It's the little things

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It's been a very tiring week for me. I'm still working on getting the floor in the master bedroom finished. I've finally gotten to the point where I'm ready to throw down some coats of polyurethane on the floor and call it a day. Don't know when I'll be able to do that since hubby is taking off with the car tomorrow for his grandfather's funeral in Rhode Island. In the midst of all this hubby has brought home some more books on autism for me to read. (I gave him a list and he is apparently endeavoring to get me every book on that list.)

I've finished the book I Need Help with School!: A guide for parents of children with autism & Asperger's Syndrome by Rebecca Moyes. Moyes details all of the hoops parents have to jump through in order to insure that their child gets appropriate therapy in a public school setting. All in all it was not a very uplifting read for me. It's good to finally get and idea of what I can expect to have to deal with in trying to help Ethan but it makes me wonder if it just wouldn't be easier to do it all myself. I really don't relish the prospect of wrangling with school and district officials to get Ethan the help he needs. I don't like people that much and in such a situation I would tend to think the worst of people's motives.

But in the midst of all my angst about Ethan and school there are some encouraging signs. This evening as I sat flipping through yet another article on autism Ethan brought his sippy cup to me. He put the cup in my hand and stared at me meaningfully for a bit. I stared right back with out saying a word. I wanted to see if he would tell me what he wanted rather than just expect me to know. After a short pause he said quietly and slowly, "Want some, want some, want some drinky." I managed to contain my glee enough to not knock anything over (I was surrounded by piles of books, papers, and my computer). But I did fling the article I was reading away and, as quickly as my pregnant body allowed, went to get Ethan his drinky. All the while I was praising him profusely for asking for what he wanted. He was very excited and happy with his accomplishment and my praise. Ethan ran off to the kitchen ahead of me giggling. Of course once he got his juice he was all about the juice. He seemed unmoved that I was still gushing over his small but significant accomplishment.

That one little thing lifted the weight that had been slowly settling onto my shoulders. I tend to get booked-out when reading about autism. With so much information out there it can be overwhelming wading through it all. Separating the wheat from the chaff is a daunting task. I'm going to have to take a break from all of my research to keep myself sane and emotionally balanced. But I intend to bask fully in the glow of Ethan's achievement today.

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