Thursday Laughs
Our autism journey

He woke more times than I can count, but then he slept until after five. At this point I have to pretend sleep isn’t important. Owen is laughing hysterically now about Mickey Mouse and the gang. The laughs are what I needed. The singing is in full force this morning as well, and in a different language at that. The hardest part about him learning so many languages is that I can’t understand what he is asking for when he needs help. Some of his words are indistinguishable in general, because he hasn’t learned to say them, or maybe the way he processes them they sound correctly to him. Then add the other languages and this momma is really lost some days. He will say words and want me to find them with the voice activated option on his tablet. There are some words the tablet will respond to for him, but most of the time he will bring it to me. This is where it gets complicated. Sometimes when it doesn’t work, the disappointment will wash over him, and this breaks my heart, but my hope is that I can keep him from going into meltdown mode. Meltdowns can last for hours. He can be unconsolable at this point. This is where my anxiousness sets in. I try to stop the meltdowns before they even start, because one meltdown can change what happens for the next couple of days. For now the laughs continue, they are contagious. Owen is so animated today. It’s like he is a cartoon character running from one box to the next with the speech bubble above his head saying “LOL”. The laughter shakes his whole body as he throws himself to the ground. Laughter is the best medicine and it does my heart good. Life is full of adventures, take one step at a time and know you are a lot stronger than you think you are. Smiles to all and donut daze!

