#30facesofautism 2019 - Day 13

Day 13 – Routines.  Some of them stick out big time as a way Baby Girl brings about order to some of the chaos I know she lives in.  Others come about over time without me noticing at first but when I stop and think about it I see it. If it’s the weekend that means you will find us at our local Mexican restaurant. MezCal Cantina is Baby Girl’s favorite so if she is choosing that is where we are headed and it has been that way for years.  She loves the food, eats well and often has to have “leftovers” (which may even be a whole other meal we had to order) to take home for breakfast the next morning. Rice and black beans at 6 AM anyone? Sometimes restaurants can be overwhelming but familiarity seems to bred content in this case.  The front room is larger and open but if they are super crowded they will seat us in the private dining room in the back so she doesn’t get out of sorts from crowd and all the noise. She will actually use their bathroom – no automatic anything – YES!  It also doesn’t hurt that they dote on her.  She doesn’t even have to order anymore – they know what she wants and it is usually being placed on the table before we have even settled.  A cake and candles has suddenly appeared so they could celebrate her birthday with her.  Magically she seems to always have some toy from the machine, even when I forgot to bring quarters.  It was just the two of us tonight and I really sat and observed – she has established the routine that makes her feel comfortable here and trained the rest of us around her to meet that need.  La niña es brillante! #30facesofautism