Chapter II - as it relates to our daughter & our lives

Micaela is a lovely - wonderful - chirpy little lady - 3 1/2 years old now - just reflecting how time just - melts away - when Nick started J.K. in 2010 - she was just 2 - for her - a Wonderful Stage....

& today's post - isn't about her changing - from that Wonderful Stage or her full of Pepper self - but about another necessary evil - during our early journey with Autism~~~


This time around ~ it isn't with the same ignorance - this time around....
just the sight of these words = such pain in my heart!

*but I just read about how we grieve - as parents of children who might not be what we envisioned - for how our hopes, dreams & expectations for our children change when there is an official "Label" or Diagnosis - how we feel we have to grieve the loss of this version of the child we know today - I don't know if I ever used that word for how we felt with Nicolas - in hindsight - I sure hope not - it isn't that we lose her or a part of her or even expectations of how life looks or looked before any interpretation of an Early Screening or further into these questions - into an actual assessment - it is about not having known a bit sooner - (for Nick especially) but even now with Mica - just a bit more confident sooner than here & now - that there was just something, or perhaps - just "Nothing"?

Last year it was just exploring the kinds of things that had us questioning our challenges with Nicolas.
This year - it is beyond our understanding that Micaela would have enough similar traits (both positive & negative) - or **Flags** which have moved us to take action - it may be to just to allay our fears & although not "unfounded" - but yes indeed our suspicions....

Several people have suggested that Mica could be "mirroring" her brother's symptoms or traits...
but after compiling a list - we are now under the sincere impression that it is more than this - even if it isn't quite the same as Nicolas's diagnosis - we believe that we will need support to understand what is going on ~ &/or how we can move forward & work forward.

~Start~From~ *Now*

The Best of Summer 2011

The object of my affection can turn my complexion from white to rosy red....

& he turns 50 in less than 1 week....

With this wonderful man, whom I have loved since I first met him in 1985 ~~ we have shared our lives for ~ 20 years together this past summer - + raised one young man into adulthood (albeit with a map that was completely uncharted),

& with YEARS Worth of memories of being, feeling & living so very "Young & Restless"!;

I am (We are) now raising a new generation - in 2006, early spring & a year to the day that we were married we had our second son (hubby's first biologically) & then our daughter in the summer of 2008.

　

and then.... we moved - from a suburb to a Town - which is more like a suburban HUB if you will - as our new Town (city really) feeds many surrounding cities/towns & rural communities...

from that move to present - our lives have been on another uncharted course - but this is life - or life's journey for many people....

　

Let me catch my breath and bring you all into the present day; our times & adventures - just over one year ago - we attended a screening - & I can tell you - it was a real life screening

beyond compare - not a movie but in hindsight - indeed - it is a pivotal moment in "The Story that is our Life Today"...

We were referred to our Regional Early Intervention Services by our son's brand new school - brand new as he had just entered J.K. - but also brand new - as it was the School's second year in operation.  We knew our son had a "Strong-Will" he is Bright - had attended no daycare, nor nursery, nor pre-school programming, early on this ~~ was mostly by choice - then it became apparent later - maybe halfway into his 4th year & certainly from then on - that he might be a "handful" and we were more resistant to placing him until an actual school program.

He had attended gym classes x 3 sessions (approx. 10 classes per) in our new town & we didn't really have hesitations about registering him for soccer - we knew we would - just not sure if it would be the Spring before school or sometime after he started school - & that spring of 2010 is when we really saw things which in hindsight - appeared somewhat "Behavioural" but by halfway through his season - somewhat "Alarming" - he finished the season - missing only a couple of events - due to scheduling for one & apprehension for another - but he finished the season & has "GREAT Memories" thankfully -

& can't wait for us to let him try again (& we will - in time & maybe after a specialized program) - so back on track - before school started (words - too much repetition?) - we set up a Dr.'s appt. - we had already spoken with our *New* Family Dr. about Nick's learning style & then about our concerns - Sensory seemed to be the focus & her advice was school was the best place for him & this would sort itself out from there.... (they were well versed - had exp. with all kinds of children) - but were they ready for our guy!?  "Dynamo"! - a Busy Boy, with a sweet nature and a very sweet smile (with this little tilt of the head - this may have sustained the love of many...)

& even though we had researched to some degree & beat ourselves up with questions about our parenting style & sought other parents advice & exp. & hub.'s family was often consulted by him - nobody - had any idea....  even the term Sensroy really wasn't on our radar - he was a busy boy - but we were indeed struggling.....

Autism - never for one moment - entered our vocabulary - sure we would review the "Signs" - but it was indeed excluded - by us - "The Experts" - >>>

　

　

I am back to the paid work*force 2 months new - & this Blog has been in my heart since the last week of Oct. 2010 ~~ which would present all of the daily.daily life that makes us "Who we are & who we will become" & another passion....>>>>>>

Real Estate - from the home.sellers & purchasers point of view - >>> with some input from the Agents - & both the blog & the Real Estate angle to it - are a from this Novice's Approach - an approach which is def. grey - but to be

a full spectrum of Life - that I can promise!


 
& here are the Three Best **acutally my entire content - or "other" Blog Posts - which are a part of the Face.Book - I had to share - I had to find a way to journal ~

https://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/note.php?note_id=10150300456019071

https://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/note.php?note_id=10150166832854071


Tweeter-Dee or Twitter-Dom - it will be one heck of a ride.
Thanks to http://www.todaysparent.com/ for giving me just a little bit of "Ooomph" to push this blog into reality...