed a few more minutes of relaxing. Out of nowhere Courtney moaned and then slapped me in the face. I went to rub her hand to calm her and she bit my arm. She got me to the point where it hurt so bad I cried. Calmed her down and I calmed down but then a few minutes later she was agitated again. This time I was prepared so was able to stay clear of any attempts she made to bite, scratch, pinch or hit me. Joe took Alyssa, I calmed Courtney and then I cried some more. This is Autism.

We were all down in the basement. I was on the treadmill and joe was playing with the girls. Courtney got agitated because she was ready to go upstairs. From the treadmill I watched Joe calmly avoid her attempts to bite her while trying to calm her down. He has come so far. A guy who only knew the word, Autism but now raising a child with Autism. As hard as it is to see her get so agitated, it was beautiful to watch him. This is Autism.

While on the treadmill, I observed Alyssa exploring her world just as a typical 2 year old would. She was talking away telling stories that I could only understand half of. At one point I needed a tissue so Joe went and got me one. The next time I needed one, Alyssa said, “I get it mommy” and ran to the bathroom to get me a tissue. I know, seems so simple but it’s little moments like this that show me Alyssa is developing just fine. Autism parents watch their other children like hawks making sure they don’t see any of the same characteristics. This is Autism.

My sister and my niece were watching the girls while Joe and I went out to dinner. A couple days ago I watched my high school age niece bond some with Courtney so I was really excited for them to spend more time together. Sure enough I get a picture from my sister where Courtney was climbing all over her cousin. Made me smile. We then got home from our dinner to find both girls cuddled up with their older cousin watching a Disney movie. This is not Courtney and it was so beautiful to see. My sister told me how Courtney was actually sitting next to her but got agitated and was starting to go after her. She then put Courtney next to my niece and she calmed down. She wanted to be by her cousin. SO COOL! Later on my sister and I exchanged the following texts…

This is Autism. It’s beautiful, it’s frustrating, it’s sad, it’s rewarding. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.