Once Upon a time.....

We dreamed of 4 children... I wanted two girls two boys. I got 3 boys and one girl. My daughter lived only 15 minutes. She died. She was born premature.

So I got to keep just my 3 boys.
It wouldn't really matter if they weren't perfect. No one is. Those who feel they are or are better than someone else because their children are "normal" needs a shrink fast!
I guess there was always an understanding that my husband (I shall call him Leo) and I had towards special needs (what some say "challenged") people.

April 1995 the movie Forrest Gump came to video. Leo rented it. We watched and I said that night, "That will be our kid." Those words haunted me for 5 years after. That is my oldest son. He has what is considered "limited potential" only interested in Trains and Video Games but, he is brilliant! He will not re tread tires either. No he will be the one who re invents the train or new rail system. He is the one who is Lucky (that is what I will call him from now on). Lucky is the kid who seems to be at the right place at the right time. He wins everything he enters. Lucky was DX'd in 2001 as PDD~NOS, ADHD, OCD. He is now suspected of having Prader Willi Syndrome (as he will eat whatever is chewable). He was our first venture into Dx's and the lack of an Autism network that is non judgmental. He was the first to expose the negativity of the world to me... I am so glad he did.

Next is the King. I call my second child King because he is "above" the rest of the world and he knows it.
King was Dx'd in 2002. Borderline Asperger's/High Functioning Autism (HFA), ODD and ADHD.
My King could change the oil on a car at the age of five. He did not talk till 4 and a half but hasn't stopped since! He talks and talks and talks and then goes to sleep and talks in his sleep. He is opinionated, stubborn, always "right" and he is 100% me. He is what I wanted to be my whole life. Confident, cocky and self righteous. Nothing knocks him down for long. If the world thought I was a one woman wrecking crew just wait. King is on his way! He will redesign the worlds fastest cars and break records. Wanna know directions anywhere? Ask the King. Can't find a number in the phone book? Ask the King. He never forgets anything. Ever!

Last but not least there is Gemini. He is my baby. My Miracle. After my daughter died I was no supposed to be able to have any more children. Wrong. A year and 3 weeks later I had Gemini. DX'd with Severe Autism in December of 2002. I thought OMG here we go again... I was right here we went. I got this amazing kid still just with a label...again.
He is strong willed and a free thinker. Yet he does not talk, well he echoes.... Repeats what others have said. Oh well. He is very athletic for a seven year old, he is a danger to himself. He runs without thinking, takes off, climbs everything and anything and totally freaks me out daily.
He is my adventure, my life. I know this child will be with me till the day I die. He will be a mamma's boy for life. Doesn't like me leaving for a minute. If I go into the next room he is looking for me. He cracks me up all day long, says awkward things in the proper context (mostly echoing what someone else has said to him) but it is hilarious. Think of it as having a 7 yr old 18 month old. Together we will travel the world when he is finished school. When he is 18 the adventure will be us conquering the world together!

That is an overview of my boys.
More to come as days go by but that is essentially the Coles Notes version of my crew....
Autism really does live here.