April is Autism Awareness month as well as the Month of the Military Child and I am proud to say that I have both of those causes rolled up into one of the cutest packages I have ever seen. My littlest sweet boy may be diagnosed as having Autism Spectrum Disorder, but he is just as resilient as any other neuro-typical kid I have encountered.

Over the course of this deployment it has been exciting to watch littlest sweet boy grow and change. I have found it extremely interesting to see that he didn't want to talk to our sweet soldier via video chat, but the day after our sweet soldier came home for R&R, littlest sweet boy did not want to get on the bus and go to school. He gripped the front door and cried the largest tears I had ever seen. Once I reassured him that daddy would be home when he got home from school that day he got on the bus and left.

I admit openly that I sometimes forget that he really does understand some things. The tooth fairy may not be at the top on his list of worries, but daddy really has been. It was reported to me from school that his behavior changed during R&R. He was doing what kids do sometimes and testing his boundaries.

Now that we are working through the homecoming and reintegration process, it has become interesting to see littlest sweet boy and his dad.

The two of them seem to be getting along great. Littlest sweet boy trusts his dad, as much as he did before dad left, and he is almost as obedient as any 6-year-old child.

They are both being fairly patient with the other and I couldn't ask for more!

Strength and Courage ... sby