And Then The Normal Things...

I have to stop myself along this journey to really see and enjoy the "normal" things that can pass us by in our Autism haze. For example, Zachary really likes stuffed dogs - or "puppy dogs" as he calls them. He has slept with one dog and a blanket with a dog embroidered in it since birth. As he aged and learned the manipulation game (!), his collection of bedtime friends has multiplied numerous times. Aside from Bert and Ernie, a frog, a bunny rabbit, and the original dog - he now has three other canine friends to help him slip off into dreamland.

One night, when the 2nd of the 4 dogs was brought to him as a surprise from Daddy, we asked him what the new doggies name is. He named it "Yo Yo" and we laughed, as the dog was really more of a pillow - flat and round - so Yo Yo fit perfectly. Then we held up the original dog and asked what his name will be now, to which he dubbed him "Jay". So we had Yo Yo and Jay. I recently returned from a trip away bearing the gift of another pillow with a dog stitched into it. When asked what the new doggies name will be he confidently and quickly said "Chuck". And a few days ago #4 entered the bedroom from a collection of stuffed animals he hadn't explored in a while. This new friend was promptly named "X Ray".

And so it is, Jay, Yo Yo, Chuck and X-Ray are Zachary's 4 bedtime friends. It's the cute things like this that make all of the other challenges and hard times easier. We just have to look harder to find them, but they are there!