Watch it, Watch it! December 2021

“WATCH IT, WATCH IT!”

THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER FOR AUTISTIC INTERPRETATIONS®

Welcome! I am Val. My adult daughter Jess and I live together and have a loving and fun relationship. We share our daily adventures, travels, struggles, and the strong loving village that surrounds us.

We are officially into the homestretch of 2021 and before we get too excited about vlogmas, let’s look back at November through the lens of T-H-A-N-K Y-O-U

HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED IN NOVEMBER

T is for Treats

If you have been following us for a while, you’ll know that we love food! And in November we had no shortage of food content. Whether it’s savory or sweet, we’ve got you covered! Jess did a great job ‘painting’ garlic bread. I was proud of her and proud of me for coming up with the idea for comparing it to painting. Our Thanksgiving must-haves were covered in “Cooking Sweet Potato Casserole and Green Bean Casserole“. In the sweet category, Jess tried coconut pie. Trying new foods is always reason to celebrate at our house. Ice cream in the car was also cause for celebration as that was the first time Jess independently ate an ice cream treat in the car. She did so great and I’m so proud of her. And, if you missed it, Jess and Baddaddy made cookies.

H is for Help

Asking for help is something that I struggle with and I’m so happy that we have come up with a shared cooking schedule. Hannah and BadDaddy were also a great help with getting out all of your orders for Nonnie’s cookbooks. Baddaddy made his debut as a vlogger with a grocery trip and he also hosted a Thank You Thursday. No list of help is complete without acknowledging my parents, Nonnie and Granddad. Jessica’s weekly outings with them are so important to both of us. And if you haven’t checked out November’s cooking with Nonnie episode , I highly recommend it. In short, it all really helps this mother out!

A is for And

Why ‘and’? It’s because Bragitudes are all about the ‘and’. It’s a delicate balance of gratitude and brags. Thank you to all who participated; whether you did all 30 days, or shared just one Bragitude, or encouraged someone – thank you! It was our third annual 30-day Bragitude challenge, but the first time outside of Club Crispy. We had some fun with the images and many of you asked for the app. Many of the images were edited with the help of lunapic . If you’d like a quick 30 second view of all 30 images, check out this reel.

To be clear, I pretty much always struggle with the 30 day challenges. It’s an added daily task on an already full list. At the same time though, they are called a challenges for a reason, and I do feel the Bragitude is a positive exercise for many reasons. Finding a unique brag every day takes extra brain power. They don’t come easy because many of us are not easy on ourselves. Making a habit of taking time to find something positive to say about ourselves is a good thing.

N is for Nonnie’s Cookbook

We were so happy to offer Nonnie’s Cookbook through our Good Pooch, Bad Pooch online store. Many of you have already received your copies and we love hearing about the recipes you are trying out. And, we’ve sold out! We are looking at offering an electronic version, so stay tuned for that. Our unboxing was a cute bideo. If you haven’t seen it yet, have a look and see if you don’t agree that my mama (Nonnie) is an angel.

K is for Kindness

“In a world where you can be anything, be kind”. I’d like to take a moment to address my Q&A features on YouTube. I so very much appreciate those of you who encourage me that I don’t need to explain or defend myself. And I also appreciate many of you who respond to comments.

I do generally choose to use questions as an opportunity to teach. For that reason, I encourage questions and will do my best to use our platform as not only a source of laughs, but also education and encouragement. Examples of Q&As in November are: Why do I tell Jess we are moving? , what do Jessica’s seizures look like? , and Friends, Dating, Parties? . And for those who are concerned about Jessica’s seatbelt usage, I shared the unpleasant reality of ventriculoperitoneal (vp) shunt and seatbelts.

Y is for YouTube

We’re looking forward to bringing Christmas cheer in December with our third annual Vlogmas.

For November here are some recommendations if you missed them: Who is Ginny & What Happened to Her? , Get Ready With Jess , and a fan-favorite, Mama Jo returns with Spilling Water Shenanigans.

O is for Oodles of Poodles

At Autistic Interpretations we aim to share our version of normal and that includes our oodles of poodles. We had a little health scare with Zoe, but I’m happy to report she is on the mend. We also shared Daryl’s favorite thing in the world: chasing a red dot. As I mentioned in Bragitude Day 9, Zoe and I are both grateful for another November innovation: baddaddy doggy daycare.

As you can see in this bideo, the Jessica-Zoe bond continues to grow in terms of relaxing and also hanging out in her room. The Jessica-Daryl bond is also coming along. I continue to be so proud of how Jess is growing in her confidence.

U is for the Unexpected and Unplanned

I’ve talked before about Jessica’s struggles with anxiety. In November we were tested not once, but twice with unexpected and unplanned medical appointments. Typically, we work very carefully work up to medical appointments. That could mean easing Jessica into information over a series of weeks or months. In the case of a recent unexpected neurology appointment, I was pleasantly surprised at how well Jessica handled the news. If we can maintain this level of calmness about it and have a good day out, this could change how we approach most medical appointments in the future.

Jess has been having some mild pain, discomfort, reduced range of motion turning her head, and headaches. We made an appointment to check it out and once again, Jessica impressed me with her maturity. If you missed it, check out “Shunt Complications?”

For Your Calendar

• DEC 01 – National Christmas Lights Day
• DEC 02 – National Mutt Day
• DEC 04 – Candle Day
• DEC 06 – Walt Disney Day
• DEC 08 – National Brownie Day
• DEC 12 – Gingerbread House Day
• DEC 17 – National Ugly Sweater Day
• DEC 18 – Hanukkah
• DEC 20 – Go Caroling Day
• DEC 21 – Winter Solstice
• DEC 25 – Christmas
• DEC 28 – National Chocolate Candy Day
• DEC 30 – National Bacon Day
• DEC 31 – New Year’s Eve

FAQ

DO WE HAVE A YOUTUBE CHANNEL?
WHAT DOES JESSICA SEE?
HAS JESS ALWAYS TALKED?
WHY DID WE START CLUB CRISPY?

Thanks from the bottom of our hearts for following along in our journey! We enjoy sharing our joyful life with you all, and love knowing all of the various ways our story and videos help others.

If you like what we are doing at Autistic Interpretations and would like to help us continue to make videos, please check out https://autisticinterpretations.com/join-club-crispy/.