Please come right in and make yourself at home. The Howes are always excited to have new and old friends drop by and visit. Now some of you are old friends and have been around awhile. But some of you are new and need some help understanding what we're talking about. So, let me start at the beginning.
Jonathan's first diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome came from Walter Reed Army Hospital's Child Development Center when he was about three and a half years old. I have three younger brothers, babysat many kids, worked in Church nursery's and Sunday Schools for years and had a seven year old son at the time Jonathan was born. He didn't develop naturally. He didn't smile, he didn't crawl, he didn't talk, he didn't explore things and he hated noise, activity, crowds of people and grooming. I kept mentioning this to his pediatrician, who shrugged off my concerns.
As Kindergarten loomed nearer, I feared Jonathan wouldn't do well in an all-day program which was mandated Jonathan's first year of school. I knew he needed half-day preschool program to be prepared for Kindergarten; however, he wasn't potty trained, which disqualified him for enrollment in all the programs I researched. I mentioned this to MY family doctor, a Navy doctor, who asked me a few questions, administered some simple tests and handed me a referral to the closest full facility military hospital.
Around four years old, only 18 months after he started talking, Jonathan started saying, "Just because my pickle talks doesn't make me an idiot." He said it often and I couldn't decipher what it meant. I was convinced whatever it meant, it was profound. One night, after a particularly difficult day with Jonathan's Asperger Symptoms, my husband took me out to dinner and my parents watched the kids. I asked Scott what he thought "Just because my pickle talks doesn't make me an idiot" was. Scott didn't even hesitate. "The title of the book you're going to write about raising him." Since I wasn't intending on writing a book, I was thinking more along the lines of "Words to a country song."
Now that you know how our blog got its name, let me introduce you to the family.
Here is the one and only picture you'll ever see of me. Of course, I'm standing with my husband. He's a Naval Academy graduate, a former test pilot, navigator of airplanes, ships and fleets, and now works as a consultant for the Navy. I have four reasons why I believe autism is genetic...my husband, my father-in-law, Scott's nephew and Jonathan. They all have many of the same qualities as each other which are also symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome. This brief bio on my husband is important. You'll see Jonathan did not fall far from the tree.
I'm a military brat. I've been to every corner of the United States except Maine. And I do mean corner. I was born in Alaska, lived in Hawaii, California, Virginia, Texas, etc. I've been to the Florida Keys. I've wanted to be a writer all my life. I started off thinking I'd been the next Woodward and Bernstein of "All the President's Men" fame. Investigative reporters breaking the Watergate scandal. However, I don't have the personality or drive. Now I'm a full-time SAHM and a part-time freelance writer.
This is Joshua (Josh or JD). He's my oldest from a previous relationship. He's seven years older than Jonathan. Scott adopted him when we got married. In fact, Scott didn't plan the honeymoon to begin until after we submitted all the required paperwork for his adoption of Josh. Josh got used to his last name being "Howe" long before I did. Throughout his first grade year he'd constantly say, "No, mom. You're a Howe now" as I'd sign school paperwork. As you can see, he plays soccer. He's been on the high school team every year. He's incredibly gifted in many areas of his life...looks, personality, academics, athletics, etc. If he wasn't the only 10 pound baby in NICU on New Year's day, I'd swear he wasn't my baby. Look, he doesn't even look like the rest of us.
Faith is two years and 12 days younger than Jonathan. If you were so incline, you could count back from their birthdays to our honeymoon and 2nd anniversary. The day Faith was born she was the only girl on both Scott's and my side of the families. The nurse said, "Her feet won't touch the ground until she's ten." This has been an accurate prophecy. She is the princess in the house and can get any male in the house to do her bidding. Daddy still cuts her meat and pours her ketchup. Josh still carries her when she doesn't want to walk. Jonathan checks her shoes for bugs before she puts them on.
This is Jorge, our former Spanish Exchange student. He lived with us seven months of 2009. He fit perfectly into our family. In fact, we consider him our family. So even though he's returned to Spain, the kids and I still email and talk to him via Skype on a regular basis. We used to tease both Josh and Jorge, that as long as the two of them were together and Jorge didn't talk, they both looked like they belonged with Jonathan, Faith, Scott and me. Jorge's English was excellent, but he did have the Castillian accent. (Although he'd be quick to protest because he's not from Castilla y Leon region of Spain.) Jonathan and Jorge, in particular, are especially close...probably because they are so much alike.
There you have it. You should be able to keep everyone straight now. Even though I mix them up...JOsh, JOnathan and JOrge.
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