the good news is...

After all of M's research, we started to see some big differences that were not as easily explained as a 'boy thing'! Now with our music teacher and a total stranger sharing their opinion, we needed to get into the pediatrician today, stat! Then I remember something from a few years prior, I remember clearly being in the doctors office and asked if our baby could have Autism because of this little event: Hunter was 11 mos old and was suppose to be down for his nap but we heard the little song bird so we quietly walked in his room. He was sitting there, super happy, just rocking his little body, we quickly nicknamed him Ray-Ray for Ray Charles because he was humming, swaying his head back and forth and smiling, it was adorable. The doctor said oh no, he does not have Autism and you can not diagnose a child until after they turn 3 (this was in 2000). I remember both M and I feeling relief that day at his almost 1 year check up. I also remember another funny thing around the same time where again, he was suppose to be napping and we walked in to check on him and he was standing up looking into his little fishbowl aquarium, not the tank where the pretend fish swim, but the little hole on top, like it was a TV or something, it just seemed a bit strange to me. Okay, back now to 2003, right before his 3rd B-Day we go to the pediatrician and this time, they do not say anything other than they cannot diagnose a child with Autism, that they would give us a referral to a neurologist which he did that day. It took a few weeks to get in as there was only one childrens neurologist in our area and that wait seemed to take forever. We filled out a questionnaire and sat in the room while the doctor did some tests, and asked alot of questions, some to Hunter but most to M and I. I remember us disagreeing on alot of the answers but in any case, at the end of the almost 2 hr appointment he said, "The good news is...he does not have Autism, the bad news is...he has PDD-NOS". All I heard is the GOOD news, the great news, my baby boy does not have AUTISM!!! He suggested we get him evaluated by the State of California for school purposes etc...I remember walking out of that office extremely relieved, with tons of happy tears...M, not so much.