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a poem by Miss Coco

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DEAR TO ME

I WANT TO BE

HOME

WHERE LOVE RESIDES

IN MY HEART LIES

HOME

EVERY DAY

I WANT TO STAY

HOME

UNDER THIS ROOF

ARE ALL I ADORE

HOME

HERE ILL STAY

FOREVER MORE

HOME

 

 

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Devilishly Delightful

Below is a review of the novel REDWALL, by Brian Jacques

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Coco, how did you like REDWALL?

IT WAS DEVILISHLY DELIGHTFUL

THIS CITADEL OF STONE IS SIMPLY ENCHANTING

EVERY CHARACTER HAS SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT HIM

MATHIAS IS THE LEADER

HE STEALS THE SWORD NEARLY DYING IN THE PROCESS

SAM SQUIRREL IS SILENT BUT TIRELESSLY BRILLIANT

LIKE ME

UTTER EXCITEMENT ON EVERY PAGE

I CANT WAIT FOR BOOK TWO

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For Grandma

on her birthday

I HAD A DREAM

A CARING GRANDMOTHER

DEEMED HEIR TO A MESS OF LOVE

EVER BEAUTIFUL

EVER VITAL

SOME IDEAS OF SENIORITY

INCLUDE AGIST NOTIONS OF VEINED AND TIRED CRONES

BUT NOT YOU

I HAVE THE QUEEN OF ALL GRANDMAS

 

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Ode to Sparkle and Butterscotch

imageOTHER CATS MIGHT GET PRIZES

FOR BEAUTY

RELISHING IN THEIR ACCOLADES

MY CATS GET PRIZES

FOR UNCONDITIONAL TENDER LOVE

THEY SIT ON MY LEDGE

KEEPING WATCH

FEASTING

ON OPEN FIELDS OF MICE

IN THEIR DREAMS

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Autism

SOUL SHAPING

OLDEST GIRL

OVER BABIED

RARELY HEARD

REALLY LISTENING

YOU TRIED TO STOP WONDERING

SIMPLE TASKS IMPOSSIBLE

SOMEHOW

YOU VEHEMENTLY SPOKE FOR ME

OUTSHADOWED EVERY OPPORTUNITY

SUPRISING MYSELF

LINING MY INSIDES WITH STRAW

TO PROTECT MY HEART

LOVING WITH INTENTION

RISING TO THE CHALLENGE OF MY PRISON

I PLOT MY REVENGE

AGAINST AUTISMS REIGN

MAKING MISTAKES

BUT MAKING PROGRESS

I LIVE FREE OF RESTRAINTS

MY FUTURE IS FULL OF NIRVANA

HOPE FILLS MY HEART

QUIETS THE MONSTERS

AND HEALS MY SOUL

 

 

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New Years Wishes

Happy New Year!  Coco had some wishes for the new year for family members who were here to celebrate with us last night…

to Maggie:  HAPPINESS AND ICE CREAM

to aunt Jojo:  FAIRY DREAMS

to Aunt Lili:  CANDY COATED KISSES

to Grandma:  SUGAR SWEET LOVING

 

We also made a pretty amazing discovery about our girl yesterday.  She is for sure reading text.  She takes in a whole page at once.  And I’m talking about a dense encyclopedia-type page.  She looks at it for a few seconds and then she can answer questions about the information in the text.  I guess this would explain the vocabulary.  Enjoy…

 

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A Little Q & A

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Note: this conversation took place a few weeks ago. The kids Coco mentions are Carly Fleischmann and Ido Kedar. We first learned about Carly about three years ago. We watched this clip together and Coco was mesmerized.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xMBzJleeOno

This 20/20 segment describes how Carly found her voice through typing. Her story was the first of its kind that I ever heard. Her book, Carly’s Voice, showed us that such a thing was possible. I searched for similar stories. That’s how I came across Ido’s book, Ido in Autismland. Ido is a brilliant boy who was a student of Soma Mukhopadhyay. He found his voice through RPM. Reading his descriptions of life with autism felt like learning about my daughter’s inner world for the first time.

Coco, what are you thankful for this year?

MY STENCILS

What do you want to say to Dad about him trying RPM with you?

SOMETIMES LOVE TAKES PATIENCE

Did you always know you’d find a way to communicate?

TWO OTHER KIDS DID IT

What other kids?

IDO AND CARLY

They both went to college. What do you think of that?

TERRIFIC

How does it feel to communicate?

IM LIVING LIFE TO THE FULLEST

What do you think of RPM?

IT CHANGED EVERYTHING

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Just Starting Out

For Coco’s first post, I’m looking back at what Coco has written in these first few weeks (yes weeks!) of open communication with RPM.  The first piece was written after a walk in the woods.  The second piece is a letter that Coco wrote to her family to be read aloud on Christmas Eve.  This was the first time she has ever communicated with her extended family.  It was amazing to witness. Coco said it was the BEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE.  The last piece is a poem that Coco wrote about Malala Yousafzai.  In this poem, she takes on the perspective of Malala and describes her life in exile from her beloved Pakistan.  For those who need to see it to believe it, here is a link to one of the videos we have posted to You Tube (search “rpm with mom” for more.  In this video, Coco is working on her Christmas letter:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tg5RchItQbY

 

TO WALK IN GODS LOVE

PROMISES ME A VOLUME OF THINGS

SUCH AS BLESSINGS UNTOLD

UTTER AMAZEMENT FOR POWER OF HIS TOUCH

RULING OVER MY WORLD

 

 

DEAR FAMILY,

I CAN NOW TELL YOU HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU
EVERYONE ROUN HERE
LOVES REMEMBERING PAST CHRISTMASES
BUT NOT ME
IM LOOKING PAST NOW
TO OPEN WINDOWS
MY FUTURE IS BRIGHT

I CAN WRITE TO ALL MY FAMILY TO TELL THEM
SORRY THAT MY BEHAVIOR WAS TOUGH TO HELP

TONIGHT I TELL YOU THE SECRET IVE KEPT
WHEN I SOUNDED MAD I WAS SCARED
SCARED OF LOVING YOU TOO MUCH

I CAN LAUGH AND CRY TONIGHT
LAUGHTER IS BETTER THAN CRYING
TONIGHT WE CELEBRATE TOGETHER
TONIGHT WE LAUGH

MY HOPE FOR EVERYBODY THIS CHRISTMAS
IS STOP STRESSING OVER SMALL STUFF
BECAUSE ALL THAT MATTERS IS LOVE
AND WE HAVE THAT IN SPADES

TONIGHT LETS REMEMBER JUST HOW MUCH
WE HAVE TO BE GRATEFUL FOR
AND EVEN THOUGH LIFE IS NOT WITHOUT ITS TROUBLES
IT IS STILL UTTERLY AWESOME

MY CHALICE IS FULL
MY RUDDER HAS SET A COURSE
TO SAIL INTO THE MORNING LIGHT
READY FOR THE SUN TO SHINE ON ME

TONIGHT WE REJOICE
RISING ABOVE OUR PUNY PROBLEMS
TONIGHT WE SUCCESSFULLY PUT ASIDE
WHAT SEPARATES US

TONIGHT THE SAVIOR COMES
TONIGHT OUR HOPE UNITES US
PRAY PEACE LOVE AND KINDNESS
RULE THE YEAR AHEAD

LOVE
COCO

 

 

“LEAVING”

STORIES OF ANOTHER PLACE

EFFORTLESS MEMORIES COME TO MIND

TART LEMON REMINDERS OF THE LIFE I LEFT BEHIND

PEOPLE MAY GO TO GREAT LENGTHS TO FIND THEIR WAY HOME

LONELY FOR THE PAST PEOPLE I LOVED

THE WORLD I ROAM

LOOK GREEN HILLS OF HOME FOR ME

WHEN GHOULS OF TERROR CEASE TO BE

ILL BE SLOWLY MAKING MY TRUTH KNOWN

KEEPING TRUE TO MY FAITH IN GOD

ULTERIOR MOTIVES OF ORIGINS UNKNOWN

WIPE OUT WOULD BE SCHOLARS

TURNING LITTLE GIRLS DREAMS INTO HORRORS

OF MY HOME I DREAM SOMEDAY TO RETURN

ELATED WITH PRIDE

TORCHLIGHT BLAZING

TO TELL THE WORLD THE STORY OF

ONE GIRL

ONE TEACHER

ONE BOOK

ONE PEN

 

 

 

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