Dear Noah.......

We went to grandma and grandpa L's house on Sunday to celebrate your cousin Alex's 16th birthday.......here you are with cousin Audrey making faces with Alex sitting in the middle not sure what to think about it all!

You did very well while there.......and were very talkative with grandpa L. about toilets.

Somewhere during the day you came out and asked me "when did I first have autism?" You are becoming more aware of it all and hear others mention things from time to time. I told you that you were "officially" diagnosed with it in April 2005 but you were probably just born this way....and it was cool....no big deal...it only meant you just processed information a little different from others or might have to take a little longer to learn how to do some things or be really great and super fast at other things. I have never kept it a secret from you......but instead preferred to just keep it out in the open...acting like it was not big deal....because it IS part of who you are......which is nothing to be ashamed about or secretive or something to tuck under the covers away from others to see when they obviously would see it anyway. I don't want to deny parts of who or what you are to yourself or others.

So anyway......we had a good time Sunday.

You came out from school telling me that some kids at school during recess tried to tell you a bad cuss word was okay to use all the time.....and when I asked you what word it was.....you said they said "RETARD." I tried to explain that although NOT a CUSS word in the sense we label other cuss words.....it is one most prefer not to use as it can be used in ways that are not nice....and poke fun of others..etc. I asked if someone called YOU retard and you said no....you said they were just calling other kids that like "you are such a retard!" to other kids.....NOT you...and you were standing up trying to say that was wrong.....etc. I am thankful personally you think of certain words as cuss words because you will probably avoid using them under any circumstances. I know Sunday when we were all sitting around playing cards.....as a few family members would shout out "this sucks!" you quickly came running into the room saying "they just said a cuss word..a bad word!" and you were not sure what to do think about it.

Again I said sucked was not actually a cuss word but yes....not a word we should go around saying a lot and you should definitely not be ever using it.....or at school!

You have been enjoying this year in school.....and doing well. Your aide for the classroom came up to me after school yesterday and asked if I had ever heard you read. Of course I have......and she said she was amazed at how well you can read. She is new this year....and has not ever been around you before...so thinks you are great and you really like her. I am thankful God has put great teachers and aides in your classroom in this school.

I need to get back to work. I love you Noah!

Mommy
XOXOX