Emily turned 18 a few weeks ago. It was an amazing birthday! It's truly mind-boggling how fast that went, her childhood flew by. I know I say that every year but this year it's especially true. As officially her "childhood" chapter is ending. She is now a young woman. She has promised me though, that I can still call her my baby.... lol. Honestly, though, I could not be more proud of her! She has accomplished so much this year. Just a few days ago she was accepted into her High school's chapter of the National Honor Society. She was invited to apply last year but just missed the cutoff. So she really buckled down since then to make it in this time around. She has a volunteer job at the largest branch library in our county. She again is a member of the Academic Challenge Club. She got straight A's this marking period, although technically she got all A's and one B+ (one of her teachers did not put in a grade & has said she would) We'll see, in my mind she got straight A's, so I don't care what her report card says...lol. She is in her HS Choir for the first time and will again be a member of the ensemble cast for her senior year's musical. This year they are putting on a musical called, "The Drowsy Chaperone". Emily is in the early stages of planning for college. She will be applying to two colleges before the 15th. She would like to go to Fairleigh Dickinson. It has the best creative writing program in NJ. We visited the campus in October and Emily LOVED it! If there was a "perfect" school for Emily, it certainly felt like FDU was it. BUT..... we all are still unsure she is ready to be on her own on campus. She has made so many strides in the last year but she does have some very minor special needs probably related to her premature birth, as well as being on the Autism Spectrum. Which generally just mean it takes Emily a little longer to be ready for some things than other kids her age. No biggie. At least in Emily's case, it seems to me anyway, that other things come easier for her too. As the theme song goes, "You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have .... The facts of Life" That's how I think of it anyway. Like all kids, she has her strengths and weaknesses. The thing about being on the Autism Spectrum is that it doesn't mean one thing, every person on the spectrum has their own journey with it. It wasn't even something we discussed much with anyone. We, along w/ Emily's pediatrician, had discussed it over the years, but it wasn't something we really thought much about. Emily was doing well in school & most important was happy in life. So aside from some "social" interaction issues. She had done PT & OT. She had always TESTED out of, and we tried our best to encourage her to be active in school to help with her social skills. She still struggles a little w/ communicating effectively but I can see lots of improvement there as well. She also lacks direction. We kind of lovingly tease her about the fact she can never remember which way to turn after coming out of places like she can't remember where we parked. We describe it as a lack of spatial awareness. She's a bit oblivious like that. Those are some of the ways her ASD presents itself. BUT.... I would not change a thing about Emily. She is kind, caring and the most joyful person. She is a wonderful just the way she is! She still has work to do, but who of us doesn't. I know I do! If a four-year college isn't in the works yet, Emily will probably attend a community college next year. Especially if she manages to get into the NJ Stars program, which is a program in NJ that allows students in the top 15% to attend a community college for free. Emily's around 16-17th% in her class. So we will see, the count senior year. We are hoping that Emily's college doesn't cost her a fortune. We can't afford to pay, and so we are hoping scholarships will really help! fingers crossed. Ok. I felt like I had to catch you up with Emily, since it's been forever since I posted...... BUT now for the exciting birthday news. We are officially golden parents right now in Emily's eyes at least...BECAUSE we got her tickets to a Geddy Lee book signing!!!! In case you are young or live under a rock, I will tell you... Geddy Lee is the lead singer of the band, RUSH! Emily has been a fan of Rush's for a long time now. It started w/ her playing "ROCKBAND" on Playstation when she was just a wee little one, and she loved singing their song," Limelight". But it has become an out and out obsession the last several years. She, unfortunately, was never able to see them perform live so this will be the next best thing!! Geddy Lee is absolutely her IDOL! She was soooo happy! We have a video of her opening the present! It rivals some of the "viral" videos of kids who open presents of trips to Disney. She is beyond EXCITED!!!
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