We've had a very good summer, kickin' it off with our end of the year school picnic and barbecue at Contra Loma State Park where I got to do some fishing with my Dad, and my graduation from Jr K!
We didn't catch anything, but Dad said not to worry about that. He said it was more about learning how to fish. It was my first time using one of his poles, so the whole experience was a lot of fun. Maybe next time we can try and catch some fish.
Graduation from Jr K was pretty cool. There was a whole cap and gown thing that was pretty neat. Grandma even came out to see it.
We also took Cole to the Oakland Zoo for the first time. We had a pretty good time. I love zoos and aquariums, any sort of wildlife habitat, really. I just love animals. I can't wait to go to Safari West with my school! Anyway, here's some of the pics we took at the Oakland Zoo.
Oh, I forgot about the animals! We saw all the usual suspects (my favorites!), lions, tigers, and elephants, oh yes!
There were zebras, flamingos, and a warthog!
And, of course, meer cats and giraffs.
With our summer zoo trip behind us and June fast approaching, it was time to get ready for Ethan and Caleb's return home from school and the Big Vacation...Disneyland!
Probably the biggest news of the last five years came during this summer as well (other than the news that I'd be getting a little brother of course). That news we got when we went down to the Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinic in San Jose to have my diagnosis re-evaluated. For those of you who don't remember (and I doubt many of you who actually read this blog could or would ever forget), I was diagnosed with Autism right around my second birthday at this very same clinic. Three years ago! It's been a short but long three years for everyone and we hoped, beyond hopes, that all the work we've been doing, all the sacrifices we've made, and all the dreams we've had to put on hold, were about to be justified. The medical professionals around haven't always believed in the things we've chosen to do to try and win this battle, but they've always been supportive of our decisions, regardless. That was a blessing, to be sure. So, we headed down to San Jose, had some fun at our hotel...
And then we headed over to the Clinic the next morning. It was a worrisome morning. I know my Mom and Dad have worked very hard to help me overcome a lot of the obstacles I've come up against, and while the progress I've made has seemed so very obvious to those around me, nobody was sure what the professionals would say.
After almost four hours of talking and interacting and testing of all kinds, what the psychologist said, with tears in her eyes, was that in all the years she'd been working with Autistic children, in every aspect of their therapy, from early intervention to clinical diagnosis, she has never been able to tell a family their child had improved so much, that she could no longer uphold the previous diagnosis. She had never been able to tell parents their child no longer met the criteria for a diagnosis of Autism or any of the other associated disorders. I am recovered!! The joy as we left the appointment was palpable, thick like banana yogurt. Thanks Mom and Dad, and everyone else for being so patient with me and my Mom, who probably terrified you all during these last few years.
So, what does a child look like that doesn't have Autism? Well, he looks sort of like this...
What's next? Well, Disneyland, of course.
