Living with Butterfly

It has been so long since I have posted anything here. So much has changed in that time. And so much has not.

Butterfly has turned 5. Where has the time gone? The time has gone so fast, which is odd considering some days,  actually a lot of days, feel painfully slow. Butterfly has recently been diagnosed with autism. She is still the same little girl. Still adorable and lovable. Just now we know why some things have been so hard. Things like potty training .. which she still has not mastered. We have made a lot of progress, but we still have a long road ahead with that one. I would love for her to be fully potty trained before she starts Kindergarten in the fall.

This is just one of many examples of the challenges that parents of children with autism have to face. Children with autism often have problems with their senses. Everything is too hot or too cold, or too loud or quiet. Too bumpy. Not the right color. What will cause the next meltdown? That is about as predictable as a tornado. Speaking of tornadoes, Butterfly is like a human tornado. I once thought all small children were like that, but I must admit that Witchlet and Goobie-Kins did NOT prepare me for Butterfly. Nothing could have prepared me for Butterfly.

That isn't to say her autism is all bad. She has a form of it that gives her an incredible memory. She can spell/read at possibly a late 1st grade/ early 2nd grade level. She can add and subtract. She can multiply the facts that she has memorized. All before Kindergarten. It is a wonderful feeling when she reads to me. The hard part is the realization that though she reads, she isn't comprehending.

It is a long journey ahead of us. There will be many ups and downs. Of this I am sure. Still I know that someday, she will understand. She may be living with autism, but it won't stop her. After all, a Butterfly is meant to fly.