I have a tripod with a hotlight set up for the trunk show I’ve been doing these past two days. I turn the hot light off whenever possible as it’s so bright and, well, hot. Even though the weather has turned fall-like, the sun pouring in through the windows facing south, serve to warm the place so much that I am often opening windows to let the cool air in. But every time Emma is here she turns the light back on. At first I thought she liked the warmth it generates. Then I noticed she liked to sit directly in front of it, but far enough away that the heat from the light couldn’t be felt. She was sitting in a spot light. The kind of bright theatrical lighting one sees shining on a diva singing an aria. You can tell where I’m going with this. This morning, just so there would be no mistake, Emma grabbed a toy microphone and began singing and dancing under the glare of the light.
Richard came out from the back. “Do you see what she’s doing?”
“She’s a diva.”
We watched Emma crooning away and shook our heads. That’s our little girl – drawn to the lights as only a natural born performer could and would be!
On a food side note – Emma ate three forkfuls of the meatloaf I made last night, dipped in applesauce. (My mother used to serve applesauce with meatloaf, which is how I came up with the idea.) Not only is this incredible and unprecedented, but all the more so because I steamed a head of broccoli, 7 spears of asparagus and two large carrots, then pureed them and mixed them in with the meat before putting it in the oven to bake. Last night marked the most vegetables Emma has consumed in seven years! Even though the amount she actually ate was miniscule, it was better than nothing. She also ate two pieces of rice quesadilla. Just to be perfectly clear, not two bites, two PIECES, whole wedges. I bought the rice tortillas from Trader Joe’s, spread it with grated Sheep’s milk cheese and baked it in the oven. A huge success. Then I pushed my luck by making another rice milk smoothie, which she refused, even though I thought it delicious.
For more on Emma’s journey through a childhood of autism, go to: www.Emma’sHopeBook.com
Emma's Hope Book 