Cheryl from Little Bit Quirky was reluctant to start her blog, but with so much to share…we’re glad that she did!
What inspired you to start blogging?
I initially didn’t want to start blogging! I thought it would be really cool to start a website that had different kinds of message boards. I thought there would be a board for people to share all the really cool things their kids on the spectrum did and another board that would share awesome service providers–amazingly, info on providers is shockingly lacking on the internet. My husband thought a blog would be a good component of this site. My initial thought was NO WAY! The thought of writing wasn’t particularly appealing to me. But then I saw the movie “Julie and Julia” and loved the blogging component. I started my blog the day after I saw the video. Since then, I’ve had no interest in doing the boards.
What message are you trying to get across?
The main point I initially wanted to get across was that kids on the autism spectrum can be a handful, but they have some really amazing qualities too. I really wanted to celebrate my daughter’s quirkiness. While I think I’m successful in getting that point across, not every day is super-wonderful. I’ve allowed myself to also show the tough stuff I deal with also. Nevertheless, I do find myself bragging about my amazing daughter quite a bit!
When did you first realize your daughter might have autism/Asperger’s
Looking back, my daughter first started showing signs at about 9 months old when she would start to cry when things didn’t go the way she wanted. So if we were admiring birds that were hanging out on our deck, she’d cry as soon as they flew away. At the time, I didn’t think anything about that. She also had horrible tantrums when she was 2, but I still didn’t think anything was up. It wasn’t until she was about 3.5 years old that I began to suspect something was up. She wasn’t interacting with the other kids at preschool. She still had major tantrums–particularly with transitions. I had a hard time having a two-way conversation with her. There were many other things that were just “off” with her. Nevertheless, I didn’t pursue an assessment for a full year because her teachers kept telling me she was fine. I will never ignore that nagging inner voice ever again!
In what ways does she inspire you?
She inspires me in so many ways! While the autism pretty much means her brain is wired differently, it isn’t all bad. She’s really quite brilliant! She taught herself to read when she was 4. A few months later, is when the psychologist assessed her, the psychologist discovered that she was already reading at the level of an 8 year old! My daughter loves anything science-related and already knows much more about things than I ever have! She’s currently taking a Mad Science class at her school. She’s the youngest kid in the class (and one of two girls). After the second class, she told me that the teacher kept getting his solar and lunar eclipses mixed up. It was really pretty funny because she was pretty clued in that he was clueless about what he was teaching!
Another cool thing was when she was 5 years old, she took a drama class geared to children with high-functioning autism. She was one of the youngest kids in the class, and was initially given about 7 lines in the play. When we discovered that she memorized her lines after one read-through, the director kept increasing her role. She won the “most likely to memorize the phonebook” award at the end of the class. I suspect that she has a photographic memory.
But the way she inspires me most of all is that she has a strong desire to make friends. She has grown so much in the two years since her diagnosis! She has built friendships and learned to share. She has developed empathy and is sweet and caring. She’s learning to use her amazing brain by developing her imagination. Her improvement has been nothing short of amazing. She inspires me everyday!
What kinds of things do you do just for you…”me” time if you will?
This is an area I need to work on much more. I’ve really neglected myself since becoming a mom. I used to love to do all kinds of different dancing (swing, Cajun and Zydeco, and contra). Now, blogging is pretty much the only thing I do that is just for me. I really love it and find it to be very therapeutic! I’m hoping to go to my first blogging conference next summer. If I go, it will be the first time I would have spent the night away from my daughter. Considering she’ll be 7 years old then, I say it’s time I do something just for me!
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About Kat
Woo Hoo for Friday. I will be baking up a storm tomorrow 12 meals in one day for my Once a Month Cooking (OAMC). And of course I’ll be blogging about it next week. Enjoy!
Happy Friday everyone!
How awesome to see another Spring Chicken featured here
. I’m curious about the axe!
Chris
http://www.acrazykindoffaith.blogspot.com
My neurotic husband put the ax in our bedroom in case there’s ever a huge earthquake or fire, and we needed it to get out. I think that picture was taken right after he put in the bedroom, as I was making jokes about using it on him. Many quotes from “The Shining” quickly followed. Fun times!
Happy Friday Everyone! I love the FB attitude – I’m looking forward to reading more about her!
Welcome Friday and let the weekend begin
Happy Friday to all!
Oh, this is one of the first blogs I started reading when I got here, and I love it! I work with students with disabilities, and it’s such a great and fresh voice!
Afternoon all! Hope you have a great weekend.
Oh Friday! How much I adore you!!
Happy SITS Day!! Great Blog!
Checking in!
Cheryl.
A fascinating read. My sister in law has an autistic son and so I found your post really worthwhile. Yes, time to do something for you now.
Congrats on the SITS! I love all things of quick. Cheers!
Twitter: greenearthbazar
says:
Have a terrific Friday everyone!
Peace,
Michelle
Twitter: Mrsourna
says:
That first picture cracked me up!
SEVEN YEARS! WOW! I hope you have a good time at the conference. And I think your daughter is ADORABLE!
It’s never too late for roll call, right?!
What a cool lady! Sounds like her little girl is amazing as well… who says that different can’t be better?
This information was more than interesting to me…
Everyone’s different and it’s great to share different experiences. No one’s life is perfect and you have to make the most of what you’ve got. What a special Mom!
Sounds like an amazing blog. Cant wait to check it out!
Happy Weekend everyone!
Loving that family picture! Off to check out the blog!
bravo for this mama! As a teacher to many young children with special needs, I can tell you that it’s the PARENTS that can make biggest difference!
Great feature. Autistic children facinate me. I know that they can be difficult to deal with, but with their high intelligence, sometimes I wonder if they could be the next step in the evolution of the human race.
Thank you for sharing with us! I love reading all the different blogs and getting a peak into the lives of others. Thank you again!
Terrific featured blogger! Thanks for the introduction!
I’m glad she decided to write the blog even after the initial reluctance!
Your positive nature is what shines throughout your post- this is, no doubt, the biggest, most dramatic gift, you give your daughter- that and your love.
both building her self esteem, something so many children are missing right now-
gotta love a positive mom!
Twitter: RachelVoorhees
says:
Super fabulous pick for the featured blogger!!!
I truly can’t imagine what it’s like having a child w/ autism. I admire these parents!
~Mimi
Checkin in!
Love her blog!
I think she’s brave to be so open, and must be helping many others with her honesty!
Beautiful Story!!
SunieDawn
http://www.suniedawn.com
Dysfunction In the Heartland
It’s operation christmas child this week!!!
Cheryl was one of the first bloggers I ‘met’ here on SITS – congrats on your feature, you totally deserve it!
Happy Saturday!
What a great featured blogger choice!
Oops, not sure why that linked to SITS, but oh well!
Yay Cheryl!Love it when a Spring Chicken is featured
Cheryl’s daughter sounds like an amazing young lady.
i am getting caught up little by little….
Sounds like a fun blog!
Hope everyone had a good weekend! I have a fabulous giveaway going come chk it out:-)
Isn’t it incredible how our Children can inspire us?
Twitter: lifethegreenway
says:
Congrats on your SITS day! I think that your perspective on your daughter’s diagnosis is very admirable and positive. I love that you highlight her strengths and seem to view her challenges as just that- and not as deficits or “defects.” Your daughter is very blessed to have such a positive and devoted mom, like you.
I just came across this in my inbox (cleaning out!). I am thankful to read another journey with a child like this. Our oldest is yet to be fully diagnosed, but as a parent, I just know that there is something that is forcing her to struggle so with some things.