THE PAST AND FUTURE

 When I was a little girl I always brought home injured birds, motherless squirrels, and numerous lost animals. I even caught a german speaking parakeet one summer in our backyard. My parents always let me make a little home for them out of rags or grass, and care for them, even though they knew that most of them wouldn't make it through the night. I owe alot of who I am today to my parents because they allowed me to be what I was meant to be, and that is a nurturer. People always tell me that what I am doing is such an unselfish thing but I beg to differ. Jasmine has changed me and so many people around me. I understand more of what a special needs person is, and how they are really not much different from you or me. Jasmine is a normal seven and a half year old little girl, who loves to be outside and loves to swim. She likes to ride a bike, a horse, ice skate, and sleigh ride. Jasmine loves to go for walks, and of course to go to the mall. Justin Beiber is her favorite singer, and she loves to dance and sing. She can shake her head NO when she doesn't want to do something, and she can let you know when she is saying YES! Jasmine has a Mom Mom and Pop Pop who adore her, and a Grandma that feels the same. She has thirty one cousins who all treat her like she is no different from them. She has LOTS of aunts and uncles, her nurse Miss Lee who she LOVES, and teachers and staff at school who take good care of her when she is there. Her smile could even make Mona Lisa crack a smile, and is as silly and crazy as her mother. I know she will continue to surprise and amaze us everyday with new words and more mobility. I am planning on updating her progress maybe monthly, or if something really fantastic happens, I will write sooner. I know that one day I will be blogging that Jasmine ate her first piece of pizza, and took a step all by herself. The sky is the limit with her, and if anyone can do it, she can. In Jasmine's first IEP meeting (individual education plan) her goals were simple tasks like gazing at an object for thirty seconds. Now some of her goals are to identify shapes, body parts, and to identify colors.This doesn't seem like anything spectacular, but believe me this is a major milestone. We all take for granted so many things that come natural to most of us, but for Jasmine it is a celebration every time she masters something new.  I had the privilege of raising four of my own very unique children, with lots of bumps along the way, and I am sure that it will be no different with Jasmine.  She definitely has a mind of her own and can be just as stubborn as any seven year old. I am looking forward to the future and what it holds for Jasmine and all of us.