Minnie Mouse costume arrived!

Lonnie's Minnie Mouse costume arrived yesterday. I had the package mailed to my office since I am not home during the day. Before I went in the house, I put the "ears" on. Lonnie was busy with a video game when I walked in. She turned around to say hi, saw the ears and gasped. She immediately switched off the game and came running to me. She was so excited, she had to try the dress on right there. She wore it the rest of the evening until bath time. She insisted that while she was wearing it, she was no longer Lonnie, but "Miss Minnie".

I took some photos and this one came out the best. She wanted to wear it to school to show her friends, but I explained that she could not. I am printing out a copy of this picture for her to take and show the other children.

I have not found the shoes in her size yet, but will keep looking as she will not let the matter rest until I do. It's not that she is demanding, it's just that the Minnie doll she has, has the yellow shoes w/red bows, so she doesn't see the outfit as being complete without them. This is the "obsessive" behavior aspect of autism.

I know some people will see this purchase as an unnecessary extravagance, but really, Lonnie asks for so little. She is not caught up in the frantic acquisition of video games, clothes, etc. that most kids are these days. This outfit is the most important thing in the world to her right now, and that won't change for a long time.

Lonnie is going to be in a school production of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. I'm really looking forward to seeing it. She has only told me about one number, but she is so excited because she gets to be the "sun" while other children dance around her. I hope to get some good pictures.

I was reading a blog posted by another mother of an autistic child and she spoke of the difficulties of getting him through the night as he frequently wakes up and she has to comfort him until he goes back to sleep. Although he is a toddler of about 3 or 4, his bed is a crib with some kind of tent enclosure that is zipped closed to contain him. I was kind of shocked at this. I think if I woke up in the middle of the night all alone in an enclosure like that, it might upset me. She then spoke of getting to go back to bed with her husband. I guess to some, the sanctity of the marriage bed is inviolate, but to me, the needs of the child should have precedence.

I understand the need to protect the child from getting up and wandering around at night, but when this became a problem with Lonnie, we simply put her to sleep in our bed. When we did, she stopped getting up at night. She just needed that security of having someone close by.

It took a long time, but my husband and I were content to let Lonnie sleep with us until she was ready to sleep in her own bed. When she woke up in the night, all she had to do was reach over and touch me, and go back to sleep...much less stressful on everyone. She now sleeps happily in her own bed, with a nightlight on, knowing we are just across the hall. She still wakes up sometimes at night, but is not distressed.

Oh, by the way, I finally found the Minnie Mouse costume in Lonnie's size and have ordered it. I know it's a long way till Halloween, but at least she will have the dress in her closet.

Surprise

I realized recently that I had been fostering a false sense of security because Lonnie had never shown any interest in the internet. So much so that our computer is set up for automatic login when you click on the Internet icon. I walked in the room a couple of days ago to find Lonnie not only on the internet, she was on EBay looking for a Minnie Mouse costume for next Halloween! I had done some preliminary searching there and apparently she had been watching me.

This is another typical aspect of autism; that one cannot necessarily tell when an autistic person is aware or paying attention to their surroundings.