Little Miss Independent is what we used to call Mari. She had a very big independent personality. She preferred to play by herself, watch movies by herself, just about anything by herself. I could sit there, sometimes, and just watch her playing on the floor with whatever it was she was playing with and be utterly content. That is until something didn't go the way she liked or wanted and then we heard about it. She get all upset, start to scream, and then it usually resulted in her messing … [Read more...]
H is for Hugs
For about the first five years of Mari's life she wasn't one to openly give a hug. It really wasn't her thing. We all know why. It was due to her autism. We all understood that. Then I became a customer of this wellness company and after a couple of years I started to give Mari an antioxidant that this company sells. Approximately within two weeks from the time she started to take this antioxidant Mari's started to change. She was able to concentrate for longer periods of time. She gave better … [Read more...]
G is for Gummy Bears
Mari loved her candy and especially gummy bears. She'd get a little smile on her face as she at her sweets. After she was done she be all sticky and have it all gooped in her hair. I'd have to immediately put her in the bathtub to get the stickiness all gone and make her all nice and clean again. There were so many times that after Mari had eaten something that'd you'd wonder if she actually got any of it in her mouth or not because it looked like it was all in her hair, on her face, and all … [Read more...]
F is for “Finding Nemo”
Oh, my, yes! Finding Nemo, one of Mari's very favorite movies. If we'd allow her to she'd watch it all day along with Cars, and Jonah: A Veggies Tales Movie. Her little arms would flap in excitement as she watched one of them play our before her. What I noticed about Mari is she never liked movies that had people in them, or if they did it was very small parts, like all the Disney Princess movies. She just had no interest whatsoever. However, is a movie or a TV program had animals, that was her … [Read more...]
E is for Energy
If we could have somehow found a way to bottle up Mari's energy I think it could have powered a small city. She never seemed to wear out. She rarely took a nap. Kids with autism, it's like their minds have a hard time shutting down. This is why you hear of so many who sleep two, three, maybe four hours every night. While the average person wouldn't be able to function on a regular basis this way, those with autism, their minds work differently than ours. It's like they can't ever let the minds … [Read more...]
D is for Determined
Mari was one of the most determined people I knew. While she may have had autism it didn't ever stop her when she wanted to do something. The only problem with that is her safety awareness, while she was 8 years old, was that of about a toddler. When she wanted to do something, it was amazing to see how she tried to accomplish it, of course, almost always after the fact is when I'd find out what her little determined mind decided she was going to do. One of the memories, that now brings a … [Read more...]
C is for Chewy Tube
You might be asking what a chewy tube is exactly. Well, it something my daughter needed. So many children with autism need to be orally stimulated by either sucking on things or chewing on them. If Mari didn't have one on, she'd put her shirt in her mouth and suck that. She did it to the point sometimes that she'd put holes in her shirts. So at all times she had one attached to either her shirt or her dress to take care of that need. We have one of Mari's chewy tubes attached to the pink hippo … [Read more...]
B is for “Backyardigans”
The "Backyardigans." It brings a smile to my face every time I think of them as they were one of Mari's favorite shows. As soon as the music would start she begin to dance. She might flap her arms and do a little awwwwwwww as she watched. I wonder sometimes what drew her the most. Maybe it was the vivid bright colors that each of the five characters were. Or maybe it was the fact none of them were human beings but all animals of some sort, although Uniqua, I never did find out exactly what kind … [Read more...]
A is for Adorable
What better word could describe my precious little girl than the word adorable (well, I'm sure I could find several :) )? Mari had this way about her. She'd be watching one of her favorite show whether it was Dora or the movie "Cars" where she be in front of the TV dancing around or flapping her arms in excitement at whatever was being played out before her. She'd be sitting in her high chair eat whatever meal it was at the time and all of a sudden she just start to giggle out of no where. … [Read more...]
I’m doing it again this year… A to Z Challenge
Some of you may remember that last year I participated in the A to Z challenge on website. I loved it. Each day of the challenge I dedication the posting to Mari in honor of her memory. This year I've decided to do it for both this website as well as my author website (kristenatunstall.com). My hope is you will join me again this year over the next 30 days as I make my way through the alphabet from A to Z. My hope is that you enjoy this next month as much as I will. To give you a heads up of … [Read more...]