Graduation Day

I want to thank every one of you that took the time and love to share these words and this blog for Greyson's birthday... It means so much to me...it's so humbling...

You help me reach the World...
Here are the page views by country this week. Wow. I never could have done this on my own.

Pretty much the best gift I could ever give Greyson on his birthday- Awareness.
Greyson's whole birthday weekend was chock full of awesome...


A big birthday party wasn't what he would want...It would have been what I would have wanted...and guess what? It's not my birthday. So we did small and it was really good.


And from his reaction...I know it was perfect for him.

Parker's first and hopefully last black eye...he fell face first off of his Little Tikes car.  Now he has street cred.

Behold the modern Dad...He goes to birthday parties, comes to Dr. appointments when he can, and changes diapers....and not as a favor to me- but because he's their Dad. 


We went to another Birthday Party this weekend for another 3 year old.


It was tough for Greyson at First...Loud booming music and kids running around screaming causes sensory overload for Greyson and most Spectrum Kids...It's like Social Anxiety times a jillion...and it is not always easy...but I make sure we stay and make it past that tough hump...



I don't leave if he screams or falls to the ground in a fit, because that would make him think that was a good way to communicate with me and get his point across...and it can feel a little embarrassing at first, but I don't really care what other people think because I am helping my son- and that's all that matters to me at the time.


And slowly we get him to loosen up by finding something he likes to do no matter where we are...



And before he knows it, he is having a blast...




The real Little G...



Serious F-U???? What? This is a kids place.



Look how cute- party favors...We "forgot" ours... Oppsy...


__________________________________________________
My life is going differently than planned….

But that’s OK, because that actually started happening right after I graduated college….

I was supposed to be married by 25….and having kids by 27…so you can imagine my surprise when at 30 years of age I still wasn’t even married.  Plans are good...they give us something to shoot for… but it’s important to note that sometimes when you fail to achieve your plans….that it’s actually not a failure at all. 

And it’s funny…sometimes when my life is going as planned…it’s hard to relish in it because I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.  I say screw both shoes...It's Summer, I'm gonna go barefoot....

I feel most alive in comfortable and sweet chaos. I never could have planned any of this…Our lives are set by the limitations of our own minds and our own imaginations...I couldn't have written this story...Turn 38… Find out my son is Autistic…and then find strength and a happiness I didn’t know was possible…It's an authentic happiness...it can exist in the presence of sadness at times too, because it is real...It’s called happiness when things aren’t perfect- and my mind didn’t know that kind of happiness existed before.

My memory is horrible…but I vividly remember being at church, 9 months pregnant with Parker. There is no cry room so Michael and I would take turns literally chasing Greyson all over church, trying to keep him silent-ish. I remember scooping him up the second before he made it on the alter- in the middle of mass. I remember the priest talking about the phrase, I am blessed…. And the frequency with which it is mentioned when life is good…when it is going as planned…We had an amazing day today…I am so blessed....
I have the most amazing friends…I am so blessed. And so on…

But truly being blessed is when you can utter those 3 words when life isn’t going as planned…when it isn’t perfect…

Daily I am practicing the art of saying, I am so blessed whether it was a good day, or a not so good day...


Today was certainly a good one...

Early Intervention preschool was not right for us, so we quit...but that left a huge void in a very important component of fighting Autism- and that is socialization..being around other kids...Typical kids...seeing how they play and talk and share and even don't share...

And things going -not as planned-caused the birth of 2U in January of this year. I am so blessed...
And instead of going to Early Intervention Preschool- we were lucky enough to have an amazing Teacher and Mommas and kids come here instead.

It was one of the best parts of my week...2U...Mommas and kiddos and babies at my house first thing Monday morning...The perfect way to start the week.





Today was the end because Greyson is now 3 and Early Intervention is now over...and I was sad and happy all at once. It's easy to forget sometimes that the ending of something often means the beginning of something new.

We had a real graduation... with caps and diplomas and Pomp and Circumstance.




This picture totally makes me laugh...Controlled chaos...my favorite.


I am blessed...

I can't wait to see what else doesn't go as planned in my Life...I think it's gonna be good.