How does she do that?

We had omelets for dinner tonight. I am going to start boring you to pieces with what we have for dinner every night? No.

I have to say...

... that sometimes Quirky just cracks me up. She is just so funny...and she doesn't even know it. What do I mean you say...give you examples? Well OK if you insist.

A message to the people in the booth behind us...

First I have to say that both Dork and I strive very hard to teach Quirky how to behave respectful toward other people in a public space. Some people may call us strict...I think most people are too lenient.
We went out to eat today for lunch. Did Quirky do something embarrassing you might ask? Well no. Did Dork do something embarrassing? No. Did I do something embarrassing? No...well at least that I know of. What I'm here to complain...huh I mean to talk about is other people's kids.

Ice Cream Anyone?

So after leaving Dork's office this afternoon and completing our errands Quirky asks...Can we go get some ice cream? It was a simple request and I was feeling generous. Ok let's be honest I was feeling hot and sweaty and ice cream sounded good to me too. What ensued was a ridicilous amount of stop and go events

Pity

         I don’t want your pity

Caring eyes

Secreted behind those orbs

your thoughts race…

Thank God that’s not me.

Not my child.

I don’t want your pity.

Sometime I pity you…

In your narrow world

perfection taking

to few forms.

I don’t want your pity,

To me she is

PERFECTION.

Pop Tarts

Have you seen the Pop Tart commercial?....the cartoon one with the happy Mom making the Pop Tarts and the kids come sliding down the stairs and start dancing. They just can't wait to get their little animated hands on those Pop Tarts....mmmm makes me hungry and reminds of my childhood. Quirky has been fascinated by that commercial

Communication Skills

As far as Quirky goes her communication skills have come a long way...A LONG WAY...from where we started. She is verbal...some days extremely verbal! People are often surprised that she is autistic (and often as not I would like to see what these people expect an autistic child to look like....stereotypes AAAAHHH! but anyway that is another story) One thing that has still been a struggle for us is body language...meaning that she rarely uses it or understands it. Shrug her shoulders...never. Wave hello....rarely. Shake her head yes or no...when the mood hits her.

Its just a finger...

I had to find out from another parent. I'm glad she told me and I'm glad that her child was honest and caring enough to tell her. I also have to mention that this child was not part of all this nonsense. Apparently some kids at school have been getting Quirky to make rude gestures (imagine the worse) and then laughing.

It all started with a Story...

It started simple enough. A story. Then one story turned into two...three...four...more and then into a blog. I had to start the blog or she was going to single handedly deforest part of the earth...you would have seen us on Hoarders...we would be the house drowning in paper. I thought I was smart...give her an outlet to be creative.  Was that enough to staunch Quirky thirst for creativity?

I've been suckered...

That's right I've been suckered...into letting Quirky sleep with me while Dork is away. Bad idea...bad idea...BAD IDEA. I know this yet I fall for this every time. Why? I really don't know. I wish I did. Maybe it's her cute little face...maybe its because a kid who doesn't really like to be touched wants to be close to mom. I really just don't know. What I do know is that I've been down this road before and I know where it leads yet I keeping taking this route. I must be crazy...

Does Quirky snuggle? No.

Those Early Years

it was like a river
had dried up
those early years
the fluid of her voice
disappeared
leaving our world
barren and stunted
time would pass
before a trickle emerged
only to give way
to a torrent...
we quenched are souls
in the beauty of her
voice.

Ecstasy

I see her face

on the canvas of my eyes

dancing in circles

in and out of shadows

She moves like

a whirling dervish

face thrown to the sky

She is in ecstasy.

Unexpected "Sightings"

I was supposed to by tickets to the ballet. I forgot. What's Nerd to do when Quirky is expecting a fun trip to the ballet? Hope that today is a flexible day and try something different. We went to a movie instead...a 3D movie at that. Loud music and images jumping out of the screen. It was enough to make me want to throw up and hours later I still have a headache. Quirky...breezed through it with flying colors. The whole change of plans...the loud noise...the 3D. Everything...well up until it was time to go.

Imagination

I hear her voice talking
to sights unseen.
Responding to questions
unasked.
Smiling to faces
not there.
Living a life
not here.
She drowns in her
IMAGINATION
I cannot save her
from
HERSELF.

Let me tell you a story...

a fairytale...of sorts. A few years back my beautiful Quirky daughter was integrated into public school after being homeschooled (and no that is not what the story is about). A few weeks into the whole being in public school thing she asked, "Mom, Why don't you look pretty like the other Moms?" After swallowing my hurt feelings and my bruised ego I answered her with some vague comments about not judging people by their appearance....blah...blah...blah (or at least I am sure that is what she heard)

Notice

         I hide

in the silence

watching

waiting

knowing

it will happen

soon

the moment

I hope it does not come

when others

Notice

treating her

differently

overtly at first

slowly

becoming

Obvious.

Overwhelmed by Autism

Time warped days

Wrapped up in a blanket of silence

or transversely

violently soaked in a downpour…

of meaningless “conversation”

I wait out the storm alone

Wondering will the shadow

of the clouds overhead ever leave…

Only to be awakened by the

Sunshine from her beautiful face.

Careful Stay Away from the Edge!

Quirky and I went for a walk around our neighborhood the other day. It was nice getting out after a winter's worth of practically hybernating. The walk for the most part was uneventful...she chattered like a monkey in a tree about Oscar Fido (http://themisadventuresofoscarfido.blogspot.com/ ). I listened and nodded a lot...somedays that is all I manage to do because I can't seem to get a word in. It was one of those kind of days. She had been talking nonstop since she sat down in the car after school.

Homework Battles

Homework. Just the word alone can cause most any child to break out in the whines and any parent want to hide in a closet. Its dreaded...its avoided...and yes I know (for you teachers out there) I know that it is needed. Doesn't mean I have to like it. Losing an hour or more (usually more) of my afternoon to homework battles is not my idea of fun.
I call them battles...but really its more about a fight for attention. Quirky's attention. By the afternoon Quirky can quite often be out there...maybe you know what I mean. Maybe you've been there with your child. If not then let me explain.

The Elephant Parade

It's early. I know its early even though I can not see the glowing blurs on my clock. Its early and the elephant parade has started or at least that is what it sounds like. Boom. Bang. Boom. Bang. Boom. Bang. Boom. Bang.  Boom. Bang.

Bullies

I think I mentioned before that not all days are sunshine and lolly pops. Sometimes things happen and no matter how hard you try...you just can't protect them from everything. I want to. I'm sure that most parents do. It happened to me as a kid...it may have happened to you. This thing...this subject that I am talking about is BULLYING.

Arm Farts?

You might say that potty humor in our family is embraced. Bad parenting you say? Hear me out...
It was not until recently that I really realized just how much we have embraced the potty humor. It all started with the kids movie Robots...old movie I know but it was our first time seeing it. It was perfect for Quirky's sense of humor...it contained segments of crude and rude humor (on a side note Quirky has taken up reading the ratings on movie boxes). Let me put it a little plainer...it contains lots of potty humor.

Fast forward to later that night after the movie.

Shrek

Some might say we are over protective while others might wonder what we could have possibly been thinking...We finally let Quirky watch the Shrek movies. I'm still not sure whether that was good parenting or bad parenting. I know...I know...most kids her age have seen all the Shrek movies.
With Quirky though things have a way of being misunderstood and well we just weren't sure if she was ready. Did we destroy her love of princesses and  belief in fairytale endings or did she learn that true beauty comes in all forms and that true love is not about fairy tales but about loving and respecting each other unconditionally? I'm not sure. What I do know is that the opening menu of Shrek 2 has made a lasting impression. In fact it has become an ongoing game in our house.