There's an Aspie in the House...

(Anna's birthday cake - 3 layer chocolate with coconut frosting.)

...and she's so stinkin' cute! I have not written much lately about Anna. Part of that was because Megan needed a lot of attention this past year, and Anna had a really, really good year. Second grade was just phenomenal. Her communication skills, emotional regulation, social skills and academics all improved. Honestly, she's been a delight all year. It's amazing how far she's come. True, we have a way to go, but the ride has gone from mostly stressful to mostly pleasurable. Her personality is really shining through, and it's decidedly Aspie. And very cute.

Take, for example, her love of books. She devours them. She is especially fond of animal encyclopedias. It's like she is amassing information and storing it all away. She goes to the library, lugs home several new books and reads them all within the space of a few hours. Did I mention she's finished reading The Call of the Wild and is now reading White Fang? I can't get her interested in Nancy Drew or Pippi Longstocking, but she's all over animal books.

(The girls at the library. Anna is scanning titles for animal encyclopedias.)

Similarly, Anna is into categorizing. She'll sit down with my Herb Encyclopedia or my Green Pharmacy and write down lists of plants and herbs. She does this with animal breeds, too...horses, cats, dogs, bunnies, birds, ferrets. She seems fascinated by all the differences in similarities. Anna is also taking a keen interest in being environmentally conscientious. She wants to be an animal rescuer and save the earth. We talk about the choices we can make to take care of the earth, and she draws up lists of how she can help.

(Anna's volunteer list - how she can help save the earth. I love the "no plooting".)

I don't mind all the lists floating about the house (to be fair, I cannot complain about hers when I have scads laying around too). Sometimes they'll get lost, and she'll make more. It's all good for her fine-motor skills, and goodness knows her handwriting could use a little practice. What I do mind are all the pieces of paper, pictures, dried flower seeds and pods, rocks, sticks and every other collectible imaginable stuffed into every available nook and cranny in her room. I go in there and purge her collection on a regular basis. She does not seem to mind going out to collect more. What I do mind is a yard full of holes as Anna digs in search of pretty rocks, minerals and crystals - another one of her interests. We went to a museum the other day that had a room full of minerals and crystals and she nearly had a heart attack from excitement.

(Anna's lists threaten to take over the house.)

Like I try to get the girls involved in my baking, DH tried to get the girls involved in his science. Anna really digs what DH does and likes to know what she's looking at and how it works. She probably knows as much about x-ray diffraction as I do. The way things seem to be turning out with her apparent love for orderly systems, she may end up becoming a scientist like DH. More power to her...being a woman in science is historically rough. The sciences do tend to attract those who are deliberate, methodical and organized, so I would not be surprised if that's the direction Anna takes with a future career.

(Anna and Megan viewing electron placement, or something like that.)

Quite honestly, ages seven and now eight are turning out to be my favorite years (though months 6 - 12 were awesome too, full of belly laughs, baby drool and smiles). I really don't want to think too much about the future right now. I'm enjoying Anna in all of her 8 year old glory. I'm not ready for her to grow up yet...although I know, I don't get much of a choice in that. That was made clear last week when we realized Anna is going to need some sort of sex ed soon. Now I am the one having near heart attacks, because I thought we had at least two more years before we needed to address that! And by we, I mean me. DH has punted on this one, in classic style. He was tucking the girls into bed one day last week. Anna was having a hard time settling down to sleep - her hearing is still very sensitive and she was upset about a sound the air conditioner was making. To take her mind off it, DH asked her to think of something that makes her happy. She said "Reindeer mating!". (Oh, my head! It hurts! I don't know whether to laugh or cry!) DH asked her why that makes her happy. "Because, Dad, the reindeer make families. You know...they get close together and make babies!". All DH could manage was to tell her it was time to go to sleep and how nice it was that she can think of happy things.

So I have no choice now but to address the whole "how we make babies" issue with Anna. If she knows the animal mechanics of it (drat those nature shows and animal encyclopedias!), it's time for some sex ed. I really was hoping for another couple of years, but that luxury disappeared like a mist in the wind. Too soon we'll have to deal with the whole dating issue, and mercy - I'm really not ready for that!

(You know what makes me happy? Chocolate birthday cake.)