Autism One was fantastic, and I learned so much! Steve and I are still trying to decompress from driving so many hours straight. And, Michael actually missed us, so he's a little more clingy than normal. But, for the first time ever, I got an "I love you too, Mommy!" I think I was beaming for an hour.

We've seen a lot of really great things lately. Michael has actually wanted to go back to therapeutic riding again, and is doing wonderfully. He didn't forget much, and is already back to standing in the stirrups and trotting. Even though he's a little afraid of being so high, he absolutely loves to trot. His instructor can't believe the change in him since last spring when we had to quit.

One of the reaons I haven't been around as much lately is that Steve and I have been trying to get a project off the ground. We started a web site called ASD Parent Exchange. No, our kids don't get to pick out new parents - it's a website devoted to helping parents start and grow their small businesses.

We kicked it off last month at a local autism resource fair. Even though a lot of people thought it was a great idea, we haven't gotten much interest at the web site. So, I guess I'm asking for your opinion. Would you mind taking a look at the site and letting me know if you think it's a worthwhile endeavor? We have so much on our plates I don't want to waste time, but if you think it's a great idea, we'll keep at it.

There might be hope after all!

I sat down to read Age of Autism this morning and found myself completely stunned by one of the articles. It is truly amazing that so many people with so many different views were able to come together and discuss autism treatment rationally. I can't wait to be able to watch the video! I will post a link here as soon as it's available.

What's happened to my child???

Something strange has been going on. For the last couple days, Michael has been happy and focused. Today, he's playing appropriately (for a boy) with some bouncy balls in the foyer. We're getting a full narrative of what he's doing. This is not the child we had last week.

For the last few weeks, Michael has been very touchy, emotional, aggressive. We've all been walking on eggshells to keep the peace. Getting him to school in the morning has been a major ordeal, complete with war injuries.

This morning, I had to get up early for a meeting, so I was downstairs getting ready around 6:30 or so. I didn't have to leave until 7:15. By the time my brother-in-law came to 'take over' at 7, Michael was dressed, had his morning capsulets, and was working on breakfast. Absolutely unheard of.

We got a note home from school today with lots of stars and a 'great morning' on it. Again, this is the child who just last week attacked the paraeducator because she had the audacity to try to get him to do some work. Part of today was 'testing' and he got a star for it. Truly, truly amazing.

Steve and I have spent the afternoon analyzing everything we've done this week. Could it be the couple times we've gotten Michael into the sauna and followed up with a bath? Could it be some of the HANDLE exercises we've started? Is the Enhansa working magic? Is he getting more sunlight now that it's spring? Is allergy hell finally waning?

I think that the answer is somewhere in our list of questions, and it's probably a combination of things. Whatever it is, I'm happy. Very, very happy.