Tag Archives: No Filter Friday

A Bit Of Exercise!

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I know, I know!  It’s been a long time since I’ve posted a No Filter Friday!  For those of you who are new to my blog, this is the time that I love to share things that the girls have said or done that have left us red-faced, laughing, and sometimes speechless.  I have mainly shared stories of Skylar and her lack of filter here on my blog, although Hailey also lacks a filter, just to a lesser degree. In many ways it is refreshing how brutally honest the girls are, but it can be embarrassing. This is by far my favorite thing about having 2 girls on the autism spectrum.  The “lack of filter” is hilarious!  If you are new to my blog or missed previous posts, you can click here for a complete list of No Filter Friday stories.

Yesterday, we took Hailey to her gymnastics class at the Y.  We sit in this little room off to the side so that I can see Hailey and so that Skylar can see the TV.  Picture a room the size of my kitchen with about 8 adults and 15 kids in it.  That will give you an idea about how packed in there we were.

Skylar sat with a bunch of little kids most of the time watching Toy Story 2.  Not long before gymnastics was over she got up and walked over to the area in front of me that houses multiple recumbent bikes.  What a great idea to have excercise equipment so that we can workout while our kids do!  Now just to actually get on the bike instead of sit behind it, but I digress!

Skylar looked at the bike and said to me “Mom, I’m going to do a bit of excercise!”.  I responded with “That’s great honey!  Way to go!”

After a few minutes of pedaling she let out a large sigh and exclaimed very loudly:

OH MY! MY BISCUITS ARE BURNING!

I just burst out laughing and said “Your biscuits are burning? What are your biscuits?”

Skylar gave me the look that only she can give.  The look that blatantly screams You don’t have a clue!  She then said:  Mom, you know what I’m talking about!  My bum, my bottom, my behind, my butt!  You know….MY BISCUITS!

Thank you Skylar for the lesson on all the things we can call our bum!

Gotta love this girl!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Make it great!

JuJu

The Toothbrush

Posted on by under No Filter Fridays

Happy Friday!  It has been quite awhile since I have posted a No Filter Friday story. Life has been hectic, as I’m sure it has been for all of you.  Thank you for all of the sweet e-mails, messages, & text messages that have said something like “We’ve missed the No Filter Friday posts!  We need our dose of total honesty!”

For those of you who are new to my blog, this is the time that I love to share things that the girls have said or done that have left us red-faced, laughing, and sometimes speechless.  I have mainly shared stories of Skylar and her lack of filter here on my blog, although Hailey also lacks a filter, just to a lesser degree. In many ways it is refreshing how brutally honest the girls are, but it can be embarrassing. This is by far my favorite thing about having 2 girls on the autism spectrum.  The “lack of filter” is hilarious!  If you are new to my blog or missed previous posts, you can click here for a complete list of No Filter Friday stories.

Today’s story is not embarassing, but actually shows Skylar’s inability to lie.  Or maybe I should say her inability to lie well!  Many times when we ask her if she is responsible for a mess or the “mysterious” disappearance of the cookies from the pantry, we don’t even have to wait for an answer….her face gives her away immediately!

A couple of weeks ago I was sitting at the dining room table when Chris and I had the following exchange:

Chris:  Julie, do you know which one of the girls used my toothbrush?

Me:  No. What makes you think one of them used your toothbrush?

Chris:  I put it in my drawer after I used it and it is now on the counter.

Me:  Well, I doubt it was Hailey because she is such a germaphobe.  Skylar should be coming upstairs in a few minutes, just ask her.

A few minutes pass and Skylar makes her way into the bathroom where Chris and I are getting ready.  Chris picks up his toothbrush and says “Skylar, did you use my toothbrush?”

Without a moment’s hesitation Skylar responds with:

That is YOUR toothbrush??

Chris:  Well, that answers that question!

Me:  Why did you use dad’s toothbrush buddy?  Your toothbrush is right here.

Skylar:  It is such a pretty toothbrush so I decided to use it.

Chris:  Well, it’s your toothbrush now!

Skylar:  Oh good!  I like that toothbrush!

Me:  Chris, maybe if you didn’t have such a girly toothbrush this wouldn’t have been an issue!

Chris:  Whatever!  That’s what I get for living in a house full of girls!

I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend!

Make it great!

JuJu

The Accent

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Hello friends!  It’s time for another installment of No Filter Friday.  This is the time that I love to share things that the girls have said or done that have left us red-faced, laughing, and sometimes speechless.  One of my favorite parts of Skylar’s autism has been the total lack of “filter” that she possesses. In many ways it is refreshing how brutally honest she is, but it can be embarrassing.  If you are new to my blog or missed previous posts, you can click here for a complete list of No Filter Friday stories.

Today’s No Filter moment happened right after we moved to Arizona last spring. Chris teaches ROTC at a small, private university.  His office is small and upon moving here we quickly met everyone in the office.  The Colonel’s wife hosted a welcome party for Chris & another guy who arrived shortly after we did.  While we were visiting Skylar went up and started talking to Mike.

This is Mike.  Mike is Filipino, but he was born and raised in Hawaii. Mike is super nice & I must say that I truly love Mike’s wife, JoAnn.  I’m pretty sure that we were separated at birth!  Ok, so back to the story! Skylar started talking to Mike and then Mike got the funniest look on his face.  Not long after that, Mike started laughing! My first thought was “Oh boy! What did she say?”

Mike came over and told us about the following conversation.

Skylar: Hi there! I really LOVE your accent!

Mike:  Accent?  What accent is that?

Skylar (in a super sultry voice): Spanish!

(Let me just say that Mike has NO accent.  That is what makes this story even funnier.)

As you can imagine, I was super embarassed as this was our first time getting together with this group of people.  They were introduced to Skylar and her lack of filter right away!  I was so thankful that Mike was such a good sport and wasn’t offended at all.  In fact, we actually laugh about this story every time we see each other.  This past week we had a going away dinner for another couple in the detachment and while we were there I told Mike that I’d like to share this story and asked if that would be ok and if he would mind taking a picture with Skylar.  I was thrilled when he said yes!  As Skylar stood next to him, she said “I’m almost as tall as you and I’m only 13.”  Oh my!  Her thoughts continue to spill out!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Make it great!

JuJu

Something You Don’t Want To Hear On A Plane!

Posted on by under No Filter Fridays

Hello friends!  It’s time for another installment of No Filter Friday.  This is the time that I love to share things that the girls have said or done that have left us red-faced, laughing, and sometimes speechless.  One of my favorite parts of Skylar’s autism has been the total lack of “filter” that she possesses. In many ways it is refreshing how brutally honest she is, but it can be embarrassing.  If you are new to my blog or missed previous posts, you can click here for a complete list of No Filter Friday stories.

I’m going back in time, to when Skylar was in kindergarten, for today’s No Filter Friday story.  We were stationed in Dayton, Ohio and Chris had to take a class for work that was going to require him to travel.  The class was being offered in several different locations and he chose Phoenix so that the girls and I could go with him and visit my sister and her family while he was in class.

The last time Skylar had flown she was 3 1/2 and non-verbal.   Now, at the age of 6, she had been on the GFCF diet for almost 2 years and during that time we had seen an explosion in her language.  Like most parents that fly with young children we tried to keep the girls occupied on the plane as not to disturb other passengers. She didn’t talk a whole lot during the flight and seemed to be more interested in playing with the “bag of goodies” that I had packed to keep her entertained.

Shortly before landing the captain came over the speaker to announce that we would be making our initial descent into the Phoenix area.  Skylar has always been pretty straightforward in saying exactly what she is thinking.  She is very literal and if you tell her something she takes it exactly as you say it.  As we started to feel the plane descending, Chris leaned over and quietly said to her “Look out the window Skylar, we are starting to go down.”  In a louder voice than I had heard her use in a long time she yelled:

“OH NO!  WE ARE GOING DOWN!  WE ARE GOING DOWN!”

I blurted out a laugh and quickly said “Skylar, we are landing.  We are not going down.  We are landing!”  She then changed her wording and started saying, “We are landing!  We are landing!”  The people around us were totally snickering.  The guy behind us said with a laugh “Good thing we aren’t going down! I was worried!”

I believe this was when we first realized how careful we needed to be with how we worded things to Skylar.  It gave us a laugh and I’m pretty sure it got quite a few pulses racing on the plane!

Hope you all have a nice weekend!  Make it great!

JuJu

*If you missed it, yesterday I posted the story of Skylar’s regression into autism in pictures.  You can read that story here.*

What’s His Name?

Posted on by under No Filter Fridays

Hello friends!  It’s time for another installment of No Filter Friday.  This is the time that I love to share things that the girls have said or done that have left us red-faced, laughing, and sometimes speechless.  One of my favorite parts of Skylar’s autism has been the total lack of “filter” that she possess. In many ways it is refreshing how brutally honest she is, but it can be embarrassing.  If you are new to my blog or missed previous posts, you can click here for a complete list of No Filter Friday stories.

This week’s story just happened a couple of days ago.  I was waiting in the pick-up line for Skylar to get out of school on Wednesday and was chatting with my sister on my cellphone.  I smiled as I saw Skylar walking down the hill and commented to my sister that she looked like she was in a good mood.  She was walking next to a boy that I recognized from her class, but for the life of me, I can never remember his name.  I know all the kids’ names except for this one boy.

As Skylar got in the car we had this little exchange.

Me:  Hey Sky…what is the name of the boy getting in the car in front of us?

Sky:  That is Stephen. (I have changed his name for privacy purposes!)

Me:  Stephen!  That’s right.  I can’t believe I can never remember his name.  (I repeated his name several times so that I could add it to my memory bank.)

And as I was repeating his name Skylar got out of the car & yelled at Stephen:

“Hey Stephen!  Look over here!  My mom has NO idea who you are!”

And with that, my sister started laughing and said “WOW!  That was awesome!”

I simply responded with “Oh my!  The No Filter Friday stories just keep on coming!”

Poor Stephen just stood there with the most confused look on his face!

When I looked at Skylar she just had the most innocent look on her face.  Oh, to have that innocence.  I truly believe it is a blessing!

I hope you all have a great weekend!

JuJu

*If you missed my post from Wednesday about who & what is inspiring me right now, click here to read it!

*I also posted a sweet story about my experience sitting in on Skylar’s choir class on Monday.  You can read that story here.

Poor Daddy!

Posted on by under No Filter Fridays

Hello friends!  It’s time for another installment of No Filter Friday.  This is the time that I love to share things that the girls have said or done that have left us red-faced, laughing, and sometimes speechless.  One of my favorite parts of Skylar’s autism has been the total lack of “filter” that she possess. In many ways it is refreshing how brutally honest she is, but it can be embarrassing.  If you are new to my blog or missed previous posts, you can click here for a complete list of No Filter Friday stories.

Today’s post is another blast from the past.  Yesterday we had to go down to Phoenix for an appointment and since I can’t drive, (read this post to see why) Chris drove us down.  We were chatting on the way home about No Filter Friday ideas and Chris mentioned this story.  We loved remembering it and just laughed!  So today I’m going to share this funny story with you.

When Skylar was in the 1st grade, we were stationed in Dayton, Ohio.  As we were getting her ready for school one morning we had the radio on in the background. We were listening to a local Top 40’s station.  Just to give you a little information about our music preferences, Chris and I like all different kinds of music, but neither of us have ever really listened to rap music.  We just haven’t.  The extent of our rap music background is some old school DC Talk.  Because of this, our children do not have any knowledge of names of rap singers or groups.

I was in the bathroom putting on my makeup when the music stopped and the DJ came on to share various news stories. One of the stories involved the rapper, Ludacris.  The DJ wrapped up a few news issues and then said “When we come back I will be sharing a story about Ludacris”. Skylar immediately got upset.  She was teary-eyed when she came into the bathroom and the following exchange took place:

Skylar:  That lady on the radio made a poor choice.  She called dad a bad name.

Me:  What do you mean she called dad a bad name?

Skylar:  Well she said “When we come back I have a story about looney Chris”.

Chris and I started cracking up.  Skylar of course was upset that we were laughing about the DJ calling Chris a looney.  We quickly explained to her that there is a rapper named Ludacris and that the DJ was talking about him and not calling her daddy a “looney Chris”.

We still laugh about this today!  And,  just in case you don’t know the difference.  This is Ludacris:

And THIS is Looney Chris:

Hope you all have a FABULOUS weekend!

Make it a great one!

JuJu

“He is NOT Josh Groban!”

Posted on by under No Filter Fridays

Hello friends!  It’s time for another installment of No Filter Friday.  This is the time that I love to share things that the girls have said or done that have left us red-faced, laughing, and sometimes speechless.  One of my favorite parts of Skylar’s autism has been the total lack of “filter” that she possess. In many ways it is refreshing how brutally honest she is, but it can be embarrassing.  If you are new to my blog or missed previous posts, you can click here for a complete list of No Filter Friday stories.

Today’s story is a total blast from the past.  Last week I was flipping through an album when I came across this picture from when we took the girls to see Josh Groban in concert in March of 2005.

Many of you know that Skylar LOVES Josh Groban, but let me tell you how that came to be. Not long after Skylar was diagnosed, I saw a PBS concert special with Josh.  It was wonderful and the next time I was in Target I decided to pick up his CD (it was well over $20).  I remember thinking “that’s really expensive for a CD” but went ahead and bought it.  When I got home, I was thrilled to find out that it not only included the CD, but also the DVD of the concert I had just seen.

A few weeks later, the four of us made a trip to northern Virginia to visit my parents. We were stationed in Dayton, OH at the time.  About 2 days into our visit, Skylar had a complete melt-down.  She was crying and kept repeating “Want my room!”  I could not console her at all! She usually did pretty well at my parents’ house, but she was really struggling during this trip.  I remember saying “Skylar, come sit by mommy and let’s listen to this nice man sing.”  Chris quickly popped the DVD in and as the music started she sat down next to me on the couch.  She immediately started to calm down.  I was amazed that she sat and listened to song after song. After about the 4th or 5th song she said “I like him!”  And the rest, as they say, is history!

She watched that concert EVERY night before she went to bed for almost 2 years. She sang along and she mimicked Josh as he introduced guest musicians, directors, and his producer.  When anyone came to the house, she insisted they see the concert too.

So almost 2 years later when I heard that Josh would be in Louisville, KY (about 3 hours from Dayton) I knew that we HAD to take her.  I called my parents and told them about the concert.  I remember my dad saying “We are going to that concert! I will NOT miss being able to see Skylar see Josh in concert for the first time.”  I love that they drove the 8 hours from Virginia the day before and then the 3 hours with us to Louisville for the concert.

We arrived at the concert, took our seats, and anxiously waited for the concert to start.  As the lights dimmed and the music started, a guy named Chris Botti walked out on stage with his trumpet.  I had not even thought of the fact that someone would be opening for Josh as it had been years since we had been to a concert. Before I could even turn to Skylar she blurted out “He is NOT Josh Groban!”  A couple of the people sitting around us kind of giggled and I quickly explained that this man’s name was Chris and he would be playing a couple of songs before Josh would come on stage. Skylar nodded her head and sat quietly and listened.  When he finished his second song, she clapped excitedly and smiled.  Chris Botti then started talking about the next song he would be playing. The smile immediately left Skylar’s face and she screamed:

OH NO! NOT AGAIN!

I. Was. Mortified!  I couldn’t move. My face was on fire and I totally wanted to crawl under my chair.  The people all around us immediately started laughing!  It also helped that the gentleman next to us said “Honey, I’m ready for Josh too!”

I believe that this was the beginning of Skylar’s brutal honesty!  She has not stopped since!

Josh did eventually come on stage and she didn’t stop smiling the entire concert.  As each of his songs started to play she would smile, clap, squeal with excitement, and say “I LOVE this song!”  It was one of the most wonderful experiences.  As we were driving home we asked Skylar how she liked the concert and if she would ever want to see him in concert again.  I can still hear her words in my mind today:

“I loved it!  Maybe next time, I’ll get up on stage and sing with him!”

I have no doubt that Skylar will totally find a way to do just that!

Hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Make it a great one!

JuJu

The Woozies

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Hi there!  Sorry for my delay this morning in sharing my No Filter Friday post.  Our internet has been down and it is finally back up.  This has been a crazy week as I have had Hailey home sick all week.  In fact, she woke up miserable and crying the morning we were leaving Albuquerque to come home.  It was so similar to our previous trip that I literally felt like I was in the movie Groundhog Day. If you don’t know what happened last time we went home for a visit, you can read that story here.

So without further ado, it’s time for another installment of No Filter Friday.  This is the time that I love to share things that the girls have said or done that have left us red-faced, laughing, and sometimes speechless.  If you are new to my blog or missed previous posts, you can click here for a complete list of No Filter Friday stories.

Yesterday we headed down to Phoenix for Skylar’s appointment with the endocrinologist.  She was really excited to be ushered into a room that had a really nice massage chair.  She thoroughly enjoyed the massage and just giggled the entire time.  I was thrilled that I was able to capture the joy she was experiencing with my camera phone.

Both of us were thrilled to be able to meet Jenny and my youngest niece, Sam for lunch following the appointment.  It is always nice when we can coordinate a get-together.  We had lunch at TGI Friday’s and Skylar was ecstatic to get a dessert.  I laughed when the waitress set it on the table and both Jenny and I said “Wait! We need to take a picture before you take a bite!”
Skylar made some of the funniest noises as she ate.  There was no doubt that she was enjoying it.  After lunch we said our good-byes and headed back up the mountain. About half way home Skylar mentioned that she was feeling a bit “woozy”!  This is her new word and she has been using it like crazy this week. Her use of it kind of reminds me how the Smurfs overuse the word “smurfy”.
Skylar needed some more blood drawn so I told her that we were going to go ahead and stop on our way into town at the lab.  She has gotten really great about having this done.  She used to cry and wail, and that was before we had even stepped into the lab.  We got to the lab at 2:30 and it was completely empty.  I of course made a mental note that we would be coming at 2:30 for every future blood draw.  As we were waiting for the gal to get her paperwork in order and to be called back, I noticed that Skylar was lounging all over the waiting room.  She kept saying “I’m feeling really woozy!”
When the technician called us back Skylar plopped down into the chair, flung her arm onto the table and said “Can you make this quick?  I’m feeling woozy and I might fall asleep right here.”  Thankfully the technician laughed and said “I’ve been doing this a really long time, so I will be really fast!”  I must say that this was by far the quickest blood draw we have ever had.  Usually we have to reassure Skylar about a hundred times that it won’t hurt and that it will be over really quick.  This time, Skylar didn’t argue at all!
When we were finished we rounded the corner and to my surprise the waiting room had about 15 people in it.  As we were about to head out the door, Skylar belched SO loud!  I immediately said “Excuse you Skylar!  That wasn’t very appropriate was it?”  She just said “Look mom, it wasn’t my fault. It was totally the woozies!  In fact, I’m thinking the massage chair gave them to me!”
I personally think it was the dessert!
Hope you all have an enjoyable weekend!  Make it a great one!
JuJu
*I’ve been so overwhelmed by the support of my recent post…Actual Awareness: My Thoughts on the “Cryptic Facebook Statuses for Breast Cancer Awareness”! I had no idea it would strike a chord with so many.  Thank you for sharing it with your friends and family!  If you haven’t read it yet, you can read it here.

Are You The Boss?

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It’s time for another installment of No Filter Friday.  Sorry that it has been a few weeks since I’ve shared a No Filter Friday post, but the holidays got the best of me and I’ve slowly been getting back into a routine.  This is the time that I love to share things that Skylar has said or done that have left us red-faced, laughing, and sometimes speechless.  If you are new to my blog or missed previous posts, you can click here for a complete list of No Filter Friday stories.

About a month ago, Chris came home and announced that his office was having a dinner in honor of the senior cadets that were being commissioned.  I was really excited as I hadn’t been out among adults a whole lot since moving back to Arizona.  We prepared the girls for this night out several weeks in advance.  This entailed reviewing proper restaurant etiquette, properly introducing themselves to other guests, & most importantly, reminding them not to scream at each other across the table.
The day of the dinner I had stopped in to Costco to pick up a few groceries and saw their favorite sticker books in the book section.  I bought one for each of them knowing that it would keep them happy for at least an hour.  I also brought the i-Pad and headphones for Skylar in case it got too loud for her.  On our way to the dinner Chris told Skylar that he was only working half the day the following day so that he could come have lunch with her at school for her birthday.  She was so excited!  She asked “you don’t have to work the whole day?”  to which he responded “I sure don’t!  My boss is giving me the rest of the day off, just so I can come have lunch with you!”
When we arrived at the restaurant I was thrilled to see that we had an entire back section reserved for our group.  We strategically put ourselves at the end of a table so we could sneak out if necessary.  The girls did fabulous through dinner, playing with their sticker books while we waited.  It wasn’t until the very end of the night that Skylar asked to have the i-Pad.  We weren’t quite ready to go so I happily obliged.  I made my rounds chatting with everyone and I eventually ended up talking with the Colonel (Chris’ boss).  As we were chatting,  Skylar came over and took the headphones out of her ears.  She looked quizzically  at him and the following exchange happened between the three of us.
Skylar:  Sir?  Are you the boss of Embry Riddle?
Colonel: Oh no!  I’m not the boss.  I’m more of a middle management guy.
Skylar:  What? I thought you were the boss!
Me:  Sir, you are Chris’ boss and he works at Embry Riddle, so for the purpose of this conversation, we are just gonna say that you are the boss of Embry Riddle ok?
Colonel:  Oh, ok then!  Yes Skylar, I’m the boss of Embry Riddle.
Skylar:  Oh good!  Well, thank you so much for giving my dad the day off tomorrow so that he can come have lunch with me for my birthday.
Me:  (standing there so proud that Skylar so eloquently spoke to “the boss”)
Colonel:  Well you are so welcome!  Your dad works really hard and I really appreciate all that he does in the office.
At this point the Colonel continued to praise Chris while Skylar got this totally “glazed over” look and slowly slipped her earphones back in her ears and pushed play on her i-Pad.  I was absolutely horrified!
The Colonel got the funniest look on his face and said: “Wow!  I think she is totally done with me!  I said “I’m sorry sir, but I’m pretty sure you lost her right after you said ‘you are welcome'”.  He laughed and said “I think you are right, but I really wanted you to hear how much I appreciate Chris and all he does.”
I’m so thankful for friends and family that don’t get offended when Skylar says and does her silly things.  Most people comment how refreshingly honest she is.  I’m sure that all of us have been in conversations where we wish we could just put our headphones in our ears!
Have a great weekend!  Make it a great one!
JuJu

When You Grow Up!

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It’s time for another installment of No Filter Friday.  This is the time that I love to share things that Skylar has said or done that have left us red-faced, laughing, and sometimes speechless.  If you are new to my blog or missed previous posts, you can click here for a complete list of No Filter Friday stories.

Skylar has always been a fan of superheroes. Who can blame her?  Superheroes ROCK!  She loves Superman, Spiderman, Batman, & Mr. Incredible. She definitely goes through phases of what she is obsessed with and during those phases that is what she wants to talk about.  Today’s story is about one of those conversations.

A couple of months ago Skylar was sitting at the kitchen table while Chris and I were cleaning up the kitchen. The conversation started off with a simple question from Skylar:

Hey dad? What do you want to be when you grow up? (I thought it was funny that she was asking this as Chris is 39 and has been in the Air Force for over 19 years) The rest of the conversation was as follows:

Chris:  Well, I am grown up and I’m in the Air Force.  I’m not exactly sure what I want to do when I retire.

Skylar:  When you grow up do you want to be able to fly like Superman?

Chris:  No, not really.

Skylar:  Do you want to be able to run really fast?

Chris: Nope.

Skylar:  Do you want to be invisible?

Chris: Not really buddy.

Skylar:  What about smart?  You wanna be smart when you grow up?

Chris:  What?? You don’t think I’m smart now?

Skylar totally started laughing & said:

Daddy, you are so funny!  So…do you wanna be smart?

So thankful for these sweet moments that we have with Skylar!  I love her brutal honesty.

Hope all of you have a great weekend!

JuJu

*I was nominated for one of Babble’s Top Autism Spectrum Blogs.  I’m totally honored by this.  If you read my blog and you have found it helpful I would appreciate your vote.  I am currently #19.  You can click here and search for I Am JuJu, then click on the “I Like This” icon.  I believe you can only vote for one blog per computer/device. Thank you so much for your support!  I love sharing our journey with others and I truly hope that it brings hope and understanding regarding Autism.*