Simple Magic

We're having car trouble so last night was hard on us. We are all tired and stressed after finding ourselves stranded last night. Yet again my parents rode in to the rescue. Froggy loved that part; me, I just wish it wasn't necessary.

So in light of all of that, I really wasn't expecting a charmed morning.

Froggy didn't want to get out of bed. I don't blame her, since it's pretty chilly. She gave me a little trouble getting dressed but once we headed out the door she was a different kid.

We got to the bus stop and I asked her if she was warm enough or if she wanted to snuggle. Immediately she jumped up and held her arms in the air to be picked up. So I tucked one of her arms in one side of my hoodie and her other arm in the other side. I wrapped the body of it around us both and just held her.

Then, the sweetness happened.

She looked up at the sky and informed me first that the moon was walking. I think she said that because there were a few clouds slipping by. The moon did look like it was walking. Then she told me the moon was following the stars.

I don't know why it struck me the way it did. Maybe it's because she kept talking about it. Maybe it was just how she said it, all sweet and quiet. Maybe it was just the cold getting to my brain. But to me, it was the sweetest thing.

We giggled over Eskimo kisses and she kept just looking at me with this look in her eyes. I don't know what got into her but I wish it would happen more often. It was just a beautiful, magical morning.

Miracles Happen

We're about two months into the school year now and Froggy is doing so well. She's talking up a storm and telling us how things are "frustrating" and "hilarious". She uses those words in proper context, which I think is pretty impressive.

What I'm most excited about is that suddenly she's begun sleeping more normally again. I chalk it up to a growth spurt since she's eating a ton again too.

If it really is a growth spurt then I'm in trouble. I'm 61" tall. She was at 40" when we were at the doctor last week. If she's still growing then what in the world am I going to do? I already look like a little girl hauling around her biggest doll when I carry Froggy to bed at night!

She really seems to be maturing though and I'm really excited about her progress. Other than that defiant streak she has she's really turning back into a sweetheart. I'm trying to enjoy it while I can because I know it might not last.

I know that wasn't much of an update but I'll try to write more next time. Hope everyone is doing well!

Sick Days

Our whole family has come down with The Bug. I have no idea what it is but it's going around. It's a nasty little mess and if my husband's experience is any indication it's hard to shake off. Froggy has fought it long and hard and managed to hold it off for a while, but it seems to have taken hold of her and me both over the last few days.

She missed school Friday because she wouldn't stop screaming at us after we got her up. She fought us through every step of getting ready, so we figured it wasn't fair to make her teacher deal with her. By around 9 AM she decided she wanted to go to school but by then it was too late. She and I took a long nap and when we got up she was a whole different kid.

Today was strange. She was good all morning, even laying in our bed and watching TV while we slept. She was an angel for her daddy, which was no surprise. The biggest problem I had with her was my futile attempts to get her to eat lunch. Once her daddy left for work she stopped being so nice. She refused to eat supper, even though my bribes and threats. She lost some of her favorite toys for the evening on account of it. Here's what I posted on Facebook, if it gives you any idea how supper went:

If she's given me one excuse she's given me a hundred as for why she won't eat. It started out that she was sooooo tired. Then she was sooooo sick. Then it was because she has "a bump". Then it was how she has "a ankle". Then she started telling me how the little ants are making her frustrated. Then it was a headache, how her tummy hurts, how her tissue ran away, and that bump again. Now she's telling me she got busy. She's been sitting at the table maybe fifteen minutes and all I want her to do is taste the food I put in front of her. Show of hands: How many people think I'll actually get her to taste it?

Eventually I gave up on getting her to eat. I put her in the bath and the rest of the evening wasn't as bad, but still not as smooth as last night. She fussed about getting dressed for bed but actually going to bed was easy enough. Poor thing is so pooped.

Her daddy called after I got her laid down and in talking to him I realized just what a, well, "autistic" day this was for her. Every time she got the slightest bit excited or upset she would start jumping up and down and flapping her hands. She repeated herself over, and over, and over...and over... She actually stuttered a lot today, which is completely new but not totally unexpected (my brother is a bad stutterer, even as an adult). The smallest deviation in the day from the norm or from what she deemed appropriate resulted in a meltdown, and since I'm not well myself today wasn't a typical day. We had lots of meltdowns. I think her refusal to eat was just an extension of her normal picky eating habits, but it was difficult to say the least. She was antsy and whiny and despite her recent progress in expressing herself she refused to tell us just what was wrong. Everything just seemed "off" with her today.

So yeah. Definitely strange, at least to me. I didn't realize just how much being sick would affect her. And I'm hoping that all of this is just being sick and not the beginning of some new trend. She used to be really snuggley when she'd get sick but this time was different. Maybe she's just growing up.

ASD moms, feel free to chime in: How do your kids act when they get sick?