Reeling Them In

This is a picture of my daughter and a “friend” from preschool. He has no idea what he's dealing with.

Merry Christmas!

So I probably won't be posting for the next couple of weeks. We've got Gorgeous Wife's mom and grandma coming late tonight, and with the holiday I imagine I'm just not gonna find time for blogging.

I'm sure you're all screaming “Noooo!” at your monitors right now. Fear not; I'll tide you over with a picture with adorable kids in it:

(My son wasn't actually smiling in that picture; I cut his head out of a different picture where he was smiling and pasted it in there. Thank you, GIMP!)

Thrash Thrash Gasp!

I've fought my way to the surface to report that we've finally had our software release at work. This is one we've been working on for a long time and are glad to finally have it done. I'm looking forward to getting more time with my family.

The new house is coming together. Almost all the boxes are unpacked and things are mostly in their places now. There are still some projects to take care of, but that kind of got put on hold this weekend since we all got sick. We're all pretty much over it now, except for my son, who ended up with a double ear infection. With that and five teeth coming in simultaneously, he is thoroughly miserable.

Some long-overdue photos:

“Hello, computer.”

Smiling All the Time!

Huuh.

My 2½-year-old daughter stands in front of me, arms stretched out from her sides. “Huuh,” she says.

“Huuh” is special. A “huuh” is a hug, and it's one of the few things she actually asks for. In fact, it's one of the few things she can express verbally, because my little girl, standing there with her arms stretched out for a hug, is autistic.

We've suspected something like this for a while. We'd become increasingly concerned about her reluctance to talk, as well as other behavior, such as not responding well to her own name, some compulsive/ritualistic behavior and selectivity about food. Our pediatrician and a speech therapist have evaluated her, and have come to the consensus that she is mildly autistic. I know that the term mildly ought to be comforting, but it's hard to feel that way right now.

To some extent, I understand what she will have to deal with as she grows, having myself grown up with attention-deficit disorder. The frustration of struggling with things that come so easily to others is something to which I can definitely relate. To this day, I must take extraordinary measures to remember things like appointments or tasks, or to make sure that I don't lose things. If I am given a task, I am strongly inclined to just do it right then and there, because I know that the odds are high that I will otherwise forget it. For about a year when we moved into our new home, I had to maintain a ritual of tethering my keys and wallet to my belt until it became a habit to always put them back in my pockets instead of just leaving them in some random place. It's upsetting to see other people able to do these things with far less effort.

Fortunately, the prognosis for our daughter seems fairly good. She doesn't talk much, but she does say a few words, and she's slowly learning more. She also understands some sign language, and there are a number of common autism difficulties that are mild or absent in her. Nothing is certain at this point, but it seems that, despite some struggles, she will likely be able to live a relatively normal life, much like myself.

I look at my little girl, and I can tell there are thoughts and feelings trapped in that little head that she wants to tell me. I want to come home and have her tell me about what she ate that day, or the funny thing that Elmo did on Sesame Street, or the game that she played with Mommy. It may be some time before that happens.

But what she can tell me is, “I love you.” She stands in front of me, stretches out her arms, and says “Huuh.”

Creature Descends on Salt Lake City

SALT LAKE CITY — Reports have surfaced of an unusual creature which showed up at Intermountain Medical Center at Salt Lake City early yesterday morning. It seems to have a strange effect on the minds of those who see it: almost invariably, they begin to talk about how small or cute it is. Occasionally it has been heard to emit sounds which immediately provoke a sympathetic reaction in those who hear it. Experts from the hospital theorize that these may be mechanisms that allow the creature to survive and infiltrate a society.

It permitted itself to be examined by scientists. They found it to be male creature weighing 6 pounds 9 ounces and measuring 21 inches in length. A woman who came to the hospital complaining of abdominal pain apparently discovered the creature during her stay and decided to take care of it, as it seemed quite helpless. She and her husband intend to bring it into their home, although hospital officials have warned the couple against possible effects, such as insomnia and negative reaction from the couple's toddler.