A different family than yours *editing

Chapter 4

September 28, 2014
Wilmer

I came to my senses today and decided to let Devonne see Demi live in concert.  I was talking to Dianna about this and she thought it was a good idea to take Devonne to a Demi concert. I also thought Dev might as well see her favorite singer and hero at least once. Also, I wanted to show Devonne her mommy at least once. But I don't want to explain the whole parental situation to her, yet. That would be hard, especially after what I told Devonne.

When deciding on the concert venue, I decided on San Diego because the Press would not be there. In Los Angeles, there would be blogs and pages reporting me there with my daughter. I could imagine the headline "Who is This Child with Wilmer Valderrama? Who is her Mother?" I would have to face every newspaper report and find a way to deter my answer. However, I did make sure we got to sit front row. Before the concert, I ordered some soundproof headphones so Devonne can handle being at a concert.

Devonne was recently diagnosed as neurodivergent at three years old. Since then, I've tried my best to accommodate her with everything. We worked on riding a bike, swimming, learning to use utensils, using full sentences, and quirks. So far I know my daughter loves Demi Lovato and will talk about her music all the time; she loves her stuffed animal Stitch from Lilo & Stitch; loves Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches; stimulates by shaking her legs with excitement, crowds affect her, and loud noises bother her. When Devonne was diagnosed it all made sense to me. The fine motor skills struggle, using her eyes to communicate, talking in fragments, and the leg and arm stimulation.

Here's one thing, I haven't told my daughter about the Demi Lovato concert yet. I can't wait to tell her this morning over breakfast and see the look on her face.

At 8 A.M., I got my day ready and prepared myself a hearty breakfast with coffee while I listened to the news on television on low. After I prepared Devonne's favorite breakfast because I know she's allergic to cereals with gluten. Around 8:30, I woke up Devonne so she could get her day started.

"Hey sleepyhead, I made breakfast. Your favorite," I said softly and knocked on her door.

"Hi, Papí, peanut butter and jelly with milk?"

"Of course!"

Devonne engulfed me in a giant hug and I reciprocated. We walked downstairs slowly and held her free hand as she held the staircase. Devonne counted each post until we made it to the main floor. Then, we walked to the kitchen table where a set out the peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a plastic cup of almond milk.

"You forgot the crust, Daddy," said Devonne picking apart the crust. I knew I forgot something.

"Oops sorry—"

"It's okay."

"We have a major surprise today!" I announced.

"We do? Can I watch Camp Rock 2 before we do that?"

"Of course."

As Dev ate, I put on the Camp Rock 2 DVD for her to enjoy. Dev sat quietly at first and listened to everything until Brand New Day played. Then she started to mumble and sing with Demi. As Camp Rock 2 continued,  Dev tried to follow Demi's "Can't Back Down" dance which made me chuckle. Then, I decided to step in and held as we did a step by step to the dance. We watched it in slow mode and learned it step by step.