A quiet house, goodnight!

So quiet here in my house tonight.  Mike and Jackson are at Nature's Classroom.  A 6th grade "rite of passage" here in Holliston.  Putting it on the calendar months ago and now it has finally come.  I'm happy that Mike is there with him.  I want this to be a fun and successful experience for him.  Tonight Mike called and said "He's doing great...he's had so many positive and wonderful interactions with kids"..."this boy asked him if he was playing GaGa after dinner and he said Yeah!"...."he volunteered to be the first waitron"..."he kept his cool when he started to get upset about his shoes getting wet" "he tried lasagna after saying he didn't like it and ate 3 helpings of it at dinner".  Phew, I thought to myself.  Well he's off to a good start.  Mike followed those comments up with "He yelled I have to poop! on the hike and the girls around him heard and turned to look at him"..."he was wound up after the butterscotch pudding at dinner and he made his unusual sounds and faces, a lot of kids just looked at him"..."he sneezed right on Teresa, he couldn't help it, but you know how he is..no sense of personal space".  Taking a side step into his Autism.  I'm sure that he is having a blast.  The kids that are with him, know him for the most part, his quirky faces and voices.  A lot tolerate him, some are intrigued and a few really just like him for him.  That is enough for me.  I hope that each and every day he spends there he learns something new, not just about nature, but about human nature.  With his dad by his side, I can't see how this won't happen.  His science teacher had Mike's ear today for about twenty minutes.  She said how Jackson has taught her so much.  She said when they assigned him to her, she was a little apprehensive.  Looking back, she reflected, she had pre-judged Jackson because she had worked with children on the Autism Spectrum before.  She said she wished she hadn't prejudged him.  She told Mike that he is an amazing kid and has made her a better teacher by being in her class.  Those are the things I long to hear.  The times when you want so badly to hear positive things because they just make the journey seem, well what word to choose here?  better?  I certainly missed doing homework with him this afternoon and calling him to dinner from the basement half a dozen times with no response, having him finally show up with enough books, papers and accessories to cover half the extended kitchen table, enough for Riley to say "Jackson you are taking up the whole space."  I missed him asking for soy milk without making eye contact and then shaking his glass at me when he wanted more, without once looking up from the latest captivating book or paper he was working on.  I missed watching him select too many shows to either record or watch.  And certainly the arguing was missing tonight too, whether it be over what show they were watching, what snack he took without asking, how close he sat next to her on the couch, the faces he made in the bathroom while she was using the toilet, her yelling for him to "turn down your birds."  All that was missing.  And as I tucked in Riley, I walked past his bedroom where I'd usually see his unclothed body climbing into his cozy bed with all his stuffed animals and his water bottle, the desk chair with the sound machine ("the birds") pulled just up to the mattress and the glowing night light in the distance, the smile on his face when he asked me to kiss Sealy and watch him faint, as well as whatever other little stuffy was next to him.  Then I didn't get to kiss his bean and tell him "right to sleep....there is xxxxx(fill in with whatever event was going on tomorrow) tomorrow, and you need your sleep!" Door open, hallway light on and I love yous as I would walk up the hallway.  So quiet without all this stuff.  I know Mike has already tucked him in, his photo of Sealy nearby and his nightlight and birds too.  His water bottle and his tush tucked into his sleeping bag.  I miss him but I know he is safe and sound and sleeping with Mike right next to him tonight!  I tucked in Riley sans all that fanfare, she doesn't require much just 4 cool packs from the freezer and a heated up warm pack.  A few choice stuffed animals nearby that I usually "talk" and a call to "fix my covers".  I took off her glasses and placed them in their polka dot case, kissed her forehead to say goodnight.  "Mom, I miss Jackson.....(long pause and a look of surprise on my face I'm sure)...oh and Dad too!"  "You miss your brother?  That is sweet" is what I say.  I miss them too, I tell her.  Goodnight my sweet daughter who really does love her brother!  Goodnight my sweet boy with his dad at Nature's Classroom.  Goodnight!