Finally. I'm starting a blog. I've been told for years to do this and I finally have forced myself to do it. I'm compelled not just for my own gain, notoriety or any other reason some may start rather for my children. One day, they will be able to follow their lives lived through a different set of eyes, from a different view, through the eyes of someone who loves them more than anything in this world. Tonight, I'm sitting in a hotel room. I have a glass of Pinot noir, am watching the fourth movie in my favorite series and sitting in an adjoining room to my children, waiting for them to fall asleep. They participated in their first dance convention ever today. Being the daughter of a dance teacher, dancing from the moment I could move and now having my twins be a part of this world is an experience words cannot accurately express. Today, they attended a dance convention I attended in high school, when it began, owned by a woman I have always respected tremendously and was fortunate enough to have as a teacher of my own while living in Los Angeles. PLUS, the first teacher they had today is the wife of one of my absolute best friends of my life and is a blessing to have as a friend and sister! Today was incredible. Exhilarating. Inspiring. Exhausting. To add to all of that, my twins are both on the Autism Spectrum. All this week, I have prepared for every possible outcome, every possible obstacle that we might face. Dance conventions have loud music, lots of people, instruction coming through a speaker, dance routines taught at lightening speed, people walking in and out, people dancing all over the place ... stimuli, stimuli, stimuli. For an ASD child and parent of ASD children, this is the equivalent of walking into a cave that is on fire. You see the fire on the outside but have no idea what is possibly on the other side. You plan for everything, expect nothing. Today, my beautiful children walked into the ballroom without hesitation. The music played and they didn't flinch. The first class start d and they did their best to follow along. Did they learn each routine without mistake? No. Were they the best in the room? No. Were there tears shed? Yes. Was I possibly the proudest mom in the room? YES. The accomplishments they made today were so far above and beyond what a "typical" ASD child would have been expected to handle and my babies NAILED IT! In their own way, they were absolutely amazing! So, here I sit. I'm shedding happy tears and sobs while I write this. My children have fallen asleep in a room different to them, not in their own beds, in an unknown environment. I am so proud of them. I am completely in Love with all they are, all they have accomplished and all they will certainly be able to overcome and become. Each time I think I couldn't be more proud of them, they prove me wrong. No matter what tomorrow brings, they have already won a medal in my book
