In the summer of 2001, Nate was 3 and Nick was 1. Tim was away at football camp and I was tired of being in the house with the boys. I decided to try taking them out on my own. The problem was they were too big to use the double stroller. This meant that Nate had to walk with me while I pushed Nick's stroller. Nate wandered away and did not respond when you called his name. I was determined.....
We went to the mall in Crestwood because they had a McDonald's in the food court. I got a front parking spot (a good sign) and put Nick in the stroller and had Nate in front of me with his hands on the stroller handle. We made it down the escalator....Nate was DEATHLY afraid of elevators. I put both boys in high chairs at a table close to the counter and ordered.
Crap! I forgot Nate's sippy cup. Apparently, that didn't matter. The OT at school taught him to drink out of a straw. Nate could drink out of a straw!!!!!!! We looked like a normal family with my two boys sitting at McDonald's eating their happy meals. Nate looked like a typical kid drinking out of a straw. I know that drinking out of a straw may be a nonimportant skill for some, but for me it was like a gold medal.
We got a lot of strange looks that day in the food court. There were two boys eating their happy meals, but all their mommy could do was sit and cry tears of joy.
That's when I knew the autism was not going to win.
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