100 Things About Me

This was challenging - but should be good to reflect on down the track!

1. Above all else, I'm "Mummy"
2. I find it hard to ask for/accept help.
3. I'm the go-to-girl for all things computers.
4. I am the least-domesticated person I know.
5. I hate making my bed.
6. I prefer to bath, rather than shower.
7. I don't like my ears.
8. Fruit does not belong on pizza.
9. I'm a good cook.
10. I bake when I'm happy.
11. Songs often get stuck in my head for days.
12. I am a photo-addict.
13. I regularly stalk people on Facebook.
14. I never, ever download music illegally.
15. I love freshly-painted toenails.
16. I hug my pillow.
17. Sugar... Love it.
18. I once went for over 11 months without washing my hair.
19. I like the smell of air conditioning.
20. I hate dirty fingernails.
21. I can't choose a favourite colour.
22. Actually... I often have trouble making decisions.
23. I get very anxious if my phone isn't with me/charged.
24. I love naming children/pets/cars.
25. Mt Washmore/Foldmore is a landmark within our home.
26. Washing dishes isn't really my thing either, but I'm improving.
27. I don't drink coffee alone.
28. I hate sand.
29. Jenna Marbles is my Yoda.
30. My Mum is my best friend.
31. I really should wax my arms.
32. If I stand for more than half an hour or so, I start to pass out.
33. I love birthdays.
34. I don't usually like to watch movies more than once.
35. I have a terrible memory.
36. I've had the same email account for 13 years.
37. I have 3 tattoos.
38. I often pull my eyebrows out, without really thinking about it.
39. I hate creams and lotions.
40. My legs area ALWAYS itchy.
41. Once I lose interest in a task, I rarely continue with it.
42. I love to read.
43. I enjoy problem-solving.
44. I'd love to study, but doubt I have the sticktoitiveness.
45. I love the word sticktoitiveness, and wish that spellcheck didn't underline it.
46. I have a favourite spoon.
47. Teeth creep me out.
48. I love perfume that smells like lollies.
49. I'm Nanna's favourite.
50. I think accents are sexy.
51. I like to sing.
52. I can't dance.
53. I hate eating alone in public.
54. I hate confrontation.
55. I touch-type.
56. Sleeping on the couch is my guilty pleasure.
57. Sometimes when looking in a mirror, I forget to see myself.
58. I wish strawberries tasted as good as they look.
59. I love that my girls sneak into my bed most nights.
60. I'm highly strung.
61. I love fishing.
62. I hate makeup.
63. I sleep better on dark-coloured sheets.
64. I swear too much.
65. I love boxes, containers and storage in general.
66. I spend far too much time online.
67. A full pantry/fridge makes me happy.
68. Fairybread rocks my world.
69. I'm not known for returning things promptly after borrowing them.
70. Disney movies make me cry.
71. If I wear stockings, they make my feet smell like Doritos.
72. I rarely wear my hair down.
73. I'm a word nerd.
74. My car is usually full of junk.
75. I'm very fussy about separating colours when washing clothes.
76. I'm often tired.
77. I enjoy filling out paperwork.
78. I'm a reformed junk-mail addict.
79. I'm a water snob - will only drink mineral water.
80. I've never had a parking fine.
81. My first job was at a butcher.
82. I am the Google queen.
83. I hate being lied to.
84. I love all things home made.
85. I'd love to get married.
86. I played basketball for 6 years.
87. I have terrible posture.
88. Freshly mopped floors make me feel happy.
89. I like hospital food.
90. I hate crunchy towels.
91. I don't know what I'd do without baby wipes.
92. I don't dye my hair.
93. I'm quite impatient.
94. I hold a grudge.
95. I like most genres of music.
96. I talk too much when I'm nervous or excited.
97. I can be quite stingy.
98. I often forget to eat.
99. I don't know what I want to be when I grow up.
100. I over-analyse EVERYTHING.

A different kind of normal.

Three months ago, I sat down in the psychologists office with my three year old daughter – she was displaying quite a number of “red flags” and this appointment was the first step in the journey to having her diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome.

As we chatted away, Bailey crawled inside a pop-up tent. She wrapped herself in a soft fleece blanket (Bailey chose to wear her swimmers to this appointment – so the feel of the fabric on her bare skin must have been enjoyable!)

Natasha, the psychologist, took me into her office and handed me a copy of an article by Tony Attwood – “Discovering Aspie Criteria”. It put a positive spin on the current diagnostic criteria for Aspergers and was an interesting read. I appreciated this approach – after all, diagnosis or not this was still my daughter. The article drew attention to the positives of being neurologically different.

During our appointment, it was also suggested I get hold of a copy of “Aspergirls” by Rudy Simone. I flipped through Natasha’s copy, and decided to invest the $25-odd dollars on my own.

Within hours, I’d purchased and devoured this book – and the results of doing so have changed my life forever.

That day was a turning point in my life, for it was the day I discovered I have Aspergers Syndrome.

Page after page, I resonated with the words. The anecdotes were so familiar, it was as though they’d been written about my life. Everything from my preferences in clothing, to partners, to hobbies – all explained by two little letters – “AS”

Relief. The word itself doesn’t do the feeling justice. FINALLY, I felt as though I belonged.

For 26 years, I’ve struggled to relate and interact with my peers. I’ve had trouble understanding things that to others, seemed second nature.

I’d struggled with feeling overwhelmed – both by noise, smells, emotions and even physical contact.

Suddenly, it was like the missing piece of my puzzle fell into place. My struggles and confusion were validated, and I’d discovered that I was not alone, that there is nothing “wrong” with me, and that there is a reason for my feelings of inadequacy throughout my life.

On Monday, 2^nd April 2012 – Autism Awareness Day - I will again meet with Natasha. This time I will be there to receive my own diagnosis... not because I need confirmation, but because the rest of the world seems to.

In the past few months, I’ve lost count of the times I’ve been told “oh, you can’t have Aspergers, you’re so normal!”

And you know what... they’re right! I am normal!

Being diagnosed with Aspergers won’t change who I am. It won’t suddenly render me any worse off (in fact, the opposite may be true!)

I’m just a different kind of normal :)