Day 30. Year 3. Take 2.

So here I am. Ready to say goodbye to my blog again for a while. It kind of feels like a part of me. I will miss it. A lot. But I have to admit, I am looking forward to a bit more sleep and a bit more of mindless dvr'd shows in the evening. :) 

Lots of good things today. It was sunny! It was the first day of a new month! My mom drove down this afternoon (this is the second time she has driven down since my dad died... I couldn't be more proud of her)! It's her birthday today. And I was so happy to be able to spend it with her. She got to see Vicki dance (and Vicki danced SO well tonight!). She got to hang out and play spirograph with Ally. And she got Joey to give her a backrub. :) Vicki was really excited to see Grammie here... because she know that usually when Grammie is around, good food always follows! :)  We celebrated Grammie's birthday with a strawberry pie. Yummy! And I wasn't quick enough... Vicki licked the plate clean and I am OK with that.  One less dish I have to wash. Just kidding. Kind of. :) Vicki was so happy tonight. She's been very affectionate with me; She's been cradling my head between her hands, stroking my hair, oh, and smelling my hair too. I feel so loved. It is so powerful when she feels so much affection towards me.

I really hope that you have enjoyed my blog this month. I have enjoyed writing it for you. Well, if I'm being totally honest, it's for me.  It is always so therapeutic for me to write. I hope you've laughed a  little and cried a little. I hope that something, anything, that I have written has touched you in some way or another. I hope it helps you to understand Vicki's autism and our lives a little bit better. I hope that you've learned something. I really just hope it has made you think. I know it makes me think.
I want you to find something to identify with. Whether you have a child with autism or not, whether you know someone with autism or not. Whether you are a parent or not. We are all just trying to do the best with what we are given. I hope that I've balanced my whining with my pride. And my tears with my joy. I don't write for pity. Well, maybe I do. I don't write for praise. Well, maybe I do. I write because I can. I'm not good at it, but I can do it. So often, as a parent, and a parent with a child that needs just a little bit more... I feel like there is nothing left for me. My writing is for me.

So... I've been thinking about a lot of things. I have a lot of ideas. I want to continue to write. I want to continue to share. I want to continue to give you Vicki. Vicki has given me so much. And even though many of you don't know her, I hope you know her through my writing. And I hope she has given you something to hold onto too.

Because I am a day late with writing my final post for April... it is, of course, May. And May is a very exciting month for Vicki. It's her birthday month! This year her birthday falls on Mother's Day. Nothing could be a sweeter gift than that.

Anyway... I talk about how much Vicki has given me. And now I want to give something back to Vicki. And here's where YOU come in, hopefully!! It's no secret that Vicki loves food. It is such a strong connection for her to the world... to a world that is not solely autism. Food nourishes her soul. Food nourishes her mind. Food allows me access to Vicki in ways nothing else can. Today I went grocery shopping. And recently Vicki has shown me what a joy it can be. I used to despise grocery shopping. Now I look for interesting things to buy. I look forward to unpacking the bags of food with Vicki. Vicki uses her eyes, her ears, her nose, her mouth, her hands...to explore the wonderful textures and aromas. I've been trying to think of all the ways I can use this connection to food to teach Vicki about life. And I have come up with something.

Cook with me. Love, Vicki.

That's it. That's my idea.
Can you help?

I just opened a P.O. Box for Vicki.

As a project... for her birthday... and for the summer... I would LOVE it if you would send Vicki mail. In particular, I would LOVE it if you would send Vicki a recipe. Any recipe. A recipe that you love. A recipe that you think Vicki would love. Any old recipe would do. She loves to make everything. Send a recipe for a spaghetti dish. Send a recipe for a sandwich. Send a recipe for a cookie. All I ask is that there is a picture associated with the recipe. Cut one out of a magazine. Write one up on a recipe card and take a picture of it. Have your kids draw a picture of the food. Whatever. Be creative.

I decided on a P.O. Box because I want Vicki to go out and be a part of the community. I want her to be able to walk into the post office, find her box number, and open it with a key. I want her to read the words to the recipe. I want her to talk about the ingredients. I want her to enjoy the whole process. The excitement of opening a letter. Finding a wonderful recipe to make. Going to the store to get the stuff we need. And making it. Oh, yeah.. and eating it too! :) 

I want to make her a scrapbook of your love. I want to make her a scrapbook of the recipes you send. And I want you to enjoy the gift you have given her. So, I am asking... please take the time to find a recipe and send Vicki a letter. Just a stamp. And I promise you that you will get so much more in return. I am going to create a facebook page for Vicki's recipes. I will post pictures of her making and creating the recipe that you send. I will write stories of what she experiences. Because I know that in her experiences, I will find something amazing. Every time. So, please if you could... send Vicki a recipe. Share this post. And share Vicki. Because she is too damn amazing not to be shared.(at least that's what her biased mom thinks!)

Here is the address:

Cook with Me. Love, Vicki
P.O. Box 1386
Stafford, VA  22555

Thanks again for reading. And thanks again for caring. I look forward to writing again soon... and I *think* that I just created a facebook page called Cook with Me. Love, Vicki. But, I'm not sure... :)  So, please like it if I actually created it and you can find it. I'll keep working on that one... One piece of technology at a time. :) I will leave you with Vick's favorite phrase: And we're making.....   (insert type of food here.) That's all folks! Hopefully it's only the beginning...

xoxo