I haven't heard.....

She has a round face with rosy cheeks that doesn't reveal her age. She reminds me of Mrs. Claus.

Her son is at the same therapy clinic as Smoochy.  They are allowed to play together periodically during their sessions.

We happened to be picking our sons up at the same yesterday and the therapists were working with the boys to get them to say good bye to each other.

Smoochy: "Good bye Boy".

Boy: "Good bye Smoochy".

Mrs. Claus-look-alike: "Hi, I'm Mrs. Claus and I figure if we're going to be here at the same time, we might as well know each other." pause....."I haven't heard him say that before".

Stopped me in my tracks. How many times have I said that?

It made me look at her and see that joy in her face as her child achieved something that she had probably been longing for and working towards for a very long time. Stated with such a casual, nonchalant statement.

When you have a child with autism, you say that stuff out loud and keep moving.  You never know when,  and if, you'll ever hear it again.  So you affirm it to anyone who will listen, hold it in your heart and hope with all hope that it'll happen again.  You hold that first time in your heart with great joy and amazement.

And you wait for the next time you'll say, "I haven't heard him say that before...."