Firsts

It has been a busy 2 weeks!

Just about a week ago, Miller signed his first word: "more"while playing with one of is favorite things, a giant parachute! Terry and I are so thrilled! Hopefully all this class time is finally sinking in. Miller is also able to play "Patty Cake" all on his own. I sing the rhyme, and Miller does all the motions. This is a game we've been playing since he was a little baby, but we've always aided him with the motions. So much fun! I also have Miller's first piece of art hanging on the refrigerator. It's so awesome to have him come home with his little art projects.

I had a meeting today with a representative from the Lake Washington school district. We are getting everything ready for Miller's big move into actual preschool. I was a little weary going into the meeting, but I feel much more optimistic after getting a huge packet about what's going to happen, and all the options we have. The last thing I want is for Miller to fall through the cracks of the public school system. Big changes to come, but I know Miller will do great.

Poor Miller came down with a cold about 10 days ago, and it just seems to want to hang on. Hopefully he will be able to go to class tomorrow, he already missed nearly all of his classes last week. Not a good sign for the months to come.

Lawn gnome? No, genome.

When I took Miller to Seattle Children's Autism Clinic for his screening, I had the opportunity to sign up for research studies. The clinic would call us whenever there was a study being done that we qualified for. Terry and I are all about research studies. I feel like so many parents of children with autism try to point fingers and place blame. It may make things feel better for a little while, but like any other medical condition, research needs to be done to find a solution.

Last week I got a call from the research department telling me that we qualified for a autism genetics study. Doctors doing the study have isolated several genomes that may have a link to autism. The researchers will test both parents (if available) and compare the DNA to that of their autistic child. If matches in the genome appear, further diagnostic testing will be done. What does all this mean? In the future, parents would be able to test for an autistic gene before becoming pregnant.

This is a monumental study and could change the lives of so many families, and that is good enough for me. I don't expect there to be a "cure" for autism anytime soon, but I hope that what is being done helps.

The Good Days

I spend so much time blogging about the difficulties that we have in life, that I forget about the special, wonderful days Miller, Terry and I share. Today was one of those days.

We got a rare family day together and decided to take advantage of the perfect, sunny weather with a trip to Craven Farms in Snohomish for pumpkin hunting!

Miller loved being able to run through the pumpkin fields and I loved all the photo-ops! We spent the morning strolling through the fields, admiring the funny pumpkin displays, and visiting friendly farm animals. We picked out 4 perfect little pumpkins to take home and paint, also some fresh Gala apples and little mini-pumpkins and gourds.

I can't wait to paint up our pumpkins and display them proudly on our patio railing.

I'm so glad that we are able to make such wonderful memories with Miller. I hope that he enjoys them too.

No Apologies

I've noticed that every time I tell someone that Miller has autism, they tell me how sorry they are. Like he has some life threatening virus. Miller is not dying, nor is he fragile. I can only assume that people say this because they don't know what to say. How about telling Miller what a sweet, young man he is? I suppose this just comes with the territory, but it's one thing that really irks me. The last thing I want is for people to tip toe around us like Miller might break if the wrong thing is said. Believe me, nothing will break this kid, and that is one of my favorite things about him. I don't want people to feel sorry for us. We are not sorry. Yes, things can get difficult, but we are not sorry. Miller is a huge light in many lives.