Happy Thanksgiving!

I have SO MUCH to be thankful for I don't even know where to start.  That can't be a bad thing, right?  :)

First, I am thankful for my beautiful, amazing children.  Derek said his first multiple word sentence tonight.  Kind of.  I'm counting it, anyway.  He was playing with his rocketship and all of a sudden I heard him say, "Bye, two, twee...basoff!!!"  (Interpretation:  "One, two, three...blast off!!!"  He has always said "bye" for "one" and I'm not sure why.)  He even counted on his fingers.  Incredible.  This kid has made so much progress in the past year.  He also said the word "Gobble."  I showed him a picture Tyler had colored at school of a turkey, so I showed him it and asked if he could say it.  He said, "Goggle."  Close enough.  I love is little voice.  It is so quiet, and so sweet, and it always surprises me when any word comes out of his mouth.  I guess when you wait 4 years for your child to start saying sentences, it seems magical when it finally happens.  Almost miraculous.  I LOVE knowing that he is finally understanding language, since he didn't for SOOO long.  I think back to the endless days when we went over words with flashcards for hours and hours on end and it seemed like we made no progress.  It finally feels like all the pain, all the tears, were worth it... Between 1 year and 18 months my son disappeared.  Since then I have trying desperately to get him back again.  Today, I realized that even if he cannot communicate as well as other children, my son is back.  He really, truly is.  And I can't stop crying...

And then there is Tyler, who is the sweetest, smartest kid in the world.  Just last night when I was tucking him into bed, he told me ""I'm not going to let you go I love you so much!"  Derek was sick all day yesterday.  Like, EXTREMELY sick.  He started vomiting at 4:30 in the morning and literally threw up every 10-15 minutes for the next 4 hours.  He doesn't understand enough to make it to a toilet, so he soiled all of the sheets and blankets in the bed, about 6 towels, and numerous sets of clothing--including mine.  Oh, and did I mention that about 2 hours into the madness he started having diarrhea as well?  I literally had to hold him on the toilet (as he vomited all over me) because he was too weak to sit upright.  Poor kid.  So when Tyler said that at night, it was BY FAR the best part of my day.  How do kids know when you need to hear something like that?!?!?

I'm also thankful for all of the amazing things that have happened this year.  Since MARCH, no less!  I have a studio, a printmaking press, two gallery shows in the works, and an amazing project underway.  I've also met all kinds of incredible people along the way--parents of autistic kids, the kids themselves, and random strangers who have gone out of their way to help me succeed.  I have made so many wonderful new friends
--and I have autism to thank.  Who would have guessed that SO MUCH GOOD could come out of something that once caused me and my family so much pain?  I'm not saying that things are perfect or that the road is no longer bumpy.  Hah!  I'm just choosing to focus on the good rather than the bad...

"Bye, two, twee...basoff!"