Special Hot Dogs

                       Feisty Pants woke up around six thirty this morning. Not that unusual for her.  She is much more of a morning person than I ever will be.  I blame her father.  Left to his own devices, Goo would be an early riser too.  Hippie Pants and I are more "children of the night" types.  But I digress.  This isn't about what weirdos Goo and Feisty Pants are (and you cheerful early birds are, indeed, weirdos).   This about what Feisty Pants said to her father at the crack of "what the hell time is it?" and it's implications.
                       Feisty Pants woke with her usual call of "giggle...giggle. GOOOOOO..giggle giggle"  There is just something odd about people who wake up giggling.  It is not normal.  Normal people wake up saying "Crap. I'm awake. "   Feisty Pants uses cheerfulness as a way to rebel, I swear.  Anyway, so her father goes to her to get her dressed and her day started.  He asks casually, "What do want to wear?"  She answers, "Summting warm because I'm a special hot dog."  "You are a special hot dog?"  "Yes ! giggle giggle giggle..."  So they decided on PJ pants and a t-shirt.  While dressing her, he said, "So exactly HOW are you a special hot dog?"  (wait for it...)  Feisty Pants looked him dead in the eye and says, "Because I'm CHILLY!!!!!" and then laughed so hard she almost had to be suctioned.
                      I did not find this all that unusual.  Feisty Pants is a big bottle of awesome sauce with an obnoxiously cheerful, quirky sense of humor.  And she has made up jokes before.  She once told her class that her sister was adopted and she knew it because her sister was a freak .  But today was the first time I was struck by the implications of it. You see, Feisty Pants has VERY garbled speech.  And her face is not all that emotive.  Both characteristics are caused by the CP.  Sometimes, it takes her a LOOOOONNNNGGG  time to get control of her body and make it do what she wants, like gesture or sign or speak.  Again, CP.  Unfortunately, human beings don't realize how quickly we communicate.  So when she doesn't answer right away, people move on and assume she CANNOT do it or she is not in there or she simply is cognitively incapacitated.  BTW, I have noticed that the more intelligent the individual is, the more  likely they will assume Feisty Pants is not smart.  It's like they assume everyone will communicate as quickly as they can. It's so frustrating to have to explain to a seemingly well educated person, like, say, a doctor, that she is indeed in there. Especially the second time I have to do it.
                     I am reminded of a story told by the parent (whose name I cannot remember) of a son with CP who said he was told his son was not cognitively intact when the dad knew he was.  He finally took his son to a group of scientists at a college looking for a way to help him communicate.  (This was years ago before good alternative com devices were around.)  The scientists said, "How do we know he is in there?"  The father said, "Tell him a joke."    They did.  The son laughed.  The scientists helped build him a device.  So humor is absolutely a sign of intelligence. 
                    So today, my "neurologically devastated"  daughter "who will never do much"  (actual quotes from doctors who should know better) made up a corny joke to tell us.  And I feel like a million bucks.  Or a special hot dog.  And the doubters can all go suck it.