"Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you."
Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss could not have said it better when it comes to our daughter Hadelynn. From the beginning we could tell that Hadee was an individual. She didn't seem to be developing at the same pace as other kids her age. She was a little girl, so sweet and loving, that seemed to be stuck in a shell. She was always a very picky eater and didn't communicate well. With her being an only child at the time we didn't have many kids to compare her with, and to be honest we were very naïve when it came to the autism spectrum.
When Hadee was two and a half I joined the Army and went away for six months of initial training. Hadee seemed to regress from the progress she made. She could not cope with the separation and would often throw extreme tantrums and would not be able to be comforted. This separation coupled with the birth of her sister didn't help her development. Returning from training we moved to Colorado where we met new friends. These friends have two children on the spectrum and the mom instantly knew from her behavior that we should talk to someone about her being on the spectrum.
Now that we know she is in fact on the Autism spectrum and is currently enrolled in an early intervention pre-school as well as a speech therapist, we finally have answers as to why our special girl is the way she is. I wouldn't change a thing about my little girl. We love her sweet spirit and are amazed at what an awesome big sister she is becoming.

devin
Colorado springs, CO