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Two weeks into this, I was watching Sponge Bob with Evan, when the most amazing thing happened. He giggled at a joke. My body went into shock. Then it happened again. I started screaming. It was such an abstract joke that I knew it meant he was no longer in a confused daze, but was growing mentally and emotionally.
Evan's therapist couldn't believe the burst of development. He was social and for the first time wanted hugs from Mama! Words can't describe the feeling of your baby wanting to be held after years of rejection.
It had been a few months since I had walked away from that cute boy. I decided to text him. I must have practiced "Hey, how are ya"? 80,000 times.
Finally, I sent, "Hey, it's Jenny. Is there still room on your sofa, or has my seat been filled"? TICK-TOCK-TICK-TOCK Finally I heard a beep-beep. "Your seat will always be here." I went over to his house. It felt so good to be back in his arms; I felt cared for.
A therapist came to her house to determine whether Evan still qualified for state-funded therapy.
"Evan," she asked, "can you tell me where this train goes? In the bowl with the airplanes, or the bowl with the animals"? Evan replied, "It goes here," and threw it in the bowl of vehicles. Then he said, "I went on an airplane. I went to Canada and saw deer and Santa. Then we went in Mama's trailer and I played with the fans and ate chips while Mama worked."
The woman slowly looked up at me and said, "What's going on"?
Now, Evan still repeats words a few times and flaps his arms, but he's no longer stuck in the world of autism. For the most part, you would never be able to pick him out of a crowd as being a little unique. He is now 5, and since he is able to completely communicate, I ask him questions I so badly wanted the answers to. When I asked him why he flapped his arms, he replied, "Because I get SO EXCITED, and then I fly just like the angels do." How can I argue with that?
Excerpted from Louder Than Words by Jenny McCarthy published by Dutton, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. © 2007 by Jenny McCarthy.
