Warden 4 Pack

Under the weather

2012-02-07T09:35:00.000-06:00

It has been an interesting few weeks around the Warden household. I came down with viral meningitis and was down for the count. 11 days later, I am still on the road to recovery but doing much better! I have no idea where I caught this oh so fun virus, but nonetheless I did. If that was not enough, Elise also has been fighting through a sinus infection.

I know, I know, we just had surgery to fix all of this! Well, for some reason her system is giving us a run for our money. Less than one month after surgery sister is back on a high 2 week dose of antibiotics. This is definitely not how I imagined a new month or year to start. Thankfully we have been blessed by wonderful family and friends to help. I truly believe in the power of prayer and am thankful I have been prayed upon.

Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things which include blogging, printing pictures, finishing my photo book, and of course playing with my 2 favorite kids! Man have I missed them! I haven't picked up either child in almost 2 weeks! That has never happened before. Actually I have not been sick like this in over ten years, so believe me no one in our house enjoyed Mom being laid up!

See ya soon!

The Annual IEP

2012-01-24T09:40:00.000-06:00

Last week was hubby and I's first week of classes for our Spring semester. It's off to a great start, but we can tell this is going to be another crazy busy one! This year I did not prepare for the annual IEP. Last year we still on the Autism Waiver, had a therapist coming into our home, and extra help guiding us along the way. This year all of that is gone. It's just me and the school. I feel like I can handle everything at this time, which is why I didn't ask for our case manager to attend. I usually call the shots and make the goals, but this year I wanted to see what his staff could come up with. Taking a different role (being more reserve if you will) and seeing what direction they see our son going. I was happy with the end result, thus signing it that day and getting ready for a new IEP year.

Let me say a few things first. 1) I had to take both kids to the IEP. This was a first. They both did very well considering all things. After 30 minutes of hanging out patiently, our speech therapist took G to his classroom. 2 hours after that point, we were finally done. 2) I always under estimate the amount of time these meetings take! I really counted on being done within 60-90 minutes...not two and half hours! Thankfully the kids did great. They both ate really good prior to leaving the house. Bob (the red panda) came along to keep sister company, and brother decided to take his iPad. Sister started to get squirmy the last 30 minutes but did really good.

The main reason this year's took so long (I was told) was due to the transition to a new building. This means all new staff. We have no idea which school he will attend yet, that information will be given in May. I obviously hope they figure that out sooner so the new teacher can observe Gannon now, since he is doing so well. Several things come into play on why we have to wait so long. One being the potential of all day kindergarten. Two being trying to place all of these students. Our school district has a follow rule. If there are multiple children in a family, they younger kids follow the oldest. So that is always interesting. Third thing is there are always the people that come in late. If there is a student that needs to be in a certain school for whatever reason, my son could get moved around (since he is the oldest in our family). This has happened transitioning from preK to Kindergarten. We worked with a speech path from May to July (yes she came in the summer) but in August we received a letter stating she had to move, and we were assigned a new one. Everything worked out for us just fine, because I love Gannon's speech path. They also know we are flexible parents, so it's easier to move him I think. I do have a desire to go to a certain one, but I will just have to wait and see what transpires.

In case you have never had to endure and IEP meeting, let me say they are very hard to sit through as a parent. The entire focus is how far behind your child is OR what the current levels are. It's hard to choke down, knowing what the peers levels are compared to your child. After all, that is not fun to remind yourself of. We love our son and are very in tune with his struggles and his successes. I think the hardest part for me is just seeing it in black and white ink, on a legal document. I always find myself overwhelmed. In the moment, when I contemplate crying for my son, I remind myself if they didn't show just how far behind he is, he would not be getting help. That is my main goal. I want him maximize our resources and make sure he has all the help he possibly can! It's hard to swallow but that is the truth.

IEP specs:

Next year's IEP will include a new IQ score. They re-evaluate him every 3 years. On this year's we have his preschool IQ still.

OT: Bottom line here is he is not making gains like the therapist had hoped. So the goal is unchanged. She did note his hand strength is getting better, but we still have a long way to go. Consistency is the main key for Gannon. He is notoriously inconsistent.

PT: No longer eligible. He has met his goal and has body awareness now. He still has sensory issues and the teachers and para's will continue to further him along in this area. YEAH!

APE: This stands for Assisted PE teacher. Poor brother hates, and I mean hates PE. Her report was hard to stomach. My hope is Gannon will start to accept PE just enough to tolerate it and move on. He isn't in there that long, so hopefully this will get better with age. Bottom line here is he doesn't want to interact with ANY of his peers...at all during this time. He also needs to work on catching a ball away from his body, and build muscle mass (push ups and sit ups). Will continue this next year.

There are only 7 goals this year on his IEP. They are challenging for him. All must have at least 60% accuracy, but most are 70-75%. There are 2 goals for speech, 2 for OT, 1 APT goal with 3 different benchmarks, and 2 academic goals.

One positive thing I took away from this meeting is everyone enjoys working with my son. This never gets old! When you are in a meeting with at least 8 professionals, all whom work with your child everyday, it is an honor to know they all absolutely love working with him. His regular ed teacher mentioned "he is a true joy to work with and have in my classroom. He has brought SO much to our classroom dynamic, I just wish he was in there more!" At this point I was grinning from ear to ear I think. Speech, OT, and his main teacher all said they can tell he truly enjoys school. He has matured so much over this past year. They enjoy seeing his personality come out and show preferences and attend to what they are doing! (yeah-again, I am grinning)

His academic performance was the most notable. He is showing them he does "get it". He does know his alphabet (both upper and lower case) and numbers 1-20. He prefers to show this at an object level. He also is more consistent when working on the smart board or computer. He will spontaneously take his PECS book and find someone to give the communication stick to. All in all he is doing fabulous and is really starting to blossom! I definitely look forward to next year!

Update on Little Sister

2012-01-18T05:47:00.000-06:00

Today marks day 15 of recovery for Elise. Recovering from a major surgery can be relatively short, or in our case "getting better with time". Yesterday we had her 2 week post operative appointment with the ENT. He said the cultures came back showing sister's bacteria growing in her sinuses are very common and no special antibiotics will be necessary. He also examined her and said everything looks good today, but according to her last CT scan we are not out of the woods just yet. He will monitor her over the next 9 months and then go from there. Doc said time will tell us if this surgery cured her sleep apnea, or if we need to go a step further.

We are suppose to watch sister throughout this cold and flu season. Keeping her as healthy as possible due to her body still healing. The scabs located at the back of the throat have fallen off, and now healing can begin. She has a long road ahead of her. Most people who are around us can certainly tell our little girl is not herself. We are starting to see glimpse of her, but she is still not 100%.

Things Elise has struggled with 2 things: one being her energy level. She is sleeping better, but we aren't getting solid quality sleep (with time this should improve). The other thing is her voice. She has a higher pitched voice and has hyper nasality (a very nasal sound). I asked the doctor about this, and he said this will also get better with time and should go away. He did warn that it may take several months for everything to clear up and to not worry. Again, we were advised to watch her progress and make sure she is still sounding as best as she can. Some children will require speech therapy post surgery due to damage done and the re-learning of placement of the tongue. Obviously we are hoping this doesn't become an issue for her.

As of this past Sunday, she is free of taking pain medicine. This is a huge relief to her. Every 8 hrs when it was time for a dose, she became very anxious and would tear up. When someone asks her how she is she responds "I had surgery and had to take yucky medicine! But now I have to take the bubble gum stuff and I don't like that either." Poor girl, will forever be scared I have a feeling. She has had medicine taking aversion for several years. I think it all began when she was hospitalized as a baby with severe acid reflux. She has had to take really gross tasting medicine for at least half of her life...daily. So I can't blame her too much.

As you can tell by these fun pictures, she has moments throughout the day where she is all smiles. She is starting to hang out in her play room again. I admit I love to hear her play! Being able to listen to your child talk while they play is priceless! The louder the better is the motto around here. Being able to hear her thoughts, what she is pretending and thinking about, ahh, I just LOVE it! I can't even describe the feeling it does to my heart. I pray one day my son will share a glimpse into what he thinks about. I love wanting to know what their thoughts are and how they view the world. It definitely is the little things that make my heart overfill with joy. I am so lucky to have both sides of this. It does wonders for my soul and drive for life.

Since we measured Gannon, we of course had to measure the princess! Not really, she is so not a princess. Actually she yells at me when I call her that :) Nonetheless, here are sister's stats:

42 inches - 80th percentile

39.5 pounds - 65th percentile

Just a side note: Once Elise turns 5 I will no longer give exact details to the kids' personal stats. I will give a percentile (maybe) or simply state they are healthy. This year I want to make sure I blog with respect. My kids are too young enough to fully grasp the Internet and what that entails. But i want to make sure I am not over exposing them. However, if I personally know you or you are close with our family and just have to know, I might tell you if it is OK with them. Thanks for understanding!

Gannon's stats

2012-01-16T08:03:00.000-06:00

With all of Gannon's appointments we have had plenty of opportunity to check his height and weight over the past month. I am amazed in 45 days just how much he has grown! It's no wonder the first day back to school (after the New Year) while trying to get him dressed for school, we went through several pairs of pants. I can not send brother to school with high water pants which resemble Capri pants. I am sure no one would say anything, but I just can't.

When little sister had her surgery was the first time I had been away from brother for several hours. I remember coming home and just watching him play. I told Cale that he just looks so tall and is finally growing!!! (Yes I was this excited because brother hardly grows compared to his peers). After getting sister squared away and sleeping, I quickly pulled out his stats from just before Christmas. Sure enough, brother had grown an inch.

While on Christmas break, each time we took a car ride we would hear this "Mom, Gannon's taking his shoes off again....NO NO Gannon" coming from the back seat. I figured it was just a phase he was going through and nothing more. Brother has PE on certain days of the week, in which we make sure he has running shoes on. We started out this year with four pairs of shoes for him mind you. 2 running and 2 casual. I quickly discovered the reason why. All of shoes were a bit tight to say the least. I felt bad because I had no idea and he never complains about his shoes when we first put them on. Needless to say, this is the main reason why I always have a back up pair ready. A pair of shoes (usually running) I have bought on clearance that is the next size up. For cases like this, when I don't have time to run out and buy a new pair. How does a child's feet grow this much in such a short amount of time?

I need to be honest here. I was very happy to have to buy him new clothes and shoes. For the first time in his life, he isn't wearing last years clothes. He has always gotten multiple years of wear out of his clothes. Just before Christmas I purchased this new winter coat. Actually I am sure it was Black Friday weekend because I got it at 70% off from Old Navy! Anyways, his old jacket (the orange puffy one) I purchased his last year of preschool...before his 4th birthday! Before that, he had a blue puffy coat which I bought Black Friday weekend in 2007. His shorts he wore last summer were 4T. I mean this kid has a history of not really growing out or up. For him to grow this much is just amazing! His teachers told me last May on the last day of school that kids really mature between kindergarten and first grade. I honestly didn't believe them at the time. I am pretty sure I laughed to myself thinking yeah right G never grows or changes that much! Ha! Man, am I the one who has egg on her face now.

As Gannon's body is changing physically, he is also changing emotionally. We are running into a few bumps regarding his ability to express himself and his feelings. I will do an entire post on that one! So to wrap this up, brother's current stats as of yesterday:

46 lbs - 20th percentile

47 inches tall - 30th percentile

Way to go G!

Spirit Friday

2012-01-08T07:13:00.000-06:00

Every Friday at brother's school they are to wear red shirts. In the Fall they wear them to support the football teams. Winter they wear them for wrestling and basketball. Gannon loves to watch basketball, especially our favorite team Kansas Jayhawks! With my insane schedule last semester I was not able to attend a HS football game like in previous years. I am hoping to take the kids to a college basketball game this year. I think they are both old enough and really enjoy the fun atmosphere.

Thursday nights I always tell brother he is going to wear his red shirt tomorrow for school. He gets this big grin on his face and heads right to his closet. Now he loves the color red, so I am always amazed he can pick out the correct red shirt one day a week! He easily has at least 5 short sleeved and 4 long sleeved red shirts. I guess this is another example of his intelligence. Even though he is 100% non verbal, he is comprehending. AND he is able to use that information in an appropriate way (which is key). Having the knowledge doesn't mean it is usable. I feel like brother has always had the knowledge and understanding there, but he is just know figuring out ways to recall and use that information!

Something that is funny about my favorite 7 year old is this:

Granted this is not a great picture, I'm sorry. He moves so fast especially in the morning when I took this picture. He is actually standing on tops of his toes. He does this all the time! Well technically, not all day but if I were to guess the total amount per day it would range between 20-40 times per day totalling maybe 10 minutes a day. He will walk around that way too (painful I think) for about 3-6 steps then stops. I imagine it would be very similar to me trying to walk in stiletto pumps...not happening graceful at all. He does this first thing in the morning, anytime he has been in shoes for awhile and then just random times throughout the day. I think it feels good to him, like popping your knuckles. Just a guess though!

For everytime he runs around the house, he is just as quiet and calm. He can sit and relax for long periods of time. He has his moments where he is jazzed and runs around for a solid five minutes. But he can also play quietly for forty-five minutes. He is really maturing right before my eyes. Just yesterday I was reflecting how much he has changed since August. He is growing in all areas of his life and we are very blessed to have such a wonderful child! It's such a blessing to be apart of his walk.

Day 4

2012-01-07T12:03:00.000-06:00

We are on day 4 in the healing process. Things are getting better overall. We still have a long ways to go until we are back to normal, but it's all about baby steps. For those who have not gone through this, you are in for a big surprise.

The pain is almost unbearable, lets me honest. They say the older you are when you have the surgery the worse it is. I firmly believe this to be true. She is having a much harder time then her brother did. His surgery was done at 2 and 1/2 yrs of age, not 4 and 1/2. He never had bad breath that accompanied this like sister does. She hates it. Thank goodness she is so young and not in school all day every day. I asked her last night how her mouth feels. She said "it's very scratchy, hurts, and tastes funny." Poor girl! Of course she can't have anything with milk in it, so normal stuff like pudding, ice cream, yogurt, are all out. We have tried the non dairy, gluten free Turtle Mountain brand, and she doesn't like it. I think part of the reason she doesn't like all of those things along with popsicles is because she does not like foods which are cold. The only thing she will even drink cold, is her chocolate milk (Almond milk). Water and juice must be warmed...weird I know but that is how she likes it! Her diet this week has consisted of homemade muffins, cupcakes, bread, marshmallows, and applesauce.

She has been spoiled rotten:

Getting to watch a ton of tv and play on her DS.This is definitely not the norm around here. I can tell when her pain is under control and her tummy feels good because she can be found in her play room playing (that is the norm!). She is able to play for a good hour or so before she is tuckered out and needs to snuggle or take a nap. Yesterday, Daddy was home in the afternoon, a rare treat, and she didn't have to come with me to pick up brother from school. I was gone almost an hour. When I came home I found her like this:

Bless her heart she was tired, didn't feel good, needed her medicine, and didn't have the energy to even unmake her bed. She tried to squeeze herself under the covers which were under a giant body pillow and 2 shams! I quickly took this picture and then uncovered her. I gave her a dose of pain medicine and then tucked her back into a much more comfortable position. She slept for 2 hours. I woke her up since it was after 6pm by then and told her to get up and play for a bit. She did but was back asleep within 2 hours. She loves to sleep but even this is rare behavior! I can not wait for my baby girl to get back to normal. Neither can big brother! He has been laying pretty low around her. He can sense something is wrong because when she is in pain and cries, he does too. He gets SO upset when she cries. He is a protective brother, autism or not he still knows when his sister needs him!

T & A and recovery

2012-01-04T19:37:00.000-06:00

Elise had her first major surgery. She had a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (T & A) which is considered a major surgery. Thankfully she is old enough that we can go home the same day of the surgery (different from brother). Sister was very nervous about this and hide her feelings pretty well until it was time to put on the gown. Tears started to flow and she had a little break down. I helped her find get changed and then we picked out so pretty cute toys and that was the end of the tears. We went to another holding room where the small children wait to be taken back for surgery. Here we are all smiles:

Elise is such a social butterfly. When we got to this room there was one little boy probably around 3 years of age. She played kickball with him while waiting. He was called back and within minutes a little baby girl came back. She was a new walker and was really funny. Sister hasn't been around many children between 12-15 months of age. She did very well trying to play with her too. After I told her she couldn't kick the ball, they played roll the ball together. She of course being so young lost interest fairly quick. Elise was kinda confused as to why she wouldn't want to keep playing but she didn't let it get her down. About ten minutes passed and the little girl left leaving sister without anyone to play with. She took this time to play kickball.

Grandma Kilgore came to support sister and make sure things went OK. The doctor came in and explained a few details and said he would be ready fairly quickly. About five minutes passed and the final doctors came to get sister. I was not prepared to just leave from the room. Every surgery or procedure brother had, I was in the room with him until he fell asleep with the gas. This outpatient surgery center doesn't allow parents back there, so it was hard. They said I could carry her just outside the doors and then they would take her. A team of 4 of them walked her back. I gave her a hug and prayed with her. She took her little dolphin friend and her taggie blanket and was off.

The doctor came out pretty quickly after he finished the surgery. The total time elapsed from the time she left me to when the doctor came in and said she is starting to wake up was exactly 35 minutes. He said her sinuses looked good today but took cultures anyways to see what is going on internally. Doc also said her adenoids were definitely the culprit. They were nasty and full of white masses. They were very swollen and very infected. He said the longer she sleeps the better off she is. Of course I really wanted to get in there and hold my baby girl, but that wasn't meant to be. She slept and hour and ten minutes! The nurse said it might take 30 minutes or so. After the hour mark I prayed...and prayed hard! The feelings of Gannon's surgery came flooding back and was overwhelming. I knew God was in control. After I recited several verses to myself, I became calm and collected. The waiting room was starting to get pretty empty as everyone else waiting was either going home or called back into recovery area to be with their loved one. Finally it was my turn. I eagerly walked back with the nurse to find this:

My sweet baby was definitely out of it. She is a good sleeper so I wasn't surprised to find her so drowsy. All of the nurses (four) who worked with her said she was a perfect patient. One even said to me, she is such a sweetheart. So kind and polite even in pain. Apparently she had good manners while I was away which made my heart happy. God is so faithful. He gave me strength to get through and be calm and patient. She got sick one time after trying to drink a little juice, but then felt much better. They gave her some more medicine to help calm her tummy. After 2 hours I was able to take her home! Praise God! It was such a blessing to not have an overnight stay (which I am used to). We left our house at 6:15am for 7am check in. I pulled into our garage right at noon! Sister did great all the way home, she mostly slept.

At home she continued to be a good patient in recovery! Here she is after I got back from the pharmacy with her medications:

My little one breaks the mold I tell ya. By 3pm, she was begging for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She cried every time I told her she couldn't it. I tried to explain what a clear liquid diet is, and she was nun to pleased with me. I gave in and purchased some very soft bread. I broke one piece into small bites like I did when she was under 1 years old. I also mixed in marshmallows per her request. She is a great bargain-er! She was negotiating the entire time she was awake. She finally took a nap around 5pm. Of course when she woke up, she immediately asked for nuts (sliced almonds) and circle crackers (Ritz) to which I had to decline. She then decided to steal a couple french fries of brothers. She refused the popsicles I bought along with applesauce and soup. So hopefully the non liquid diet we followed will be fine.

The hardest part for her is the inability to go to school. She knows her friends were able to go back today and she didn't get to. She also is not allowed to exercise at all for two weeks. Which means no PE, no gymnastics, and no running around on the playground. She said tonight while taking a bath, Mom I just want to be fixed so I can play like normal again? Bless her heart, she is still trying to cheer up Gannon, do all of her funny voices, and shout at the football games. We keep reminding her to be easy with her voice but she is not having it!

Hopefully she will continue to do well and things will be down hill from here. I am wondering if this is the calm before the storm though. I was told by the doctor day 3-5 can be the worst while the scabs are forming. Also to watch on days 7-10 for bleeding while the scabs are falling off. So far so good and we are praising God for seeing us through all of this.

Welcome 2012!

2012-01-01T07:50:00.003-06:00

We are not ones to go out on New Years Eve. We prefer to stay at home as a family. I tried very hard to explain to E what why this evening was so special, but failed. She was very confused but thoroughly enjoyed the idea of a celebration. She was so excited and decided to invite her friends to the party:

She was so cute and went around and asked what type of snacks her friends wanted and then made sure she didn't mix up their orders! It was pretty funny to watch. Brother wasn't in on staying up extra late since he had been up since 2am.

Cale decided to splurge and buy a cheap bottle of wine (we have never drank wine before) but immediately the smell turned me off. Instead I cracked open a bottle of Welch's sparkling grape juice! Which by the way I loved but Elise did NOT. She said it's too spicy. I sadly won't be enjoying any more bottles of this as it gave me a migraine. I haven't suffered from one in months so I am almost certain that is what triggered it.

And that was the extend of our party. Boy, do we live it up!? Here's to a great start to a wonderful year.

Goals

2011-12-31T15:55:00.003-06:00

Each year we set goals. Individual goals and family goals. I apparently didn't save my goals for 2011 on my computer because when I went to check to see how many we met...I found an empty word document....oops! SO, this year I will make sure I save it. I remember having a copy on our refrigerator but when we moved in August, something happened to it because I never uncovered it. I know there were two goals which we did not meet. They were a long shot but it never hurts to try right?

This year I want to keep things simple; more practical and realistic. I want to enjoy this year and not take anything for granted. I want to be less busy. I want to travel with the kids (I might be crazy on that one). I want to continue running. I want to hopefully get a job next school year (around August). I want to respect my husband and my children while I blog. I want to protect them as well. I want to not be consumed with "wanting" more, but be happy with what we have.

I haven't made the final copy of our goals yet. One goal for brother, is to be potty trained (day) by the start of 2nd grade. One goal for sister is to learn to manage her feelings. She struggles with this a lot and I hope we can break through this year before Kindergarten. One family goal is to move our fence. This won't be too hard, but time consuming. We want to be able to use our entire yard and have more room for the kids to play. One if my goals is to re-paint our entire house (inside). There are more and as we finalize things I will share them.

I have updated my blog a bit. I deleted several posts were brought unwanted people to my blog. I will be changing some old content to keep unwanted hits. I appreciate blogger having the "stats" tab because I can see who is coming to my blog and why. It was hard to know a handful of people landed on my blog when looking for inappropriate content I will also find a way to protect my pictures. I have found my children's pictures on complete strangers websites which really irritate me to no end! I also hope to change my writing style. I have some goals for my blog. I enjoy my small readership so much! Thank you those who come and read. I appreciate it. I don't have a ton of time now to read all the blogs like I used to. I hope one day my life will slow down, but I am guessing it won't for many years to come :)

What 2011 meant to me

2011-12-30T06:51:00.003-06:00

When I think about an entire year, all the memories good and bad, all the events, life happenings, and sit back and just remember I feel an overwhelming amount of joy. Sure this year has had it's bumps along the way, but really when traveling on the road of life when does it ever truly go our way? For our family, we have desires and set forth plans, some go accordingly and many do not. I find all of this part of life on earth. I am reminded of the many blessings my family has and millions do not.

2011 was trying. There were plenty of moments which at the time seemed horrible, weren't after all. Everything worked out as it should (I believe). Definitely not the way I desired, but that is OK. I am not in control of my own life. I can make good decisions or bad decisions, but ultimately I believe God's will is done, not mine. The more challenging life got for us in 2011, there was more love and grace to be found. I pulled back my blinders (over my eyes) and was happy with whatever happened (or didn't happen).

Losing family members, burying children, friends who don't make the best decision which then have a life altering plan, are all terrible things. Of course I wish life didn't include pain and suffering. That wouldn't be life. You can't have the good without the bad. Anytime I am wanting to give up, it never failed (especially this year) God reminded me of his promise. I can specifically remember 4 times this year where things were stressful and I kept saying "I can't continue on like this". But within minutes of me breaking down or having less then positive thoughts, God's love covered me. I had peace in my future. I was calmed. He broke up the clouds and sent a rainbow. I have a picture on my cell phone of one in particular where there was a double rainbow. You know those moments, where nothing is going right. You want to say to yourself "really what else can go wrong because I can't take it anymore". Every since my Grandma passed away, rainbows are even more special to me. I always look around and think of all the good in my life. I definitely have more in my life that what I need. The storm comes but thankfully it blows over, and those special times when a rainbow appears in the sky is just so amazing. I remember a storm earlier in the year which was pretty bad. Many homes were damaged, but after sometime it stopped. I walked outside and saw the brightest rainbow to my right (West) that I have ever seen and to my left (East) was a double rainbow. I still remember there were leaves blanketing my lawn, and yet the air was calm. I remember this specifically because it was the first storm where sister was scared. I took the moment to pray and thank God for keeping us safe and sending us a visual reminder of his love.

2011 had many firsts. We took our first overnight trip to a hotel with both kids and it was a complete success. I was able to spend time with all of my extended family in New Mexico for a couple of days. Our son started first grade, which meant all day school. Our daughter started preschool which meant she would be gone 3 days a week for 3 hours at a time. We moved into a new home which is almost our dream home. Nothing over the top, but as close to "out in the country" I can get right now. I took up running, deciding to enter into a half marathon. I rushed my training time but made it with flying colors and have a shiny gold medal. All four of us entered a run/walk in honor of special needs children, especially G. I completed 2 races (at least) in September, October, and November. My husband took up running as well and entered into races. He also complete his first Warrior Dash.

2011 has made me humble. I am thankful God changed my heart, He has forced me to focus on what is really important in life. Everything else I desire, is not a necessity but a want. I am content. I am blessed. I am forever grateful.

Here's to another year! None of us know what will happen this upcoming year. I hope even in the dark stormy moments of life, we can rejoice. Happy New Years and welcome 2012!

A special gift

2011-12-28T06:09:00.000-06:00

On sister's final day of school this year she came home with a special gift. On the bag it said: Mommy and Daddy. She also said we could not open it early, we had to wait til December 25th! E was my special helper on Christmas morning. She couldn't wait to pass the gifts out to everyone and she was especially excited to have Daddy unwrap a gift she gave to us. Inside the little bag was this:

She was so proud of herself for making the gift for us and decorating it all by herself. On the back she wrote her name and age on it. This is a true keepsake! Thank you sweet girl for making such a wonderful gift.

Overly blessed

2011-12-27T07:09:00.003-06:00

This Christmas was the first one where both were very excited. I made several social (type) stories for brother to help him understand why this week was so special. We also watched several Christmas shows and movies to help bring home the concepts. Here both kids wanted to get the chimney ready for Santa:

They both were beyond excited, complete with running around the entire house like wild children. I was able to calm them down enough to read a few stories about the true meaning of Christmas just before bedtime. I wanted to keep our same schedule even though we were on Christmas break. So bedtime around here is 7-7:30pm. Both kids on Christmas Eve were asleep by 8pm. It was pretty cute to see them both curled up together. Because we go to bed so early, that usually means we get up very early. Christmas morning was no different, one kid was up by 5am and the other by 5:10am. I told them we couldn't leave the bedroom until 6am though. I tried to dose back to sleep but that didn't happen. Meanwhile the kids' passed time by playing the DS. I was asked "is it time to get up yet?" at least 30 times in that hour, no joke! Man were they ready to get out and celebrate! So I told the kids to go wake up Daddy and we could begin. E ran to our Christmas tree and said can we open our presents now? I made them both a plate of breakfast and the morning juice. About 20 minutes after waking up they were ready to go downstairs to see if Santa came to our house!

E peaked her head around the corner and just screamed and pointed in disbelief! It was priceless. Santa brought E a scooter and a giant lion named Simba. I caught her staring off in a gaze just taking it all in:

Brother received a plasma car from Santa. He wasn't too sure what to do with it at first but it didn't take long for him to figure it out:

We opened gifts around 9am once Grandma arrived. We let brother go first because he doesn't enjoy opening gifts. Waiting is also very hard, so we figured the less he had to do on a very exciting day the better. Here is brother with his Gold gift:

Next up was sister. She torn into the presents like there was no tomorrow! It was fun to watch her because she is still very particular about making sure every piece of tape is off the gift! Gotta love attention to detail right? Here we are both laughing because she knows what is inside and can't unwrap the rest of it fast enough:

Sister's Gold gift was:

Per her request, she really wanted the BIG Buzz Lightyear action figure. I admit, she has good taste! She couldn't believe she got it and kept saying thank you thank you over and over and over! It was heart warming to watch her face light up. We were definitely overly blessed this year. The kid's were very excited about all of their Wise Men gifts this year and look forward to doing this every year (according to E).

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-26T07:40:00.003-06:00

This Christmas Eve we spent in our new to us home, just the four of us. Cale had to work this Christmas Eve, so we were not able to go to our usual church service at 533pm. Thankfully many of the congregation showed and interest in a noon service, the first ever for our church. We chose that service to attend and we very blessed. Sister goes to the a special class for her age, usually it's a typical Sunday School class but it was a little different today. While brother, Daddy, and I all attend big church. We like to attend Saturday night service because it is more family friendly, especially with brother. We have our usual spot up near the top of the balcony. People usually sit in the same spot, so they are used to G and his squeaks and sounds he makes during service. They also aren't shocked when he lets out a scream here or there. (Hence why we go Sat night and not Sunday morning).

I also love that our church gets at least 3,000 visitors each weekend. But our specific service has well under a 300 people who attend. We have tried to attend a more typical Sunday service, and it is just short of a disaster. People are very put off by brother and his uniqueness (to put that politely) and his love for the Ipad during prayer or the all important message. Between the constant stares, the sighs, or the glares, we have found our place, our service which fits us best. I am always blessed by going. It does my soul wonders to walk into our worship center and here "Welcome G" or "it's so good to see you guys tonight". Brother is very familiar with our routine and he knows exactly where to sit. He does really well honestly during the entire time. Sometimes we leave the worship center and finish the message on the couch in the foyer, but more times than not he is able to stay the entire time. Our service is extra long too compared to Sunday. For brother to sit still, be quiet for over an hour and half, is not easy but he always surprises me how well he can do.

On this year Christmas Eve service was right at one hour. We ate an early lunch (we never go when there is a chance someone will be hungry) and we on our way. Sister has been talking non stop about Jesus's upcoming birthday. She has also been reciting one of our books called Christmas in the Manger. Complete with asking, I wonder what my 3 gifts will be tomorrow :)

She is such a funny girl and definitely has her Daddy's memory! One family tradition Cale's family has is opening all gifts on Christmas Eve. None of his family was here to celebrate with us, but they did send gifts. So to keep this tradition alive, we had the kids open all their "Daddy's side presents". Papa Neil and his lovely wife sent the kids money this year (they live in Texas). So we knew one thing that would be true Warden fashion, and help both kids play together and share:

They both LOVE this train table! Win for everyone. When we told them this is what they bought the kids, and they saw their faces (via pictures sent to them) their hearts melted! Even though they couldn't be here with us, they were in spirit! E kept saying I can't wait for Papa Neil to come so I can give him a great BIG hug!

Christmas Day we will open all the remaining gifts. Both kids helped me bake Santa some special brownies for his midnight snack. They are super excited to see what tomorrow will bring!

Starting a new tradition

2011-12-23T07:35:00.003-06:00

After doing much research online and praying we have came to the conclusion we would like to start a new tradition for our two children. Christmastime is very important being a Christian and wanting to raise our children to know who Jesus is. I asked our daughter why we celebrate Christmas and open gifts. She quickly shouted because it's Jesus' birthday! She is very excited this year, as she is starting to figure out this whole Santa giving presents thing. Then it hit me. Is she more excited about a man coming down our chimney and giving her a present or the fact Jesus was born and thus saved the world? I certainly don't want the first thing to trump this time of year. I have considered doing this years before but I guess I didn't feel it was the right time. I have talked to Daddy about this several times and we have decided to do implement it. We are going to be giving gifts of Wise Men. If Jesus only needed 3, by golly my kids certainly don't need more than 3!

Depending on your beliefs and where you go to read an article you will find differences on what those 3 gifts mean. So to keep things my own this is what we are doing:

There were 3 wise men who brought gifts to Jesus. The first gift was gold. During that time I believe gold represented Royalty. Jesus is King after all. The second gift was frankincense. An incense used back then but also has a spiritual component, signifying our need to pray. The third gift was myrrh. The ultimate gift he gave us, death on the cross. His suffering, his purpose to die for our sins.

I am going to relate it our children this way:

The Gold gift: the most wanted gift or the "big" gift. Example would be Ipad, Ipod touch, bike, whatever they asked for in a reasonable fashion.

The Frankincense gift: a spiritual type gift. Examples would be a children's bible, board book (for G) of Jesus, a praise and worship CD, some type of devotional..

The Myrrh gift: the "need" gift. Example might be clothes, tennis shoes, boots, coat, something they need to protect their body.

The only think Daddy hesitated on is if the kids know they are only getting 3 gifts, it takes the fun out of opening gifts on Christmas day. Meaning if they asked for one gift in each category there won't be any surprises. Here is my way around it. The kids will still get gifts from other family members, such as Grandma's and Grandpa's, aunt's and uncles. So there is one way for us to keep the focus on Christ during such an fun and busy holiday.

We sat down both kids and explained what Wise Men gifts are and why we are doing this. For brother I used boardmaker PECS and then found some google images online to help tell the story. He seems pretty receptive to it. We have several board books about the real reason of Christmas and I used those as reinforcements. E is very excited to celebrate the birth of Jesus. She is also very excited about Santa Claus. I will refrain from getting into that debate. Just leave it as this: Santa does have a time and a place. We focus on Jesus, praying, and our faith everyday. So I feel as long as my kids wish to believe in a man in a red suit, then so be it. Neither child has ever gone and sat on Santa's lap. They have not ever expressed the desire to do so, and I am not going to force it. Both Daddy and I don't feed into the myths which surround Santa. We have found a good balance and hopefully that will continue for many years!

During bedtime prayers last night, sister was so sweet. She is still a bit too young to grasp the entire concept of Jesus. She was very excited and said she can't wait to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and give him a present!. We sometimes need to remind her that he is in heaven. After we prayed together, we talked again about the Wise Men gifts. She remembered everything and is very excited to get 3 presents just like Jesus. I am very thankful and blessed they both were receptive to this new idea. Starting this tradition when they are relatively young is probably the best way to go!

Nativity post

2011-12-22T06:33:00.001-06:00

I have been on a quest for three years now on finding the Little People Nativity set. This year I am so thankful I was able to find the one I had my eyes on. I believe it was a "God thing" because there was only one set left and it was not even located in the toy section. We have gone down aisle after aisle in the toy store, Wal-mart, and Target never finding the set I wanted. I finally found the set at Wal Mart in the tool/paint department. Obviously it was an abandoned product which hadn't been discovered by an employee yet. I was beyond thrilled when I discovered it! I quickly stuck it in our cart, not even caring that our children were in tow and could see a new family gift.

Little sister has been a fan of Fisher Price Little People since she was able to sit up. So naturally this was a huge hit with her. Even brother has taken an interest in it. I find him a least twice a day over playing with the set. It is short lived, but I will take it! Sister will play with the nativity scene at least two hours a day (sometimes more).

I wanted this toy desperately to help brother understand the importance of the manager, and to put something tangible in his hands while trying to teach him the birth story of Jesus. It seems to have worked pretty well (or he is really good at pretending!). We have file folder and work boxes we do this time of year to help him grasp the idea since he isn't able to recite the story to us. He puts picture cards (4) in order to tell the story. I also wanted a nativity set that the kids could simple play with. Since kids learn through play I knew it was a must have.

I also had another reason. Sister has really been interested in the nativity and wanted to act out that night. Well the only nativity set we had was this one below. It was hand crafted by missionaries in the early 1970's. It was passed down to me from Grandma Kilgore. My grandparents also had one. I remember as a child visiting Grandma Spence and wanting to touch it. She did not allow us grandchildren to play with her set. It was simply to look at. Well I tried the same thing, but never failed E would play with them. I was afraid she would break a leg off one of the animals.

This is something that can't be replaced. I have never seen one like this before and I have been looking for three years now. So now, like my Grandma we have a set that is look at

and one to play with. Now, I can relax again! Ironically brother must know this is very special to me because he has never tried to play with it at all. He will look at it but not touch. So proud of my little guy!

Christmas crafts

2011-12-21T07:20:00.000-06:00

One thing I can't wait for is Christmas-y crafts made by this little girl. Being she attends a private preschool their main focus is God and academics. This was the only craft she brought home. I think it's a pretty wreath!

Next year if she attends kindergarten (she will turn five before the cut off) she will be in craft heaven! I know brother's school is all about crafts, which for parents you gotta love.

Brother comes home all the time with crafts. I take pictures of most of them, and keep the extra special ones. Some of the filler crafts, I don't. The ones I know brother had more help doing vs. independently I just don't keep. I make a book each year via shutterfly of all crafts each year. It's fun to flip through pages and review everything they made. This way also, they don't fade in color or get torn ....it's a win for everyone all around really!

Brother is ready for Santa to come:

Our hand made present from G:

G's wish list:

I have really enjoyed brother being in first grade this year. He has matured in so many ways. Looking back at these last six months are mind blowing. He has accomplished more this half year of school then he has in several prior years! Just amazing. My littlest Renee, man is she growing up! She has helped me become a better Mom and I look forward to the second half of her first preschool year. Her teacher has warned us, that for some reason these 4-5 years old really change after the New Year. I can't wait to watch it happen for E. I am really looking forward to some exciting things in 2012.

I am sure after Christmas I will do some reflecting back and write a letter to mail for our family and friends. I will share it here too. Sister wore her official snow boots yesterday in hopes the snow falling would stick. Man did she look cute! Sadly, we will not have a white Christmas.

Animals with Nativity in mind

2011-12-20T07:06:00.000-06:00

While at the zoo little sister thought it would be a great idea to try and find all of the animals who were near the stable when Jesus was born. They have gone over this many times in her preschool class I am guessing. As soon as we got to the petting zoo, sister shouted "He is laying down just like he did at the manager Mom!" She was just so proud of herself for finding and knowing that donkey's were there. The Momma donkey was standing up kinda near the door, and she proclaimed "that is the one who carried Mary too" I tell ya, four year old think they know a little about everything!

Seeing how I was not prepared for this I am sure I beamed with pride a little too. To be able to have a child talk to you, shout out what they not only see but comprehend is not something I am used to. It's the little things that make my heart spill over with love, joy, sheer happiness. After spending quite a bit of time at the petting zoo, we moved on and found this fella:

Of course camel's were there! Sister was not quite sure how you ride a camel. She did give some pretty great guesses though. And there were several lambs and goats running around. These two snuggled up were the ones E asked me to take a picture of. She said "they are laying so perfectly they definitely want to lay still like that to see baby Jesus!" Of course they did :)

Here is the little goat who stole E's heart. It was pretty little and the only one sticking it's head out. I saw his little head sticking out well before sister did. It was pretty stinkin' cute from a distance. It was like he was saying "hey, I am over here! pet me pet me!" So of course both kids had to pet this little guy (who was very gentle I might add)

On our quest to find lots of different animals, it became quite cold. So we ended up skipping several animals. E said it was ok though because gorillas, monkey's, bears, snakes, and you know those other yucky animals were NOT with Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, and the wisemen that night...so yeah it's ok we can skip them this time.

It does seem like she ran the show now that I think about it! Just before we left, sister gave me this sad face and said "wait! I know the buffalo's were there...can we pah-lease go see them?" I had my doubts on the buffalo being in Bethlehem that night, but didn't might the walk up the hill to see the buffalo. We found them having a snack:

This was the first time brother was interactive at the zoo. Usually we go and he sits in the stroller enjoying the ride. So to have him request to see animals like the zebra, penguins, and turtles was so very fun for both sister and I. I have said awhile back and to several doctors here recently that I feel we are just now breaking through several different things with him. He is truly changing before our eyes, for the better too! His brain is starting to file things correctly, and he is being able to recall them which is huge. The autistic mind is so complex and for our child, it is very hard to get him to show us what he knows. We (as his parents and teacher) know he has more knowledge then he likes to show. Sadly, the ability to show people what you know and comprehend is a big part of life. I will rejoice in the baby steps brother has made these last 6 months and never take for granted my daughter's ability to do so with such ease. When your first born is the one with severe autism it puts everything else in perspective. No one will ever hear me say "stop talking" or "zip it" or anything that would refrain me from hearing their sweet voices. To watch your first born struggle with literally everything he does is hard. It's also hard to watch a child who is younger accomplish those things with such ease, because you know you have watched your other child try and do the same thing. God knew what he was doing though. I will never doubt His plan for our children or family. He has given so much grace an mercy to us we are blessed beyond what we deserve. We are truly lucky to have G and the type of autism he has. We are also blessed to have such a wonderful little sister. She enjoys helping him out so much. She also understands that her brother is different but just as equal as she is.

Thank you sister for having the wonderful idea to find animals which were apart of the birth of our King. Jesus is inside you and thank you for being big enough to proclaim it with such excitement. Your excitement passed onto brother, who thoroughly enjoyed this special trip!

The birthday weekend

2011-12-19T05:14:00.000-06:00

We didn't have a party per say for brother this weekend. We were going to take him bowling for the first time but with Christmas being a week away, it was impossible to find one which didn't have over 10 parties per day til New Years. The other idea we had was a swimming party. Well open swim at the YMCA was only offered in the afternoon (after 1pm) and Daddy has to work at 3pm. So that wasn't going to work either. So we decided to not really do anything....just as the birthday boy likes it. He is by far more comfortable in his own environment, which is our house. We decorated the house in Toys Story stuff and invited Grandma Kilgore over. Just to keep it simple. End result was a very happy birthday boy! Sunday was predicted to get up to 56 degrees which is awesome for December! Since we have a zoo membership, I decided to surprise the kids' with a trip to the zoo. They both were very excited. Daddy had to work so it was just me and the kids. We had an awesome time! Brother's cognitive abilities are just shooting through the roof at this point. He doesn't have the expressive piece but we took his PECS book along with us. He helped choose the animals to visit and was able to let me know when he was done. Just overall one of the best trips we have had in a very long time!

While taking pictures and visiting a special area, this little guy was obviously upset with the lack of attention. Everytime I scooted away to take some pictures, he(or she) would creep back into the picture...it was hilarious! So I decided to take this picture (below) after that, he kindly walked away. Oh my was it funny!

Since moving to the country, sister really wants a horse. We frequently see girls riding along side the road and she always points to them and shouts with excitement "Look Mom, I want to have a horse of my own!". So getting to see horses and ponies at the zoo is always a special treat.

Brother looked like this all day long! Seriously, his cheeks had to hurt from all the smiling he has done since Friday!

One of brother's favorite exhibit is the penguins. They must have been cold or not feeling like swimming as only one was in the water (which is unusual). But she was an active little penguin!

Almost all the animals were out today and very active! This makes zoo trips extra fun for everyone. It was cooler than I thought it would be, I guess that is what you get when they predict 15-20 mph winds. I helped brother find his pockets in his jacket and he was ready for another hour of fun. We were able to get up close and personal with a tiger and the lion was on top of the rock just roaring away! It was pretty amazing. You could hear him far away. I have pictures but for some reason it won't load. Sister's favorite exhibit is the red panda. She has named him Bob. Hopefully it is a boy, if not, oh well. Bob was very active also. All of the animals were just so fun to watch today, which doesn't happen very often. I appreciated it too as I didn't have to use my zoom on my camera hardly at all (only the lion exhibit).

After spending a couple hours at the zoo on our way home we stopped at a park. I figured we my as well spend as much time outside as possible since snow is predicted to arrive in a couple of days. You never know what KS weather will bring, so we tried to make the most of it. The kids only lasted 20 minutes at the park. They were both so cold. The clouds rolled in and the wind picked up, I was frozen, but then again I wasn't running around playing either :) That concluded brother's birthday weekend. We came home and played games and then he played independently with several toys he received. A success in every category!

Brother turns 7 years old!

2011-12-18T07:17:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday to my first born!!! He picked out Toy Story and we thought it was fitting. His favorite is Woody. He often plays the Disney app on his ipad and just listens to the virtual story. His eyes were huge when we saw his birthday cake! It was pretty fun.

A side note: This cake is not allergy friendly. I did make a special batch of cupcakes which were for the kids. I also let brother pick out what we ate for lunch. He chose chicken and french fries. I had one happy camper!

He even did an amazing job opening gifts which never happens! He isn't one to unwrap but not this year. I am so proud of my little guy. He has truly blossomed this year and I am so excited about this upcoming year. Here is the birthday boy and his favorite toy he got:

I am beyond excited for Christmas this year! Both kids get it which is a first for our family. Hopefully I can wait until the 25th!

Good news and bad news

2011-12-17T06:12:00.000-06:00

This past Thursday both kids had dentist appointments. I am so lucky to have Daddy come along with us. Their appointments are always at the same time, and since I don't have any magical powers, it's really hard to be with two kids at the same time :)

For called back was brother. For the first time we saw the hygienist. She said it was time to get some xray's....oh boy! That didn't go so well, so we kinda gave up. She brushed his teeth first, and then flossed. No polishing or scrapping because he just doesn't tolerate it one bit. They also have to use that jaw opener tool which he fights til his entire face is bright red. The doctor requested to try again for some better xrays to see if they were missing something. She noticed a molar is coming in crooked and causing damage to the near by tooth. The root has actually dissolved. Sadly this is not good news because this tooth shouldn't fall out for many years (12ish). The xrays revealed brother also has a couple cavities in the very back. The doctor said overall his teeth are very good. Children with autism have a very hard time taking care of their teeth for many different reasons, and brother is no different. He doesn't mind brushing for a minute or two, but he hates when I floss his teeth. So we need to take care of these issues fairly soon. We have made a decent treatment plan which includes IV sedation. I will be researching everything first and then go from there. I do know brother will not tolerate the process to pull a tooth and fill cavities.

Sister also needed xrays as well so she came over at the same time we were doing brother's. She didn't like it but did pretty well. She had a little tarter build up which needed scraped off. She has an extra large salivary gland under her tongue because this she builds up tarter pretty easily. She is an excellent brusher and actually loves to floss! She remained a member of the No sugar bug club!
Congrats baby girl!

Next up, someones 7th birthday and then information we received on Miss E's consult yesterday.

A few results

2011-12-16T05:44:00.000-06:00

Our crazy week started with a doctor appointment for G with the regular pediatrician. We were told "he is fine" but due to a history of asthma complications, was prescribed prednisone. I hate giving brother any type of medications because it always changes his behavior OR breaks out in a rash. He stayed home from school on Monday.

Tuesday we had our annual visit with the neurologist. I guess I had forgotten this time around we had to see the other dr in the same office. So this appointment was a complete waste of my time and money. G still had a cough, nothing terrible and I assured her we had him tested and everything is fine. Well she continued to act like my almost 7 year old had Sars or something tragic. It was utterly ridiculous. She didn't even come within 3 feet of her patient! I reported G doesn't sleep very well, but I am still on a quest to figure out why. He does sleep sometimes, for several days in a row. So I want to figure out what I am doing on the weeks where he doesn't sleep. The doctor ignored everything I had to say and responded "if we don't talk about medications then I can't prescribe anything for you unless you come back and have another appointment (with an inconvenient tone of voice). So we need to discuss the side effects and risks/benefits now if you want anything for the next year." I said well I am not really ready to jump at medications for several reasons...then I was cut off. She said again "I am not saying put him on them right now, but we need to discuss this so you don't have to make another appointment before next December." Thinking to myself: You are the worst neurologist I have ever seen lady! Do you even care about your patient? Do you know the difficulties he has with mild medications? Nope, didn't think so!

The end result. I let her talk at me. Sat their until she was done with her spiel and we left. I didn't say more than two words to her after. I was livid and she knew it. There is no good reason to put him on anything right now. If something were to happen between now and then, believe me we would make an appointment! After this I took Gannon to school. He hadn't been to school since last Wednesday. He received a note home stating he coughed a lot and needed to get better. His structured learning room had a sub, so she wasn't too familiar with my son (and that's ok). Brother was full of cough medicine and the lovely prednisone. He is a fast little guy and when given a chance to be sneaky, he will (only while on meds though). I received a call as I was headed into class to take a final from the school. The nurse called and said G was giving them a run for their money today, and snuck a little girl's cookie. Thankfully it was the best kind of cookie to contaminate him. It was oatmeal, gluten free but did have eggs in it. So 2 full doses of benadryl, a few hours later and he seems just fine!

Yesterday we had several appointments. He went to the hospital for an ultrasound of his kidney's and bladder. They were running late, so he filled his pull up while we were waiting. He was drinking lots of water so I wasn't too worried about it. Sure enough, she examined his bladder and it was very full. She got some really good images that she needed. I took brother to the bathroom and changed him. She then examined him again and noticed he wasn't able to completely empty his bladder. We left with no official results, but I can almost guarantee we will back up there within a month for more tests.

Brother also met with the developmental pediatrician bright an early. I was pleasantly surprised with the visit! It went great. I caught her up to speed since we hadn't seen her in 4 years. He is such a different kid back then. She did confirm his official diagnosis is Classic Autism, moderate to severe. No other labels will be given under the DSM-IV or the new DSM-V. She did give me hope that we will be able to potty train brother once we resolve these urological issues at hand. The fact he receptively knows what the picture labeled "bathroom" in his PECS book means is a plus. The other biggie is that he will urinate on command. She said cognitively speaking a child with ASD who isn't ready to potty train will sit on the toilet and never urinate. The fact he does every time is huge! I am so thankful we are on the right tract. She is concerned about G's stomach issues as well. She recommended us to continue everything we are doing now and follow up with her in six months. We are in the process of consulting with a gastro in another town as well as a wonderful urologist. So hopefully we will get some answers soon on what is going on internally for our little guy. At this point it seems from a medical stand point the only "reason" he isn't potty trained is something hidden or not found yet. I will update this blog when I receive any worthy info,

End of the year appointments

2011-12-11T05:43:00.000-06:00

It never seems to ceases to amaze me what people can pack on before the end of the year. Well, I guess I take that back....I can! In our situation I think it makes it even more difficult having a birthday right before Christmas. Poor brother kinda gets the raw end of the stick. His birthday always seems to encompass one or more appointments on his birthday. Thankfully this year his special day falls on a weekend. Not that he has ever complained before, you know since he can't talk and all. I have a feeling if he could, we would have cursed at me a few years! Like the year he was turning 5 and I had a great idea to schedule an EEG on his actual day of birth! Yep, this Mom lost a few cool points that day. Bless his heart, that was one day to remember. Oh well, those are distant memories for our family. Hopefully one of these years we can just enjoy his birthday week.

Until, then this is what our crazy week looks like:

Monday: I have a final exam at 8am. Sister has school at 12:45pm. I have another final exam at 1pm. Brother technically gets out of school at 3:45pm, as does sister. What's the catch you ask? Well, brother is actually sick. He woke up with a high fever so there will be a doctor appt with the PA I am sure sometime between 10 and 11am. Daddy will take sister to school for me since, well I have to be on campus roughly around the same time. Oh joy!

Tues: Brother has a 9am neurology appointment downtown. But first we go back to the pediatrician's office to turn in the urine sample we will hopefully be catching this time. (Other attempts were failed) Then brother goes to school for a few hours. I plan to be up by 4am to start studying for my next final which is tomorrow, good 'ol A & P.

Wednesday: This is early release day for brother, which means he goes to school from 8:45am to 3pm. I have my last final exam at 1pm. Sister has preschool from 12:45pm to 3:45. Usually Wednesday's are insane for me. My normal class went from 2-2:50pm and I had to split like bread to get across town and out to brother's school within 20 minutes. It never happened. I was always late. See I speed walk to my car, which is parked at least .75 miles from the campus. Thankfully the school is understanding. This is also sister's last day of school for the year. So she has a Christmas party and gift exchange which starts at 3pm.....oh my! Time will tell how this all plays out.

Then comes Thursday. Our day will look something like this: Wake up bright an early (yeah no school for Mom!) to feed both kids and off to the developmental pediatrician's office. Brother has an appointment at 8:30am. We have not been back to one since the original diagnosis of Autism was given to him. This outta be f.u.n. (For those who don't know, that was when sister was just shy of 3 months of age). Next up is check in at local hospital for brother. He is going to have an ultrasound done of his bladder and kidney's. Ummm....yeah that check in time is 10am for a 10:30am ultrasound. Which who knows how well this will or will not go. I am guessing not too well when the ordering physician says "try as hard as you can to get him to have a full bladder in the beginning, then he can relieve himself." HA! They don't really know my son do they. After all this is done (hopefully it does go well) both kids have dentist appointments on the other side of town at 1pm. It's time for their bi-annual cleanings. Which should be fun because brother's other front tooth is literally hanging on by hanging tissue or fibers....it's so gross. I hope they just pull it OR it falls out prior. I am sure brother hopes it's the latter of the two. Oh and if you can't tell by our insane schedule, brother will miss the entire day of school.

Friday, ah the end of the week! Brother goes to school. Sister and I will just hang out until her specialist appointment at 1pm. She has a surgery consult with the ENT doc out East of course. Hopefully that will be uneventful and we will be done in time to pick up brother from school. It is his last day of school, and birthday party for both classroom's (structured room and reg. ed). He hates parties, but I do feel it is important for him to do things regular children do. Sister will tag along and hopefully have some fun too!

I am still finalizing our weekend plans, as somebody turns 7 years old!!! I will post details and results as they are given to me.

Lack of sleep part 2

2011-12-08T17:45:00.003-06:00

Little sister is having a terrible time sleeping these days. It has affected her in many areas. I noticed her sleep problems almost two months ago. I assumed she was having trouble breathing at night due to her infections. She has been off and on antibiotics since October. We had a terrible allergy season this fall so both kids ended up on stronger asthma medication. Fast forward to today, we are still having sleep disturbances each night.

Waking up to a child gasping for air is not the idea scenario. I have been dealing with this each and every night sadly. I suspect my sweet little girl is suffering from sleep apnea. Daddy and I love to watch the show The Biggest Loser, and they are always talking about sleep apnea. So I am familiar with the medical term, but I had no clue children can suffer from this, especially when they are not overweight. E is not overweight and is overall very healthy, or so I think. I called and made an appointment with our pediatrician. After examining E, he noticed her adenoids are extremely large. He ordered a CT scan of her head (mainly sinus) to rule our a sinus infection. While at the doctor's office, he asked if she has frequent sinus infections. Ironically she has never been diagnosed with a sinus infection to my knowledge. He said, ok and preceded with the orders. This is the second xray sister has been through in the last two months, and she still is not a fan. This was the first CT scan for our family and hopefully it will be our last.

Following the CT scan, we returned to the pediatrician's office to get our results. Apparently they are done in minutes! Being so fascinated with medicals results, I thoroughly enjoyed reviewing the film with the doctor. The results were sister has compacted sinus', and a "nasty infection". She was put on an antibiotic for 14 days in hopes this clears up the massive infection. Prior to leaving we were also advised she has a consultation appointment with a ENT surgeon. Our pediatrician has recommended her adenoids be removed due to sheer size. He did say since she presents with an infection, the sleep apnea diagnosis can't be given just yet.

She has been on the antibiotic now for 8 days, and is actually getting worse! The apnea instances are increasing sadly. It seems we are not making progress as I had hoped. Next week we have our surgery consult. I have researched the purpose of adenoids and really don't want to go through the surgery. G had his removed just before I gave birth to sister. I will opt for the surgery however, if she is truly having sleep apnea. I do not want her struggling to breath...ever! Time will tell what the result will be. One thing is certain, once I hear her gasping for air, followed by coughing, I am fully awake. It is very hard to fall back to sleep after this. Last night we had 3 episodes within one hour. I have tried propping her head more so she sleeps at an incline. I am doing this in hopes it will prevent the adenoids to fall back into her air way. I know they are failed attempts because it still happens.

Things that prompted me to suggest she had sleep apnea included:

daytime sleepiness

gasping for air in the middle of the night

inability to sleep in a normal position

lack of concentration

personality changes

Whatever the doctor says we will take into consideration. I will probably ask for a second opinion prior to surgery if it comes down to that. E is over four years old but I do not want to jump into surgery. I know adenoids shrink as you age, so I am curious to see if we can ride this out. I am not sure if we can since this is really becoming an issue.

E has preschool MWF afternoons for three hours. Those days are extremely hard on us. She falls to asleep every time she gets into the car. Lately she is out before we even get our of our cul-de-sac, which is really sad. She is just exhausted because she is not getting quality sleep at night. I have even had to pull her out of Awana's. With me being a leader we were at church from 6pm to 8:25ish. Which means we were not getting home until 9pm and asleep around 10pm. She is very sad she can no longer participate in church but she also understands. It was such a hard thing to do and try to stay on top of things. She was trying to memorize over 5 verses each week and that is really too much for a child her age. There is always next year! Hopefully we will find some answers or solutions quickly and maybe get some sleep around here! Or at least for sister :)

Lack of sleep part 1

2011-12-06T18:30:00.004-06:00

Not very many of us are getting much sleep around here. Brother has notoriously been an inconsistent sleeper. Some weeks he sleeps twelve hours each night, then we hit this invisible wall. The "I don't need any quality sleep" wall. Once we get to the sleepless phase, it usually goes down hill. G may string together four or five days together where he doesn't want more than 4 hours of sleep. Which means Mom and brother get the same amount of sleep, 8pm to midnight-ish. Not a fun combination for any involved really, but you do what you have to do to survive. Since I have no clue when sleepless nights come, I have learned that famous motto to be tried and true: Sleep when your child does. I lay down with both kids in order for them to fall asleep. Now, I just stay asleep too. I used to stay up late to do homework or hang out with Daddy, but not anymore. I just can't function with no sleep. When I was getting to sleep just before midnight, it never failed that he was getting me up within an hour or two.

I can't blame autism for the lack of sleep. Sure people with autism are known to have sleep issues, but I don't think that is the main reason for our problems. I see a direct relationship to food and lack of sleep with G. The bad thing is, the same food will cause a problem one month and then not the next, so that part still remains a mystery! One day we will get his issues figured out....at least I can trick myself into believing that!

I will deal with the crazy sleep patterns for now. They aren't too terrible just yet. I refuse to give him medication to sleep, whether that is natural or prescription. We have a very hard time with putting anything into G's body, especially when it comes to medicine. It never fails he has a reaction. The last round proved a prime example. I was going to switch the kids' multivitamin to a non gummy vitamin. I found a hypoallergenic brand, free of all allergens, preservative free, blah blah blah....and within 2 days BOTH kids have full body rashes. We have no idea what is in the vitamin, but something doesn't agree with our chemistry. So that was a horrible purchase on my part. I was bummed because that new vitamin was more potent and you got more bang for your buck. Too bad their little bodies didn't agree with it! So lesson learned. If it isn't broken....don't fix it (in my case don't change it!)

Not only is brother having problems with sleep, sister is too! One day, this Momma might get quality sleep...all in good time!

E's interview

2011-12-05T06:19:00.001-06:00

I received a note home over Thanksgiving break from E's preschool teacher. She asked that we pretend to interview our preschooler. Letting them be in control of the questions and the answers. I have never done this before and thought this would be a good thing to do each Christmas season.

So here is our interview in the exact order she requested:

1) What is your favorite color? Purple
2) How old are you? 4
3) What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
4) What is your favorite outfit to wear? Tutu skirt and matching shirt
5) What is your favorite animal? Elephant
6) What is your favorite pet? Nala, her pet lion.
7) Favorite game to play? Go fish
8) What is your favorite letter? f
9) Who is your best friend? Caylab, Carson, and of course my buddy Gannon
10) Favorite food? Chicken and hot dogs
11) What is your favorite snack? circle crackers (aka: Ritz crackers)
12) What is your favorite thing to drink? Chocolate milk (Dark chocolate almond milk)
13) What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play kickball
14) What is your favorite sport? soccer
15) Where is your favorite place to go? Church
16) What is your favorite movie? Cars 2
17) What is your favorite toy? Cars
18) What is your favorite show to watch? Team Umizoomi
19) What is your favorite thing to do in your spare time? Play starfall and Jumpstart on the computer
20) What is your favorite shape? Circle

After the shape questions I was told: I don't have time for anymore questions. Thanks Mom....bye!

Many faces and a first

2011-12-03T18:39:00.000-06:00

This almost seven year old is growing up right before our eyes! His facial expressions have always been very fun. Being non verbal I think has helped him communicate differently (mainly with his eyes)

This past week was also very special for him. He lost one of his front teeth (total is now 4). His other one is very wiggly so I am guessing before his birthday he will lose number 5.

Here is a pretty good shot of the little hole:

The other reason this past week of school was so special is he was nominated and chosen to be "Student of the week" by his first grade regular ed teacher! As parents, we were very shocked and beyond proud! It was hard to participate in everything being student of the week entails but he did pretty good with the help of his para. He even had lunch with the school principal!

Friday, Gannon came home with this certificate too! What a great start to December! School is almost out for all of us. As a matter of fact, we have started counting down the days! Hopefully the kids won't get too bored hanging out with Mom the entire break!

When we feed our pets

2011-12-01T14:00:00.000-06:00

Since we have significant allergies (especially to pet dander) these pups are as close to the real thing we will have. Poor E longs to have a real pet. Thankfully she understands her brother is allergic and says "I will pray for him to get over because pets are really fun to take care of and adopt!"

Our vet bill is very cheap. All it takes to heal your pet is one token. The kitchen is always open around here too. No dog bisquits or dry food here!

All of our pups love meat. They frequently choose to eat hot dogs, pasta with meat, chicken, or hamburger patties. Don't be fooled though, they also love veggies!

Our kitchen/buffet also is full service. A pet can choose between: the shake of the day, juice, grape smoothie, banana smoothie, chocolate milk, or special water. No tap water will do the trick for our special friends!

Our four year old is pretty creative these days. She recently has opened up her own pet resturant. Patrons should have four legs and one tail according to the owner. She also has a strict policy on entering. You must ask before you enter her resturant, and then wait to be seated. Special lions, all types of dogs, red panda's, and an occasional bear can eat at her diner. Well at least these are the rules this week!

Something special

2011-11-28T05:41:00.000-06:00

G came home from school and to my surprise he made this special letter:

It warmed my heart so! They are sending several letter overseas to our troops. Hopefully when they will arrive and make the troops happy!

First Thanksgiving

2011-11-22T05:14:00.003-06:00

E's preschool had a Thanksgiving feast. All the girls were the pilgrims, and the boys were the indians. The kids all worked very hard on fine motor skills such as glueing, taping, and cutting. Here E is cutting her pilgrim hat out:

The finished product:

(Yes she wanted her hat on "crazy")

The kids all performed two songs with actions. It was SO funny to see the kids become embarrassed because they had to sing in front of ALL us Moms:

E's favorite song was the "big fat turkey song" aka...Mr. Turkey.

For the feast the kids had turkey and ham sandwiches, fruit, cheese and crackers, chocolate chip cookies and a capri song. Due to E's food allergies, she ate before the lunch party. She had fruit (that we brought), crackers, and allergy free cookies (we also brought).

I really enjoyed listening to the true story of Thanksgiving. Since her preschool is private, they teacher the true story, not the version I learned in school. It's very refreshing to know she is being taught the true story and not a different version.

Complexity

2011-11-18T18:34:00.000-06:00

My son is very complex, so complex he baffles many doctors. I thought as G grew older, things would become easier. I apparently was under estimating the fact my son enjoys a good challenge. We are really struggling currently with food. Children with autism are notorious for having food issues. It seems many experience diarrhea or constipation (more so the latter of the two). The course of action is usually to find the culprit and then remove that from the diet, improvement should follow shortly after. Many children also seek advise from a pediatric gastroenterologist. We have done all of the above. We have had so many tests ran, I honestly think we only have a few left (such as a cancer screen and colonoscopy). But alas, we are still struggling with GI issues. No one can seem to give us any solid advice which leads to frustrated staff at school, and very frustrated parents. We hope an appointment in December will shed some light on our problem.

Here is what our current situation looks like: We have removed egg, wheat, milk, and soy from G's diet. He has been on a strict diet since July (with no mess ups). Prior to that we did a food challenge and discovered we are severely allergic to eggs and wheat in the middle of this year. Prior to that, we were on a beyond stick diet. Off hand I remember being free of: egg, soy, corn, wheat, milk, peas, apples, bananas, grapes, pears, tomato, rice, peaches, and tapioca. There were plenty more I stayed away from that came up "slight" just to be in the clear. We did this strict rotation diet where I made literally everything from scratch for 22 months. Through this entire journey, we still never reached "ideal". Currently, I am at a complete lost. My son can not eat one fruit or veggie serving without having stomach discomfort. I have no idea how he still smiles everyday, or the energy to play. I would be down right miserable! Our problem is actually getting worse as time goes on. He is starting to miss school. At least once a week I receive a phone call to come pick him up. It is progressing worse and not better. After a doctor appointment yesterday I realize we might have a true medical issue on our hands. I have checked into "IBS" and that is not what is going on here. Something is definitely wrong, but I have no clue what. I am praying for the best but also bracing for the worst. This is such a huge problem, that it is not physically possible to potty train G. He hates pull ups. He loves the feel of normal underwear. Hopefully we can figure out this gut issue so he can move on and live a pain free life. I am sure we have multiple appointments in our future, hopefully we can get somewhere soon!

1 to 1

2011-11-17T06:15:00.000-06:00

This school year has changed me just as much as the kids. I guess prior to August, I saw my both children as "preschoolers" or "babies". Apparently school does this to you. You grow, you mature, you learn, and you change. I have seen a huge growth in both children. The easiest measure is dressing. Each child with autism is very different but they do share several challenges. One is self care. My son struggles with dressing himself independently. We work on this daily, seeing peaks of greatness (putting a shirt on) and seeing reality (requesting help). Each day the task is different but the result is the same. I have two dressed children. Seeing the kid's dressed as we are ready to leave I find myself saying frequently "ummm...so this is the last time you can wear that _____. It is way too small!" It does make me happy knowing both kids are growing but at the same time, it's like didn't we just buy clothes? But alas, yes the kids are adding weekly to the "donations" pile. E has experienced that recently when she had to add her favorite shirt to the pile. She still talks about it daily when we pick out clothes for the day. Poor girl, I don't have the heart to tell her it is only going to get worse!

This semester of college for me has been extremely difficult. My schedule might be the least desirable out there. Having class everyday at some point is becoming a real pain. I thought it wouldn't be that bad when enrolling last semester for my current classes. I remember telling myself "I only have a little class everyday", well that was not the smartest thing I have done! My schedule is very challenging for all of us. One mistake I hope I never make again. It's time for me to enroll for next semester. I have really tried to choose my classes around my family this time. I don't want my classes to interfere with family time. Currently if the kids are home and awake, I do not do homework. I feel awful telling the kids I can't play or be "mom" because of my school. So I have started to get up between 4 and 5am everyday to do my homework each day. The first few weeks were very hard but now it is routine. If I don't set my alarm for 430am, I am still up by then everyday. It seems I too am a creature of habit! I am almost at the end of the semester; we are gearing up for final projects, research papers, and finals. Then it will be all about family! I just can not wait until the day I graduate. The day I can provide a financial contribution to our family and spend my evenings with my family!

Our family has gone through several trials and challenging moments since August. As the kids are getting older, smarter, and more mature; I am realizing just how amazing they are as individuals. I have rarely had the chance to spend time with G and E one to one. Since our schedules are so busy I am running from here to there with one kid almost all the time, granted usually it is E but still. Getting time to just spend with E is priceless. I have not really ever done that before and she is eating it up just like this Momma is. Mother-daughter time is special, Father-daughter time is special, Mom-son time is special, and Father-son time is special. I also find that brother-sister time is pretty special too. E has really stepped up her game with her brother and is starting to take a different role. One I knew would happen some day, but I surely didn't expect it to come at the tender age of four. With this new role, I am trying extra hard to make sure she has time to just be four. I have done several different activities with my daughter some are more fun than others, but we both really enjoy our girl time.

One thing I got to experience last night was one to one time with G. That hasn't happened since I gave birth to our daughter. I say that because you can't count 1 to 1 time when it is spent at a doctors office. That is the only time I have ever not had my youngest with me. She is a huge part of our family. She has brought so much to our lives. Now that she is old enough to take part of activities, that allows one to one time with the oldest. Originally, I enrolled both kids in Cubbies on Wednesday nights. Being nonverbal, being autistic, not being able to enjoy free play, makes Wednesday night church very difficult. We try it each week, some days we only last 10 minutes, other times we last 30 minutes but we can never make the entire time. That is ok because at least we are trying. Last night we had Mother-son time doing something very simple; shopping. It might have been the funnest shopping trip to Dillon's I have had in years! Being able to spend quality time with each child shows me their strengths, their likes or preferences, and their dislikes. I am learning so much about who my kids are and I absolutely love it! Sometimes you just are so busy with "life" that in reality life slips away from you. I feel sometimes we are so busy each day that we have the mentality of let's just make it through today and we forget to enjoy the actual day we are given. I have set some personal goals which I will share soon what those are in hopes it might help others as well.

Preschool and bullying

2011-11-15T06:44:00.000-06:00

Our daughter is attending a private preschool program through our local Church. She goes three days a week for three hours a day. We truly love and are very blessed she was accepted in. I have seen such a positive grow in her just in a few months of going. We as parents knew ahead of time that private schools have higher standards than public school but we really didn't know the details. G never went to a "normal" preschool program, rather a structured preschool room (Early Childhood, special ed). Due to G's abilities at the time we didn't experience quite a few key things to preschool. Needless to say I am thoroughly enjoying experiencing all these new things with my daughter! While all of this is exciting and new for both daughter and parents, we realize how easy learning comes to her. It also makes us realize how hard our son has it. How hard he has to try in order to get something his sister can do in just a few days. It is pretty amazing to watch a kid push through and keep trying and trying and trying when his peers pick up something in just a few hours.

Thankfully God gave my son the perfect personality for autism. He does not care what other people think of him. I have said if someone were to bully G, they would not last. Bullies need a "response" in order to keep it going. Our son doesn't give those responses. I have tried to "push" him into scenario's such as being picked on. I get nowhere! Especially verbal stuff; it goes in one ear and right out the other. This is a blessing to me. He is not phases one bit by anything you say. I hear some kids shout "hey boy!" at a local park and they get nowhere. G has not been trained to respond to "boy" since we use that as associations not a term for him directly. So we don't have to worry about verbal abuse right now. The other thing is physical abuse by a bully. Well since G can't talk he can only cry or scream. He has a passive personality. Most times when he is pushed into, bumped, or knocked down (like playing at the park or at school with a para or adult) he doesn't blame anyone. Sometimes I think he doesn't even realize what happened. I imagine if a true bully were to physically abuse G it would not be pretty but I hope they would stop when they see he is defenseless. Some autistic children do hit, scream, bite, but not our son. He has never "hit" anyone or anything. He also has never kicked or pinched or slapped. He definitely does not fight back. So how do teach self defense to a child with autism, who is also non verbal....well I have no idea! I pray that I will be given tools we need at that time. Until then, I pray for all those children with autism or not, that bullying will decrease. I know it will never go away, but lately it seems to be getting out of control. Just recently I read an article where a ten year old child took her life. Life is not getting any easier, but we have to grow with it. I talk to both kids about being nice and following that Golden Rule. I know it seems out dated but really we need that still today.

I have gone to both kids' parent teacher conference and they are night and day. E's was very different and it did feel very different. In and out in twenty minutes. I left feeling like "well no news is good news right?". I did share with her teacher that her older brother is almost seven years old, has severe autism, and doesn't talk at all. She was quite shocked to say the least. But it did explain a few things for her. I was given a packet of the initial screening they did on her. She was tested on what she knew and what she has performed to date. It was a good snap shot but as many other Mom's stated, she just hasn't had a chance to really get to know the kids yet. E is age appropriate in all areas and is on tract to being able to start Kindergarten. She will be re-tested in the Spring and then we will be given a final eval on her before the school year ends. We are still praying on what to do with her. Do we send her to kindergarten at a young age (a new five year old) or do we hold her back. We are debating on whether another year will help her grow socially/emotionally will in a preschool setting vs. kindergarten. I was the youngest in my class and it never bothered me. However my personality is very different from my daughter's. Hopefully in the next few months we will know which way to go.

Since I am still undecided on what is best for her, I decided to take her to another "Count your kid in" screening. This is a program from birth to 5 I believe. We had E screened last year. I know now, what a years difference can make! Last time she was screened she was referred out for several concerns. We had a team come out an evaluate her but no services were needed. I was given several things to work on but nothing major to warrant services. I noticed she avoids fine motor tasks which are harder. The new screening was just last Friday. She passed everything with flying colors. Again, no news is good news. They did ask if we were planning on sending her to the big K next year. They said to check in with them in the Spring because they should have an answer if they will be starting an all day program. E tested pretty high in several areas which is funny to me. This is where I can visually see the difference between "average" in public schools vs private. E tested average along with most of her friends in her preschool class. Not in the top 5% like what we were told last week. All in all it is fun to compare. So far both institutions have said she will be "ready" for kindergarten. Now it is just up to the parents to see if WE are ready for her to go on!

Behavior and Autism

2011-11-05T07:20:00.003-05:00

Autism is hard. It encompasses every aspect of everyday and yet it can be very rewarding. We are currently in a holding pattern when it comes to sleep and behavior. We have adjusted the time we go to bed, but that has not worked either. I think sometimes, they just don't know what is going on in their little bodies and just can not settle down and rest. At least for my son, this seems to be the case. He will clearly be tired complete with fighting to keep his eyes open and the "bobbing head" bit. All while wanting to be held by Momma. Just when you think you have the green light, red flashes up on this radar. You know when you get all snuggled in the bed, and then it's like he found a red bull can under his pillow and went to town. So there you are in bed, trying to get not one but two kids to bed. One kid starts to laugh uncontrollably and that leads to the other one laughing along. I of course step up to the plate and say "shhh...it's time for bed guys" and then repeat that phrase for a good thirty to forty five minutes. Kids laugh, mom "shhhs", kids laugh more, mom "shhhs" more and then cycle continues. If I don't say a word, I have little ones peeking into my eyes to see if Mom fell asleep first! Oh it is quite a site. I always think Daddy might have hidden camera's in the bedroom and any minute someone will shout "Good job Mom you just won a million dollars!" But until that happens, our crazy no sleep-sleep cycle continues. Neither child in our home can take a nap at any point during the day and go to bed relatively easy. So if the kids get up at 3, 4, or 5am, we are up for the day! I refuse to give in even though I feel bad and exhausted myself but if they take a ten minute nap.....no one gets quality rest that night/next day. It never fails though; someone is trying to fall asleep on the long drive home from school. I mean when you get up at 2am and party hard ALL day until 3pm, you are bound to jump at the down time in the car. We sing songs, play loud music, and play tickle games trying desperately to keep said little boy awake...but it never works. We can only hope and pray his nap was only for a few minutes or else.

Why am I sharing this? If you google the words autism and sleep you come up with a slew of articles. All which basically say children and adults with autism are known to have sleep issues/disturbances. They give basic help such as change the diet, don't allow naps, give them a bath prior to going. read books right before bed, and of course give the medicine (natural or otherwise). In our personal situation, we have done all but medication. Melatonin is naturally occurring in our bodies as human beings (which is what Gannon's ped. wants us to try) and there are plenty of articles out there saying try this. Here is the deal. I don't want to have to "add" anything into our bodies at this point. For our child, everything that goes in (good and bad) have a reaction. We have tried them in the past, and even gone up to the max dose according to the doctor with no real relief. Sure we get a good night once a week, but that isn't worth it to me. We already have a crazy pattern and by adding medications in doesn't guarantee a good nights sleep, so we just don't do it. If anyone out there has something new, please share! Even if it doesn't help our family maybe someone else!

The behavior piece is a big one. Up until now, we have not experienced "behaviors" that accompany autism. We have had numerous para's, teachers, and therapist say how lucky we are. I think our time might be coming to an end on this front. We are in the middle of an experiment on what is the source of the behaviors (basically what is causing it). So I can't share more details just yet. Mainly because we should not take our child off medication "just to see" when a professional has prescribed them "for his health". I want solid proof that it has worked for our child before I share. I do not want to be apart of something devastating for anyone. Stayed tuned if you want to know more on what we are trying or did try to curb behaviors here.

Currently behaviors include very mild pushing if he doesn't get his way (aggression), screaming when he uses his PECS book to request something and we say "not right now" or "wait", and an overall "amped" attitude. G has just been "off" for about a month now. Slowly getting worse and worse. The first two weeks we didn't even know what was going on. Even his teacher said, he was "off" but not a classic type behavior. Then it got a little worse and then we were told "he might be growing" or "somethings like this boys just do". By the fourth week I knew something was up and I did not like it one bit. Before trying this hair brained idea I got (see above paragraph) I decided to talk to a friend. She has worked with a local special ed center here, mainly children with all different looks of the Spectrum. She also is a nurse practitioner and a person I would trust to treat my son. She recommended me to see a developmental pediatrician here in town. The same doctor who gave us our original diagnosis of ASD for G. We have never seen a doctor directly related to autism since October of 2007. Times have changed and my son has changed greatly. First off he isn't the "silent" cute little almost three year old boy anymore. Second, he definitely has an opinion and a voice. We are not living in a bubble but it is pretty evident our son now "gets" almost everything we say (90-95%). Having that receptive piece is huge for us! I feel his frustrations and "new behaviors" stem from this growth. He now can understand everything we say, but has a very limited vocabulary via pictures.

We are no where near reading or writing yet. We are still mastering the alphabet. I have no idea what the future will be like for G. I do know I have some expectations going forward. Time will tell to see if things will shape out the way I think they might or we take a different path. One thing is certain is that G loves touch screens and is pretty darn good at figuring technology out!

First haircut

2011-10-27T19:57:00.001-05:00

E has never had a haircut. I have been trying to convince her for almost nine months. Well daily hair brushing was getting harder and harder and this Momma had finally had it. I told her if she was going to cry everytime we brush or wash her hair, then it was time to get a haircut. Sure enough, that time came. I called up a good friend and asked her to squeeze us in. She was very scared and didn't want to go to a salon. I let her talk to my friend , and we also went up to the salon to let her see what would happen. She was not down with climbing up into the chair for her haircut. Since I didn't want to take much off, the stylist said it would actually work better if she stands on the ground. So on October 18th, we decided to bit the bullet.

I straightened E's hair prior to leaving the house in hopes it would make it easier to cut. Her hair is very curly and I knew she was not going to deal with a shampoo and cut. I opted to play "hair girl" here at home. Here she is just 30 minutes before her first hair cut:

Miss P. is awesome and a "cheer mom" which was a motivator for her. Here she is during....holding her pet lion Nala:

Tadaa!!!!

We trimmed five and half inches off. I saved a few strands to keep as her keepsake book. We went home, she took a bath, and the next day...you could totally tell! It looks SO short curly. Looking at the above picture, curly her hair is about mid back now! WOW, my little baby girl is growing up.

Running in Brother's honor

2011-10-25T19:58:00.002-05:00

We participated in the annual run called Inspire Hope. Last year we walked as a family in the 1 mile. This year I decided to run the big race, the 8K. While talking about racing in the weeks before the race E said she wanted to run in the "race for G". She asked last year as well and I kind of forgot. She is a lot like her Daddy, her memory is amazing! So I registered her for the kids' 1 mi run/walk. The main reason we do this race is because all of the monies raised go towards a foundation that treats children with communication disorders. Many childrens' lives have been changed by this foundation. We decided nothing better then teaching her about humanity and charities. She doesn't like to call it by the real name. She calls it the race for G. She loves her big brother so much and is really starting to "get" that her brother is different. She is also understanding how hard it is for him to do simple tasks. She makes reference to his disability and is not shy about telling people she has a special brother. Hopefully she will have a heart for autism and to spread positive awareness forever. Right now, it is her passion!

I finished my race in time so I walked/ran with E for her one mile. Let me tell you, she will be a great sprinter if she keeps up this drive. She was lightening fast for 1/2 of it, then slowed down to a fast walk. I think for not being quite four and half, she is doing pretty well! She asked to hold my hand during parts of it so we could "walk together for brother"

She was really fun to watch. She didn't like it one bit when people were passing her! She wanted to know just how far ahead of people she was to make sure she could "win"

Of course she didn't win. We started in the very back of the very large group. We had so much fun though so we all ended in smiles! Daddy and brother even joined in with us at the half way mark. I put my shirt on him before we started because he was so hot. He looked so cute out there running in public! We have never done anything like this before with the kids. My heart melted when complete strangers were cheering G on. They had no idea he was autistic just that a little boy was running a race for a great cause!

E received a special ribbon because she finished her race. I have no idea what our official time was because that didn't matter. Just the fact that a four year old is aware that we need to help other special needs children is worth every penny! We will look forward to many more years of running together for special needs and autism.

A trip to the Pumpkin patch

2011-10-18T16:17:00.049-05:00

E's preschool took a field trip to a local pumpkin patch. Big brother happened to be out of school that day, so it was very nice to go as a family of four. Last year we went to a pumpkin patch but didn't go to a more popular one. So this was a very special treat! This was also the first year the kids were able to actually go into the field to "pick" their own pumpkin.

G is finding his "perfect" pumpkin:

E also was on a hunt for the "perfect" pumpkin. She searched and searched and literally ran all over the field during her hunt. It was very fun to see which ones she passed up.

Thankfully after 17 minutes of searching....she found it!

Thanks Daddy for coming along. The kids really enjoyed themselves. We took a train ride, tractor ride, went on the rocket slide, went on the "giant" slide, picked pumpkins, had a snack, jumped on the giant pillow, watched animals (no petting), played with friends, and picked up lots of germs sadly. Several of E's classmates ended up getting sick as well. We aren't sure if it was being out in the country with heavy winds or if others were sick and still went to the patch. All in all it was a great experience. And hopefully we will be on the mend soon!

Playing is FUN

2011-10-15T15:55:00.002-05:00

We are really enjoying the weather around here and exploring our local parks. The kids are getting more confidence when it comes to climbing and trying new things. Brother is also starting to play with sand! He has never liked anything sand like so this is kind of a big deal :)

Awana update

2011-09-29T15:38:00.006-05:00

E is really enjoying learning about God and memorizing her verses. She wasn't too sure about the puppet shows, but now loves to sing songs (while doing actions) and watch the puppet show with Cubbie bear. I am blessed by the children I get to work with. I am a Cubbie leader, so I am in Gannon and Elise's class. We have 15 kids in our class and plenty of help. Seeing kids really excited about learning God's word and being a friend of Jesus is just plain fun! She considers her Cubbies her "homework". I find her getting her book out saying, "Shhh, I need quiet time to finish up my homework."

She completed her first four weeks/lessons so she received her Cubbies vest and book!

Brother has not gotten his vest yet, but that is ok. He did get his book so we can work with him more on a daily basis. Cubbies is very hard for him. He doesn't seem to be enjoying the time like I had hoped. So we are probably going to have to modify his time. We are praying about it and hoping we make the right decision. It is very important to us as his parents to teach him who God is and why he is apart of our lives. That is very hard to do with children on the autism spectrum. They are litteral thinkers (at least most are) so it is hard to "teach" them about a person who they can not meet or physically see or meet. He knows how to pray but I don't know how much of this he is "getting". We will see how this next month goes. G is starting to cry more and doesn't seem to want to be apart of it. When we arrive at church he likes to go to our room, but then signs "all done" and requests to go to the auditorium. Hopefully things will change but if not that is ok too. Trying new things are not always easy or go as we plan them. We just have to keep trying and trying and hopefully we will find something that works!

G is also growing like a weed! All of the pants I thought were going to be huge this year, are definitely not! They fit perfectly now, so we will see if they will last the whole season or not! It is fun to see him begin to catch up to his peers....well not really. But at least the gap between is getting shorter :)

First preschool field trip

2011-09-16T15:23:00.001-05:00

Sister's first field trip was to our local zoo. We have a membership there and take frequent trips there. However, she has never gone to her favorite place with all of her school friends! Let me tell you should was just excited beyond belief! She kept saying "I didn't know ALL of my friends are coming to the zoo too!" It was pretty fun. The day was a bit overcast and rainy, so some of the animals weren't very active. But we did get to see some babies which is always fun!

Zebra's are one of her favorite animals. Several of the little boys in the class can mimic those sounds pretty amazing!

I love this picture of these two girls sharing a moment while looking at the Okapi's. They have became pretty close friends. Preschool relationships are so much fun to watch. I am blessed to be involved with my children and their school functions!

We finished our zoo trip with a picnic. The rain stopped just long enough to let us get to the coolers and unpack all the foods and run to the shelter. It was pretty fun! I can now say I have had a true zoo picnic with my four year old.

Some new things

2011-08-31T14:41:00.004-05:00

School has started up and we are in full swing with our new schedules. We also added a children's bible time. Neither one has ever been apart of a children's ministry before (besides Sunday School each week at church).
I wanted to take the kids' picture after our first night of Awana's:

Both kids really enjoyed it! It will be interesting to see how brother does with two hours of unstructured or semi structured time. Time will tell!

I couldn't help but take this picture of G the other night. He is such a fun guy to have around. He still loves to be pushed in the stroller! We always joke around here that he might be a teenager and still want to go for a ride :)

While he refers to be pushed around or ride a bike, sister prefers sports. She loves to play kickball (not quite soccer yet), golf, and tee ball. Next Spring and Summer we will be testing the waters with youth sports! But until then we will refine her skills. I snagged this "rocket shoot" at our annual neighborhood garage sale for a couple bucks. Man does she love this! She is starting to get more confident and upping the anty; she has started to jump on the launcher instead of stomping it. But it is quite hilarous to watch! So far so good, no wipe outs!

The kids are really enjoying the cooler temperatures around here. We are outside as much as we can before or after school wihle the temps are reasonable. G also recently shown and interest in the riding lawnmower. He hasn't been sure of them for years, but now doesn't seem afraid of the loud sounds. Ours is on its last leg, but it still runs so that provides some extra fun while doing yardwork.

So far brother has really enjoyed being in school all day. He does get tired in the afternoons, and his data isn't "on" like it is in the morning, but we kinda knew that already. Sister is really doing great as well. She loves going to school on MWF, but is starting to wish she could go to school everyday like her big brother. I would not have guessed she would like it as much as she does. The PreK program seemed so intense but now, I am second guessing myself. Ah, the joys of parenting!

First day of preschool

2011-08-23T15:09:00.002-05:00

E was so excited for her first day of school! It was very hard for her to watch brother go to school last week and know she had a few more days to wait. But on her special day, she slept great. Woke up in such a great mood. The hardest part is waiting until its time to leave. She is in half day afternoon preschool three days a week. She knows after lunch, it's all "cake". Here are just a few of my favorite pictures reflecting her first day of preschool at our church:

(hanging her bag up was major fun)

I stuck around a bit to see how she was going to do. To my surprise they picked a friend to take home their class "pet". The kids picked the name Curious George for their pet Monkey! It just so happened that her name was picked first! Words can not describe how excited she was to get to put this in her cubby to take home:

Here she is after three long hours of playing and learning. Of course she couldn't wait to show Curious George off.

Congratulations my baby girl! You are going to have a great school year! We are so proud of you :)

All day school isn't so bad!

2011-08-19T14:32:00.004-05:00

Here is how the first week of first grade went down:

After a few rough days he is adjusting to being at school all day long. It is the first time he has been away for me for this long, but we are taking everything in stride. We have tried several different pick up/drop off routines and we think we have found a good one. Stay tuned!

First Grade

2011-08-18T10:17:00.001-05:00

Brother's first day of 1st grade didn't start out like we had hoped. He was very excited as we were walking in, but when it was time for Momma to go home G feel apart. He ran away from his teacher (for a brief moment and then came right back to her) and lots of screaming. I mean his classroom is a the end of the hall pretty far away from the front doors of the school. I heard him screaming all the way down the long hall and out the front doors. I then looked in my purse to find all of his medications that are required at school. So I had to walk back in and visit with the nurse. The entire time I was doing that....you guessed it....he was still crying/screaming! It was gut wrenching that is for sure.

I know it will be a huge adjustment because in all the years of preschool and last year of kindergarten, brother has NEVER attended school in the morning. This in fact is the first time he has not had therapy with me or a ABA therapist in the morning since he was three years old. Change is always hard and there will be a learning curve. Hopefully his first week of school will go off without a hitch!

Speaking of G, here he is:

Ready for school with his best friend in the world

Official stats

2011-08-14T12:40:00.001-05:00

The kids finally had their well child check ups. As suspected I have to healthy children, which I am so blessed to have! Brother's visit was par for the course. We have not seen this doctor in almost a year because we have been healthy. So the first thing out of the doctors mouth, is How is everything going? Well doc, my kid is still non verbal, not potty trained and we are on a no sleep pattern for a good 5 days now....so my response "overall we are doing great! (with a big smile on my face). He is shocked and says ok well tell me how he is eating for you...and then goes on with the normal visit. I enjoy taking the kids to this particular doctor for many reasons but when it comes to anything related to his autism, I lothe it. I haven't found that wonderful doctor that truely understands what life is like. Thankfully life is good here and I honestly don't have any complaints or worries at all.

Sister is next and is beyond excited to be at the doctor! She is ready to let the doc look in her ears and nose, and stick out her tongue! She is a hoot that is for sure. For her, doctors are either very good or very bad. She has a vivid memory and does not like certain offices because she has had a bad experience in one before. Her healthy report : VERY WELL CHILD. Literally he wrote that in all caps on her physical for preschool! I laughed to myself and said a little prayer. I have never gotten a report like that from a doctor. It's a nice change that is for sure.

Both kids are still allergic to milk and eggs. G is allergic to wheat which requires an epi-pen. Both kids are on Allergra, Nasonex, and inhalers for allergies. The pediatrician said he did not feel brother was allergic to soy or corn. We are have been giving him foods with soy in it but usually its the oil or lecthin. Neither child needed any vaccines which is a huge relief. I am still praying about my decision on vaccines for E. I am afraid if I choose not to do them we will not be able to see our current doctor. I have tried to chance for awhile now but due to insurance limitations it's been rather difficult to find one that is taking new patients. I continue to pray about it and know it will all work out in the end.

As the doctor left our room, he just looked at me with a smile on his face and said "Good job Mom! You have done so well over the years and your kids are both so healthy! Kudos to you" And with that, we packed up and left. Hopefully we won't be back to that office until next August!

G's official stats are: age 6, height 3'8.75" which is the 10th percentile and weight 44 pounds which is 21st percentile.

E's official stats are: age 4, height 3'4.25" which is the 75th percentile and weight is 39 pounds which is 77th percentile.

Now one thing I notice is brother is really tiny for his age and sister is a BIG girl! E is a brand new four year old, so her percentiles are amazing because this includes kids who are at the "half way" mark or are almost 5! G is on his own little curve. The doctor just laughs and reminds me each time he started out barely on the chart for a full term baby and has continued on every since. He said unless we stops growing all together, I have nothing to worry about! What a relief!

Today is my last day with G before he is all grown up! He starts first grade tomorrow. I am positive this Mommy is more anxious than he is! I know he will do great at school all day and it will benefit him so much. I just wish he had some way to tell me about his day. Since he is nonverbal I have no clue on many aspects of his day. Thankfully he continues this year with the same staff and para's as last year. The only expection is a new first grade teacher. More on that soon!

What we have been up to

2011-08-13T11:00:00.001-05:00

I realized this week I have been neglecting my blog. I create posts and then never seem to publish them! I will try and do better. Things have been going pretty good around here. Busy but good. Which means I have been thoroughly enjoying summer break!

Here are several updates I have:
*School starts for brother this coming Monday! I am not sure where summer went but it can come back anytime! (minus the insane heat we have had)
*both kids did very well in swim lessons but neither passed on to the next level. G's instructor was SO amazing with him. She enjoyed him very much and said he "caught on to swimming very quick!" which as you can imagine warmed my heart to know others enjoy having him around. E didn't pass to the next level because she needs a little more work on her back stroke. She is very close though!
*I was not able to take my summer classes as scheduled which put a chance into my fall semester. I still think I will enjoy all my classes. I have a total of 14 hrs this time around.
*I have taken up running. I am serious this time. I run 3 times a week for at least 3 miles each time. I am probably never going to be able to run a marathon like I imagined but I am ok with that. I am however already enrolled in several 5 and 15K races as well as a half marathon this year!!! Who would have ever guessed I would love running.
*Cale is doing well with his weight loss journey too. He loves biking almost everyday and he is doing a different run plan so I think he runs 3 times a week. He has lost over 40 pounds now! Way to go honey!
*G is trying to TALK! Yep, I didn't make a mistake there. He has this iPad app which is a Starfall product and we love it. There is a part while working on letters, where it says "I am a boy" and he can now make the /b/ sound! We are thrilled beyond belief as his parents. He also has not lost any sounds which is also the big thing!
*Cale and I have been enjoying music theatre this summer season again. We really cherish getting out and seeing some great shows! I can't wait for next summer season.
*The kids got a clean bill of health this year at their well child check ups!

All is good here at the Warden camp!

Just pictures

2011-07-26T10:45:00.000-05:00

Pictures from Elise's actual birthday. We love you sweet girl and so proud of you! Gannon must have known it was your special day because you guys played so well together. I am one lucky Momma

Someone turns 4!

2011-07-25T22:14:00.001-05:00

E told me for months that she wanted a "undersea" party. I thought it would be fun to let her come with me to order her birthday cake. Of course once we get there, underwater goes right out the window! She choose this:

Yes my sweet little girl wanted a Cars cake isntead. And did NOT want it to say Happy Birthday, just her name! So of course that is what we did :)

She was very excited about turning four years old this year because she wants to go to preschool with her friends who are a little older. You have to be 4 years old before August 1st. So she barely made it. Thankfully we were on a waiting list for this preschool year. We have a spot for T/TH but really would like MWF. So time will tell! E didn't really request much for her birthday this year so we didn't splurge more then we should have this year.

Sister is ALL about playing good "old fashion" games. She has been asking for HI-ho Cherry-o and Hungry hippos for months! I see a lot of gaming time in our future.

By far I think her favorite present was her beloved PIrates of the Carribean Lego DS game. Watch out boys, you might have a mess on your hands with this one!

Loving on her sweet Grandma!

E's food allergies are getting better and better. She is still allergic to eggs and dairy but not life threatning like her brothers. So we allowed her to have a taste of REALLY good cake for a change. She actually has not had any milk or egg products since her first birthday.... she is getting super excited:

I was a bit nervous allowing her to have the cake, but my gut said "let her!" It wasn't going to kill her. Well she must have had her own reservations even though she was very excited, she took a few nibbles of frosting (enought to color her mouth up a bit) and called it quits!

She was much more interested in playing with her new Lightening McQueen and Mater toppers! So there you have it. Happy 4th Birthday Miss E! We love you and are blessed to be your parents!

Swimming and a special trip

2011-07-22T21:12:00.002-05:00

Swimming lessons end tomorrow. I was planning on enrolling the kids in the lessons year round, but I have having second thoughts. They have done so good with them this summer I wanted to continue the routine. However, after considering how busy we are going to be in the Fall I just don't think it will work out. We are starting several different things at church which we have never done before that involves at least one late night in the week. This summer has been interesting to say the least and Cale and I both noticed it is hard on the kids running from place to place all day and swim on top of that.

Sister's birthday is Sunday. We have a music theatre performace to attend the evening, so we decided to have her party after swim lessons. When I say party, I really don't mean that at all. We are kinda low key around here. Several of Cale's family has moved away and schedules are very full during this season of life, so we thought it would be fun to have a special time with Grandma Kilgore. It started today, a trip to Towne East Mall. G and I are both allergic to animals especially cats. So I am pretty confident in saying we probably will never have a real live dog or cat. This is why Build-a-Bear is SO fun! Sister loves stuffed animals and sleeps with ALL of them every night. So what better reason to go get a special someone! Grandma even came along with us to see what all this was about (she had never been before).

She is getting so excited because she is almost 4 years old AND is getting a new friend...

She is learning how to take care of her new friend. Not only do they get showers, but also combed!

What did she pick out? Why a puppy of course! She was very excited to meet her new friend and introduce them to all of the family. Grandma even decided to add in a few things for the birthday girl.

Sister is now a proud Mommy to "Weeny" and "baby Weeny". She even asked if we could go on a walk today because her puppy really needs to run and get some excercise! Oh my look out!

Misc. updates

2011-07-17T08:25:00.001-05:00

Brother is getting used to swimming lessons. His group is small but perfect for a first trial run. There are only 3 other kids in his class (instead of 5). It's big enough to practice waiting and taking turns which is very important for him. Here he is doing back scoops and kicking:

He is even getting brave enough to go under water mulitple times without coughing:

Sister's group is smaller this time around too AND she is the only girl in the group! It's pretty funny to watch these three kids together:

(they are discussing their next move)

E is not at the level of the other boys in her group but it has worked. She wants to be able to do what they do, so it has motivated her to get over some of her fears! Win-win for all involved

I have noticed that brother seems to be getting taller, so I decided to check on their growth. Here is the latest stats which do match up with their allergy doctor's figures too. They don't have well child check ups for a couple of weeks so it will be fun to see how much more they grow before school actually starts! Speaking of school, can you believe G starts school in less than one month! WOWzers, summer has flown bye!

brother at 6 and half years old: 45 pounds - 25th percentile

46 inches - 26th percentile

Sister at almost 4 yrs old: 38 pounds - 70th percentile

42 inches - 95th percentile

Both kids are healthy as horses! Life is good :)

Our July 4th

2011-07-15T08:24:00.001-05:00

We are not like the average family especially around holidays. The weather has been very hot and dry this summer so I was worried with shooting off fireworks. Most of the really cool exciting ones were not allowed anyways. So we decided to not even try. Both kids usually go to sleep around 7pm. We let them stay up a little later ever once in awhile but is only til 8pm. Sunset is closer to 9pm these days so it just wasn't in the cards. Our kids are still a bit too young to truely "get" the fun of the Fourth of July. So we are taking advantage of it and just enjoying them. We did fill up the pool and have some fun though:

Brother's swimming lessons are really paying off! He is becoming so confident in the water and it has really made a difference.

Grandma Marlene came over for a BBQ. It was a fun filled day even without the fireworks!

Another year older

2011-07-14T22:52:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is my official birthday. I won't call it a mid life crisis because there is no crisis but I have this urge (I have no idea where it came from) to get in shape. I have been doing at home workouts which really do work for most of the year. But I am talking truely in shape, like a runner in shape. I have a dream to run a half/full marathon for G. There are 2 "autism runs" I would love to take part of someday but I am just not in shape enough to even try at this point. Cale and I have been talking about ways to get in shape. Sure diet and excerise work wonders, but we want more. He has started his weight loss journey and is doing really well! We have completely changed the way we eat as parents. Complete with counting calories and weighing our food. It's working because my lovely hubby is dropping at least 2 pounds a week (his goal) and is really building up stamina while he works out. I have not taken it this far...until today. I find it ironic that tomorrow is my birthday and I am boarderline freaking out. So I got a new pair running shoes and got out and stretched my legs.

I have never been a runner. Gymnasts don't really require long distance type of running so I never had conditioned for one. Granted I am not a gymnast today, but in my past I have never ran over a mile. That all changed today! I got in the zone and just ran. Kinda of like Forrest Gump....and I am not kidding. I thought I was going to die my first mile (which to my surprise I didn't even have to stop before I reached my first mile), but I kept on and things started to change. My breathing started to calm down from being anxious and excited to this is really happening. Next thing I know I am at a little over 3 miles! I took a busy route as my first for two reasons. 1) in case I fall or die, someone will see me (not kidding I thought about that) 2) motivation. I know people here in my area and I really didn't want to look silly out there. It worked! I ran just over 5 miles! My total time was just over 1 hr and 15 minutes which included walking the last half mile for a total 5.74 miles.

Needless to I was very proud of myself! Here's to another year full of opportunities!

Wildlife Park

2011-07-08T08:49:00.001-05:00

Before we left for New Mexico, we decided to do something special, just the four of us. It was warm, but not unbareable. There is a special "hands on" zoo here that we have never been to before. My friend had her wedding reception there but it was rainy so we didn't get to explore it at all. On Wednesday's they are open later than normal and kids are free with paying adults...so this was a win-win situation all around! Here is the kids' first adventure at Tanganyika Wildlife Park:

Brother wasn't in the best of mood once we got there, so I didn't get any good ones of him sadly. He enjoyed parts of it, but he was frustrated with me since I wouldn't let him play on the playground (the equipment was way too hot since we didn't get there til late afternoon/evening).

E got to ride her first real horse! This was definitely her highlight of her life so far (according to her)

G did really enjoy seeing the animals closer then usual!

The kids and I just loved these little babies! It was fun to learn about them. We had no idea that this particular bread LOVES the heat! Who knew?

The kids were able to feed the Lemors:

We tried to feed the giraffes in the beginning of our trip. We let a family go in front of us to be nice since we might take longer then usual with our kids. However, I had no idea when it was our turn next, the giraffes were going to take a nap instead and go lay down! Needless to say in the beginning, I had two upset children!

My sweet girl LOVES the camara!

And then we stumbled upon this little guy! Oh my does Elise love red pandas!

E was also brave enough to climb into the rabbit/turtle exhibit! I wasn't sure how she would do at first but she was pumped! G was NOT wanting to get near the animals. She spent our remaining coins feeding these guys lots and lots of lettuce! You would be shocked to see how fast these turtles can move! I mean they are fast like bunnies...no joke! It was some kind of Africian breed which are land turtles and the employee said they are actually very fast! Who knew :)

Everytime she bent down to feed a cute little bunny, the biggest turtle in the bunch came a running! It was very funny. I won't lie though, I was a nervous wreck! I knew they would get her if I wasn't careful. The employee ended up kinda blocking him so she could feed the bunnies until it was her turn to feed him! Such a different experience.

We made our way back to the front area and tried the giraffes again...this time it was a successful feed!

Poor brother wasn't in the mood for the giraffe to take his time and enjoy the lettuce! He literally shoved it into his mouth!!! Cale and I were cracking up along with about ten other people who were waiting to feed as well. Oh we all had a good laugh! The employee at this exhibit just laughed and said "I have never seen that before!" He was a really nice guy who explained these giraffes are funny. They enjoy being feed by humans, however do not like when they are touched..really at all by other people! Turns out, they didn't mind G at all. I honestly think it's his personality. He is so calm and very slow to movement, much different from the average kid. I have always been shocked how the animals just walk up to him.

This was our first time there so needless to say the kids got the "full experience". We spent ten dollars to get the coins which allowed the kids to feed the animals. We really did have a great time, however it is more expensive than our normal zoo which we are members of. I understand the difference though. We won't become a member there, but it was a good change up!

Brother's first swim lesson

2011-07-06T08:43:00.035-05:00

After much discussion we jumped in feet first with brother. Our local YMCA does have offer several different special needs programs, however none of them fit us. I spoke with the aquatics director several times and we came to a conclusion...there is always a first time for everything! See, they offer swimming lessons during the school year only for special needs. However I wanted him to experience them like his peers. The YMCA is pro-inclusion so we decided to try something new. Apparently no parent has asked to for their child to be included in a regular swim lesson if the child is severely delayed! I was shocked but excited all the same. Cale and I feel much more comfortable if one of us was in the water with him and not a volunteer. I assured the instructor I wouldn't be upset if he/she thought it was too hard to have him apart of the normal youth swim class.

I was not sure how he would do because he isn't the best waiter and he has never been in this type of enviornment. He knows what the YMCA is and he knows he gets to swim. But free swim and lesson are complete opposites! G proved to me once again, to never under estimate him! He did perfectly! One of the kids in his class who is a couple years older then him, knew what autism was and completely understood that he is "different" but a "cool kid". Of course I was a proud Momma!

So what did he do for 45 minutes: first off he didn't even fuss or cry once! We practiced blowing bubbles which is by far the hardest thing to teach my little guy:

We practiced floating and trusting a lifeguard/teacher:

We practiced correct kicking moves:

We practiced BIG scoops and little scoops:

We practiced swimming with a float/kicking device.

I spoke with the instructor before and after the class. She said she would love to have brother come back each week and we will just keep working on what we can. She said he fit right in and has some great emerging skills!!! Man does this kid have a proud Momma and Dad!

New Mexico wrap up

2011-07-05T08:10:00.001-05:00

Everyday we were gone sister looked forward to calling her Daddy and seein' what was going on at home and talk to her brother. So here is her one morning before going out and about all day long!

Sunday was a true family day. We spent the entire day at my Aunts vacation home. All four of the houses we had were truely amazing! They each were well equiped and had plenty to keep you busy.

Swimming all day along with playing with family truely wears a girl out! E asked to have some rest time and watch a movie on her ipad. Literally after the opening credits this is what I found:

In between swimming and playing pool or ping pong, she made time for craft time! That Aunt Jan always comes prepared! All the kids were able to make jewelry to take home. E was very proud of hers!

All of the cousins had a great idea to get all of our children to line up in true stair step form....

yeah, it didn't work out too well but we had a great time trying and launghing at all the great grandchildren and great great grandchild!

Here what was literally in our backyard! Not too shabby huh? Too bad it is SO hot there, we could not live there again. My cousin told me it just hasn't been the same the last four years there in Albuquerque. In fact it has been so dry they have not experienced a rain shower in years...thats right YEARS! It's just so sad to see everything so dry!

It was time to say goodbye, which is always hard. The sunset and our family trip was coming to a close. Our flight left so early in the morning we weren't able to join everyone else for breakfast the next day. E has a special place in her heart for her cousins. They live in Arizona, so we have no idea when we will see them next. God will find a way to reunite us thought. He is faithful and we are truely blessed to have such wonderful family members!

That sums up our trip to New Mexico!

New Mexico part 3

2011-07-03T08:32:00.000-05:00

Saturday morning we started our trek up into the mountains. We had a picnic first as an entire family...over 35 of us in fact! It was our first New Mexico style picnic. Elise was in heaven! Good food and even better fellowship time. Here is Elise and her cousin Brody sharing a bite of lunch.

After a quick bite to eat it was time to test out the creek. Now we are from Kansas, and we have lived a very sheltered life. Needless to say Elise had never seen any of this before. She played the "princess" role to a tee. She was NOT sure what the whole sandy/dirt water and rocks were all about. I set my reservations aside and just let her be a kid.

My little princess didn't believe me she wouldn't melt or shrivel up because of sandy water. After a good five minutes of conviencing by several family members, she finally broke away and had a blast!

Well, that was until she found out what slim and algae are about. She took a swim...literally and got completely soaked. She took this fall in true princess fashion as well...it was pretty cute! Thankfully she received comfort from other cousins who also found the slippery rocks and were soaked as well.

She recovered like a champ and went back exploring with her "sisters". I am so happy Elise was able to try new things and come to accept them like every other kid. It did my heart good to watch relationships bloom right before my eyes.

I think we could have spent the entire day right here. It was really the perfect spot to have with such a large crowd like we had. This particular area was very clean. No trash to speak of, no glass, just a perfect spot for 20 plus kids to step away from technology and just be kids!

Elise and I learned so many life long lessons on this special day. I hope we won't forget them!

Last update to come!

New Mexico part 2

2011-07-01T08:57:00.005-05:00

Remembering my Grandma and Grandpa Spence was the sole purpose of this New Mexico trip. Their wish was to have their ashes spread somewhere in the Jemez Mountains. So of course their four children wanted to grant their wish. So we were able to get almost every member of the family our to celebrate their lives here on earth. I don't mind saying at all, they might have been the best example of love I have ever seen personally. They had a solid marriage and were so happy and full of knowledge! There isn't a day that passes that I don't think about them and how I wish both of my children were able to meet them in person.

All of the great grandchildren were able to hold a flower of their choice while we had the "service"

She doesn't really do well at this kind of stuff. I can understand though, especially when you are in a park area up in the mountains.

Sister wasn't the only one though. Pretty much all of the children under the age of five struggled. Stands to reason it was a long day before we even got up to the mountain area. Here J and E are catching pinecones. It was a game these two made up to pass the time. It was SO cute watching them.

The area where we spread the ashes was perfect! I will never forget where they are. It was beyond hot that day, but as you climb thousands of feet up a mountain it does cool off to an enjoyable temperature. Once we came into the park area we wanted, we then hicked up a bit to the area we knew was "the spot". Hopefully one day I will be able to take the rest of the family up to that area. It really is beautiful! I think brother and Daddy would have really enjoyed it on a much smaller scale.

More to come!

New Mexico part 1

2011-06-23T08:53:00.001-05:00

I had forgotten just how beautiful New Mexico was. I feel like since I have had children, my brain has turned into mush (at least a little). It has been seven years since we lived in Albuquerque, but it feels like way more! We arrived in Albuquerque on Friday morning. We visited with lots of family throughout the day before going to an amazing resturant. One of my grandparents favorite. Saturday morning it was a trip up to the mountains to have a celebration/rememberance of Grandma and Grandpa Spence lives. I will share more on that soon. On the way down the mountain (going a different way) we stopped at a special spot to several family members. My grandparents used to live in Los Alamos and Albuquerque so we are very familiar with this area. This is one of the places we stopped:

In over 40 years of visiting this spot, my Aunt has never seen water in the tiny stream throughout this area. However, last saturday we in fact did see water running through. It was beautiful!

(excuse her and her pose. I asked her to stand by the fence so I could take her picture along with the scenery in the background....)

We continued our journey down the mountain. As we were getting closer and closer to Santa Fe, we realized there was a forest fire just above it. I have never seen this in person and I tell ya, it's amazing and awful all the same. From far away, I thought I was taking pictures of a volcano errutption, not a fire. But as we got closer and closer, my heart saddened.

* a side note: While driving through and down the mountain, we saw damage from previous fires in the area. It was awful to look at. Such beauty destroyed and to never be the same again is SO sad.

This picture is a zoomed in picture of the top of the smoke cloud. It was whiter then snow!

Here is a picture on the edge of the Santa Fe (we just started into the city limits). The wind started picking up as we came into the city and the flames became surreal. I didn't take any more pictures after this. It was so sad to see the redish/pink flames taking over. We also saw a few planes surveying the area. I hope all is not lost after this fire.

Here is the best picture I took while driving through the mountains near Los Alamos and Santa Fe. It was SO pretty. I didn't take many because we were just soaking up the area. Just beautiful I tell ya!

Sunday was our last day together as a family. We decided to spend it semi relaxed- by the pool of course! Our family of 35 plus, rented 3 different vacation homes. This was my Aunt Nancy's house we rented and shared Sunday with. It was big enough for all of us to hang out comfortably in ironically. So these pictures literally are what we saw in our own backyard:

I was SO excited to capture a New Mexico sunset on our last night there. They go by so fast (in minutes) and we had been to busy or tired the other nights. God's timing is perfect I tell ya. I learned alot and grew spiritually this past weekend. I am blessed beyond measure.

Week 2 of swim lessons

2011-06-20T10:58:00.007-05:00

I gambled when I picked sister's swim class out. We opted for the 2 week session. She has never been in a "class" setting before so I figured she was going to need lots of repetition. Her class has been Monday thru Thursday mornings for 45 minutes each day. This by far was the best thing we could have done for her this summer. We swim several times a week if not everyday. She has become so confident in herself not only in the water but outside. Man, wish I knew this a year ago!

Here she is: my new and improved little swimmer

The kids now swim the distance (with help of course) across the family pool. Once to the deep end, they jump in:

and then swim back across the pool. Her arms are getting stronger and stronger.

Then we prep for the back stroke. This is by far toughest. She isn't too sure but each day gets more and more comfortable.
Getting ready for "back scoops"

I can't wait to see how much she improves the rest of the week. Thursday is her last day. This was money well spent. She has really been a wonderful girl these past few weeks. Showing respect and love to her brother and other family members. Sure, some of these changes could be because she is approaching four years of age. Whatever it is, I am blessed beyond words!

Just a little work to break up our day

2011-06-17T08:59:00.003-05:00

Since it is summer after all, I try not and push worktime too much. Brother was in a great mood the other day however, so working was definitely happening:

We are working on associations with him. In the above picture he is working on dressing a little boy and girl. Somthing he struggles with is being able to dress the person in a random order. G is much more accurate starting from head to toe. If I throw him a curve ball it's rather hard. I think he can get it by the end of the summer though.

E needs extra work on fine motor skills. Her little hand muscles are a little weak so everytime we do arts and crafts I do we are just going to help her out in the long run. I have ordered some special scissors that brother's OT said would be best. Hopefully they will come in soon. Both kids struggle with cutting so I am glad we can work on that over the summer break.

Results

2011-06-16T13:43:00.004-05:00

The other day after swim lessons I decided to pick up a tree branches in the front yard. E helped in the beginning....but then quickly moved on. The help was appreciated while it lasted :)

She thought it was a better idea to get my camara out...

She immediately starting posing and saying "ok, take it....NOW"

Needless to say I am her number one fan! I do love this girl oh so much.

In other news, I received her allergy test results today. Nothing new to report on her. Verdict is she is not allergic to animals now, too bad big brother is though. All enviornmental stuff is ok too. Doctor's orders are to remain on the same path we are and then she will need to have a repeat of all testing in 12 months (just in case something changes). Elise is to continue on a milk free and egg free diet. At least I can celebrate nothing is worse and her 2 allergies are the same as Gannon. Thankfully, she is not allergic to wheat (thank goodness because she loves popcorn shrimp). I am so relieved because prior years showed she was a little sensative to it.

My cooking is much easier these days! Her breakfast of choice is a whole wheat (regular sized) bagel-plain and untoasted. She loves her veggies and fruits just as much as she loves her meat. E is a bit pickier then G, but not nearly as bad as I was as a kid! I call that a win :) Since she has broaden her breakfast choices, that has allowed me to save my allergy free baked goods only for G (most days she still sneaks several pieces anyways). Snacks are also fairly easy. Brother prefers Momma's homemade stuff while E prefers cashews. At least I am not cooking several solid days now. I kinda feel lucky!

Bottom line is that we are definitely never adding milk into our diets (as in cow's milk). It upsets my stomach every time and has my entire life. So I am not surprised my kids are allergic as well. I would love to be able to cook with eggs again, but the kids' health is much more important than my convience.

Sister's first swimming lessons

2011-06-14T16:26:00.005-05:00

The kids are starting to really enjoying going to our local YMCA to swim daily. Since safety is very important to Cale and I, we decided no time like the present to get the youngest in swimming lessons. G doesn't have a fear of the water like she does, so thats why we enrolled her first (and the added social is a plus). Sister's first day was overall pretty good. She had a few issues but nothing that was major. Her lesson is only 45 minutes which is a perfect amount for a 3 year old. Here are some highlights of yesturday:

Warming up with a little song and blowing bubbles:

next: fish faces and to silly like fishy in the water

next up: kicking into the deeper area

and of course while waiting our turn to swim, you had to practice your "scoop" arms

I too way too many pictures yesturday. Almost one a minute...oops! Some that I didn't post included where they practiced back kicks, splashing, and more blowing bubbles. E's group of kids are the beginners. None of the kids really feel comfortable go under the water or putting their faces in the water. I should have gotten her in lessons a long time ago. I have no good excuses because we live like five minutes from the Y and they have kidzone which is like super cheap daycare while you use the facilities.

I am happy to report today's lesson was 100% better then day 1. She knew what was expected of her and did fabulous! Today they worked on stuff they did yesturday as well as the back stroke (arm motions), they went into the "way deep parts", and floating. E's instructor told me she has good muscles but has to learn how to use them. She is very tense when she gets nervous (aka: floating) so it makes it a little difficult. Today however she did so much better when getting splashed in the face :) It was topped off when she said afterwards she was proud of herself for not crying and staying with her friends!

Well babygirl, Mommy and Daddy are SO proud of you too!

Allergy results

2011-06-11T08:10:00.005-05:00

Brother has been on a allergy diet for over two years now. We originally had IgE testing done here locally but after mixed results we decided to seek medical advice out of state. Since then we have been in contact with a naturapathic doctor in Texas. After about six months of eating allergy free we noticed even more issues with him. So she did a complete work up on him. After those results came back we ended up removing over 18 major things from his diet. It was hard but not awful. His meal choices, snacks, and breakfast's became very predictable and he started refusing to eat. Since I didn't have any options to add things in, I was kinda at a loss. I became to challenge one thing at a time. First I tried rice. It was a no go along with everything else I had challenged. So we let the ND in Texas know, and she ordered new supplements and put us back on the strick diet. That has been awhile ago now and at the end of the school year I noticed just how much brother missed out on things because he can't touch ANYTHING normal. Being allergic to soy, corn, rice, wheat, peas, apples, grapes, milk, and eggs are in everythign it seems! So I emailed the ND and asked her if there is any way to rechallenge the diet in a different way or have him retested altogether. She recommended doing both.

About a month ago is when I started challenging the diet. First we went and purchased a special enzyme to help him digest gluten/casein. Anytime he came in contact or we suspected cross contamination I gave him the supplement. We gave him gluten a total of 3 times. The first time wasn't as bad, but the last two times were down right awful and scary! I was not brave enough to try and introduce milk or eggs by themselves. The only thing that I have given the kids that had eggs, milk, and wheat in it was Hungryjack pancake mix. I noticed a rash but nothing major and didn't think too much of it because the kids ate a ton (as did my hubby). After the last gluten reaction I was done! No more trying anything until we get lab testing done. We saw our local allergist within 2 days and she was also very concerned with these new developments. She ordered a huge panal on him checking for everything I could think of and then rechecking the basic stuff such as trees, pets, grasses, and mold.

I received the full report yesturday. I always ask for a copy of the entire reports to be mailed to me since we do travel out of state and I also just like to have a record for myself. There was a coversheet the doctor added which was highlighted and had doctor scribbles all over it. Stating he was "off the charts" with eggs and wheat! I was shocked because for almost 3 years I thought he had Celiacs disease which is autoimmune, actually completely different from a true allergy. After reviewing all the documents she wrote a script for him to carry an Epi-pen with him at all times! She said his results show this is a true, serious allergy that warrents this. I went in and had an update on how to give the shot so I feel comfortable giving it to him if the occasion arises and I need to.

Brother is going to steer clear of:

No wheat

No whole eggs, egg whites, or egg yolks

No cow's milk

Soy did show up but was low

Cat was also pretty high. Which is fine, I am not a cat person.

Dog was ok this time.

All grasses seem to be ok too.

Corn, rice, peas, apples, grapes, and pears all showed no result which is awesome!!! I am super excited to be able to use applesauce as a egg replacer! Rice, oh how I have missed you!

I knew I would get these results anyday now, so when we went grocery shopping as a family this week I checked out what all is out there locally for gluten free people. Boy am I pumped!!! We have never been able to buy store bought anything (even labeled gluten free) since he was suppose to stay away from corn and rice. I feel like a whole new world has opened up for him and I am can't wait to start trying new stuff!

I feel like being wheat free and egg free is pretty darn easy! I dont' even count milk as an issue because I have had problems with cow's milk my entire life and I am over 30 years old. Sister also suffers from severe issues related to milk too. I realize being gluten free has it's down sides but going from so strict I feel blessed! Blessed my son has a whole relm of new choices to choose from!

A huge plus. Fruit. Up until now, I could only give him strawberries and pineapple once a week. We have the clearence now to let him eat! Eat whatever he wants whenever. No more rotation diet's around here. I am changing things up but honestly I will never stop living this new lifestyle. My family has ate very healthy for almost two years now and it has shown. We eat lots of organic foods meat included, fresh fruits and veggies. We almost never go to fast food places because it's too risky. We do occasionally go to Applebee's as a family treat after church, but we never do that more than once a month (if we are lucky). I love knowing exactly what my kids are eating and most things are preservative free and food coloring free. Just gives this Momma peace of mind.

So here's to a new beginning for my little guy! So proud of you son. You bless me so much and I am SO proud to cook for you :)

Out with the old...

2011-06-08T16:12:00.004-05:00

...in with the new! We ended up getting a new pool because the kids have outgrown there pool from last year. We went and picked up a new one that will be more comfortable for everyone.

I think it's a hit!

Looks like this summer is going to be even better!

Growing and new developments

2011-06-06T17:04:00.003-05:00

The kids' have really been struggling with food lately. Both I felt were having allergy issues due to the crazy wind and the cotton that has been floating around in the air. Turns out, not so much. We have also been challenging brother's food allergies. We have made our run around with doctor appointments including the gastro, asthma/allergist, and regular pediatrician. All agree I have some very special kids! Ones who defy the odds. Apparently most children outgrow their asthma and/or food allergies by 5 years of age. He is 6 and half now, sister will be 4 next month. It has been two years since we had a full panel done on each kid. Last week Gannon had his IgE blood testing done for allergies and sister had her's the other day. Brother's appointment was really not noteworthy (which is rare). We reviewed his current medications and then went to have the blood work done. The doctor is going to mail me a full report including all test results. Hers on the other hand had some new insights. Apparently her night coughing is not just allergies or a cold. It is she has developed asthma! Ugh...another kid bites the dust. So now, all four in the family have enviornmental allergies, three of us have food allergies and asthma! Some things I wish were NOT inherited, but I degress there is nothing I can do but wish my kids good luck and manage their issues.

I am hoping to have a full report from the allergist for both kids in a week or two. The current stats for G and E are as follows:

G: 44.6 inches tall (10th percentile)

44 lbs (25th percentile)

E: 42 inches tall (85th percentile)

38 lbs (75th percentile)

As you can tell they are not starving by any means :) Both kids are actually going through a growth spurt which is always fun! G has always been so tiny (well he still is I guess) but it's a good change of pace when people say "brother is really growing up!" .

Just a side note:

Things we have challenged in G's diet includes:

rice

corn

eggs (in baked goods only)

wheat/gluten

casein(milk-baked goods only)

peas

soy

bananas

Organic bananas are definitely something we will never add in! He absolutely LOVES them, but they mess with his system too much. His reaction is he wakes up around 2am and then can't go back to sleep for several days at a time.

Milk was only in a pancake mix where you just add water. It had dried milk product in it. No major reaction was noted other than a slight rash on back of his arms and legs. I have NOT added in normal cow's milk due to my allergy as well as E.

Soy and Corn which have in the past marked worthy of an Epi-pen, seem to not have an impact at this time. He has had organic corn puffs ceral and whole kernal corn from the farmer's market and have not had any noteworthy reaction. Soy has been in stuff such as soy protein or soybean oil or soy lecthin, which to my understanding is pretty easy on the kids.

The major one is wheat. We were told G had celiac's disease a couple of years ago which prompted our journey with a GFCF diet. I am now thinking it was a false positive. Meaning he never truely had Celiacs disease. I do however believe he suffered from leaky gut. He can now tolerate so much more than he used to. Once we started slowly adding in gluten and wheat in baked things he tolerated it ok. Nothing major at first. No real behavioral changes and he slept like a champ! Every time we exposed G to wheat we have him an enzyme to help digest it. That was only just the beginning though. G's rash continued to get worse and worse all over his body slowly. Until about two weeks ago. We gave the kids fish sticks which of course were breaded with gluten/wheat. He had an immediate allergic reaction! It was scary. Cale and I of course thought it was the shellfish itself, not the breading. Next trial run was good ol' fashion chicken nuggets. Same reaction...disasterous! His reactions were in fact getting worse and worse. It effected not only his skin system but breathing. He started shaking, huge breakout of hives, along with a color issues and severe coughing. We used the Epi-pen and called the doctor. I contacted friends who also suffer from celiac's to see what is going on. Everything I had read indicated there is something else going on. I learned there are 3 stages of allegy issues. 1) Celiac's disease 2) Non celiac's disease gluten intolerance 3) Wheat allergy.

Time will tell, but my hunch is G's leaky gut has been fixed. What is left is true allergies. We have been able to add a few things in without any problems but are not testing anything else til we get these latest results back. If I could bet, I bed he has a true allergy to wheat. Like kids who have a peanut allergy. I will update more as soon as I find out.

Since mid last week, we have gone back to our normal diet (allergy free basically) and his rash is getting under control. His bowels are back to normal. His sleeping is hit and miss. Overall he is much happier! Hopefully it will continue :)

First week of summer in the books

2011-06-04T09:10:00.006-05:00

The weather has been pretty good this week to take advantage of breaking out last years pool. I personally felt the water was a bit too chilly straight from the hose, but the kids thought it was great! This week's activities included:

lots of pouring water in the pool and on our newly planted flowers thanks to sister and lots of splashing

celebrating summertime

and pure happiness

coupled with singing our favorite songs (well G hums)

and of course bouncing on a pool that apparently is too small!

Something that is never fails is using an old toy to measure the kids up against. Last years pictures of them swimming in this pool is SO different than this year. It's fun to see how much the kids have changed in a year. I do love this time of year. Hopefully we won't jump straight into 100 degree weather, but after all we do live in Kansas so anything is possible!

Here's to a great beginning of Summer 2011!

Re-arranging

2011-05-30T15:15:00.004-05:00

Our home isn't set up the best way especially for a special needs child. We have a three bedroom house, however they are not all on the same level. G's room has always been in the basement while the master and E's room is on the main level. Seeing how we still have nightly difficulties keeping him asleep it makes for a challenge to say the least. For years I have slept on one level while Daddy sleeps on the other level. A month ago I thought it might be fun to have the kids share a room. Being they are still so young I figured neither would mind, but before we did anything we talked to both of the kids. Sister was very excited about possibly sharing a room with her big brother. He is easy going anyways, but I did make a picture story and share it with him. We then went to the furniture store and test out the idea of bunk beds. They absolutely LOVED them! I mean, WOW! It was fun to watch them climb all over and lay beside eachother. After lunch we sat down and talked with the kids again about making the move. Cale and I decided it would best to do a month long test run prior to making such a financial commitment.

That afternoon (a couple weeks ago) we moved sister's bed downstairs into G's room. Her room upstairs is not big enough for 2 full size beds hince the reason we were wanting bunkbeds. The first night went great! The second night came with some minor bumps. They were way too excited to fall asleep. So I layed down with them and ten minutes later I had two sleeping babes! Gannon really seems to enjoy having his sister with him :)

We rearranged the room several times and have finally landed on this arrangment while we are trying out our test run:

(You can't tell by the pictures but these are taken around 9:30pm)

Here is the shot looking into the bedroom:

So far so good! The kids are doing great falling asleep together and not playing the entire time. I wish I would have done this a long time ago!

May crafts

2011-05-27T09:01:00.005-05:00

I have been neglecting our craft time lately. So here is my catch up post with all things craft.

Just a little aquadoodle time:

Ant hill by brother:
My little pizzaria:

Memory book

My little grad:

His milk stick from Mrs. C's room:

My ladybug man:

Last day of school

2011-05-26T09:33:00.007-05:00

Last week G had his special needs field day which was a disaster (for him). Cale and I weighed the pros and cons of the last week of school and decided it was best for him to stay home a couple days. Monday and Tuesday were full of field day activities and parties. ~~Wednesday~~ Yesturday was his endof the year party in his regular ed class with Mrs. C. I was informed the party was starting at 2:30pm. However when I arrived on time, I found that he was already "done" with the party and was back in Miss T's room. I stayed in Mrs. C's room for a bit to talk to the kids and see what they were planning on over summer break. After about fifteen minutes, still no brother. I decided to go down to his classroom and see what was going on. I was informed that G was DONE with Mrs. C's room and wanted nothing to do with the party and his friends/peers. He wasn't the only one in the room with Miss T; they in fact were having their own lil party....snack time! It was short lived, because as soon as he saw me, he put on his communication book "I want to be all done!". And with that, we left. G left school almost a full hour before everyone else. I was kinda bummed. I really wanted some pictures of him at his party. I then reflected on myselfish desires and remembered this is not about me, but my son. He isn't a party kinda guy, never has been. So this was par for the course, just bein' my regular 'ol buddy. I told Miss T that tomorrow on the last day of school I would stay the whole day in case he doesn't last long. I didn't want him being miserable at school.

Brother's last day of school looked like this:

pictures with sister before we head out:

I was super excited when Mrs. C asked G to be the flag holder! He has came so far since the beginning of the year. He may not understand the whole thing, but he enjoys himself during calander time which is important to me!

He is funny though, after they say the pledge of allegience, he wants to do it again instead of putting the flag up! It's quite funny :) Thankfully he has wondeful para's to help guide him where or what he should do next!

He uses pictures to help guide him through calander. I LOVE that Miss T has added this part in for him. While his friend is leading the class, he can follow along in his book. Here they are doing the days of the week:

Of course there is a FUN song to go along and all the kids sing along. He prefers to hum along :)

Next up: counting to the date. He needs hand over hand at this part but he is following along pretty well.

I have printed off all the sheets I need so we can do this type of calander each day here over the summer. Hopefully this will help him not forget what calander is and how is looks like. I will laminate the pages and get everything into a book and then report back!

G did pretty well for his last day of school. He lasted two outta the three hours! He did enjoy his independent time before going to music. Since it is the last day of school there is a lot of movie watching and free time. Most typical kids LOVE this...G not so much. During music they watched a movie which he was unintereseted in to say the least. This is where he spent all of his time:

All in all we had a wonderful kindergarten school year! I am looking forward to first grade ONLY for the fact he will get more help and have a full day. I think next school year will be much harder on me then him :)

Just like that, he is now officially a First grader!!!!

Communication

2011-05-23T08:07:00.004-05:00

A few years back I had asked our autism coordinator for the state to get a PECS book for G. That never happened and then we moved gears to the Tap to Talk Program. That worked well for a period of time via his Nintendo DS. We still have the DSi that we use occasionally but he by far prefers old fashion PECS or his iPad. While taking my clinical Autism course I have realized some limitations there are with technology (ie: the iPad). So after talking with my professor who is also a Doctor and has experience with children and adults with autism for many years, I decided to back away from technology with him.

G was first introduced to PECS(picture exchange communication system) when he was just two years old. He "got it" rather quickly I was told and that has been the main source of commuication ever since. He used PECS all throughout preschool. His autism teacher as well as the SLP worked really hard on taking him to the next step with PECS. I have had a home schedule for G as well as choice items for him for the past two years as well. He has always known where his PECS are located in the house. Thankfully my Autism course made me get observation hours in. I have eight hours in so far which is a great start! The course requirement was only two. But after talking with another autism specialist SLP she encouraged me to come observe more. After observing in a school setting (with more severe kids than G) I decided I wanted him to have a PECS book with him at all times. The next day I went to his school and told them my idea of having a PECS book at school and at home. She was very excited and agreed! The next Monday he had one. He has used it everyday since. Below is just an example of how the book can be used. This book is G's words, so if the book isn't there, he doesn't have a way to communicate without crying.

Easter egg hunt at school with his peers in Mrs. C's room:

(the book is under his SLP's arm in blue)

In the beginning the book was mainly used at snack time and in his regular ed class(since this can be a stressful situation). Here is his communicating with a para during snack:

(He has to request more snack or more drink each time for practice)

Here he is putting his sentence together:

Since then he has really taken off! I am so mad at myself for not making this happen years ago, but better late then never right!? :)

After talking with his teacher I decided I would order our own book instead of waiting til the end of school to have his current book. I went to the PECS online store and was thrilled when it arrived exactly three days after I ordered it!

It was surprisingly cheap and came with two seets along with velcro. I was beyond excited putting it together. I signed up for a free trial with Boardmaker so I could print off all the pictures I wanted in a thirty day period. My month ends this week, so you better believe I will be printing off more and more! I have also made sorting folders and task books since I can right now. For the last three weeks he has done SO good with his book here at home and at school. Here at home he knows, he really doesn't get any choices without using the book. If he is trying to communicate with us via shouting/crying we instruct him to get his book. This has been a lifesaver! G LOVES the fact we know exactly what he wants now. It is so much fun and I can't wait to see where this takes us.

He can now request everything in his book and use it appropiately. Just last night Cale thought he was going to reguest another show, but instead He said "I want help" I asked him what he needed help with, and he took me to his train set and needed help starting the train. Another example of new stuff is he requesting "I want my slinky". After he got the slinky, he played with it for a good ten minutes! I am so proud of my little boy. I can't wait to add more colors and pictures into his book. Communicating is fun and relatively easy now. Most importantly, brother is so much happier!

Sunday lessons

2011-05-22T08:57:00.004-05:00

I think each Lord's day I am going to do a post on how we are growing in our faith. For the first post I just had to show you this picture. E was sent to bed early the other night for disobeying. We gave her two chances to make the right choice, but she did not. We tucked her into bed like we always do. We showed her how to pray and ask for forgiveness and help her be obedient. We also told her the only book she could read to herself tonight was her bible. She of course was upset and said "NO!". I told her I would leave it on her bed just in case....

Apparently, she thought it was a good idea to re-read a few lessons we had been working on this week! My heart just melted when Cale took these pictures for me the other night while I ran to the store. She has such a sweet heart. We are working really hard with sister to understand more and more everyday. We are trying to prepare her for preschool in a few months. I know she isn't socially or emotionally ready. I think we will get there, so I am not stressing out too much yet! I will share our goals for the kids for this summer this week. This summer and next school year will be a big one!

First program

2011-05-21T13:08:00.003-05:00

We decided to have brother take part in his first ever music program. We were going back and forth on this because it's just so hard on him. He does not have imitation skills like the other children, so this type of scenerio magnifies his delays. None the less, we thought it was best to allow him to at least try and see what happens. The kindergarten music program this year was themed around "In the Garden"

Group shot:

G is unable to do any of the motions on his own, but man does he love it!

He laughed, smiled, and laughed some more!

He also took several breaks to give his family kisses :)

This song was the Ants Go Marching In:

G's part was a firefly:

I think once we get the imitations piece, he will be able to interact so much more! Currently, he just isn't able to navigate that yet. All in time though! Overall the program was very cute and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Sister still runs around the house singing several of the songs with the ladybug! Memories which I hope I never forget!

Zoo friends

2011-05-20T09:56:00.005-05:00

We decided to take the kids to see the new baby at our local zoo. The weather cooperated with us and we had such a good time! Here is the newest member of the giraffe family

Isn't she cute!? They definitely have developed their favorite exhibits to visit and ones that are ok to skip. Both of them really enjoy walking through "Afica". We are officially a normal family allowing the kids to cruise around and decide what and where they want to go see next. I have to admit, it's kinda nice!

Both kids were very into the hippos this trip! One was out catching some sun rays and then other was playing in the water! Fun for everyone :)

While walking to the Lion exhibit, we had a near death experience. Ok, not really but she sure felt that way! While turning a corner up a little rock hill we ran into a goose. Well the goose had the last laugh. E thought he/she was nice and just let the animal get closer and closer. CHOMP says the goose! The goose just snipped the bottom of her shirt (not actual skin) but boy she had a moment to say the least. She was scared for sure. Poor girl, this is a picture of her trying to recover...

Brother was having a great time. He acted very different and actually was very interested in the animals this time! He kept climbing up on things like the other kids just waiting to have his picture taken. He was quite the ham, which of course always makes me smile!

The tiger exhibit is our latest fav. Both kids are starting to spend more and more time here...well unless it is crowded.

We took this trip awhile ago. The saddest part was the same week we went took this trip, the zoo was in the news for the wrong reason. Media claimed a child was "attacked" and "mauled" by a leopard. It was a very sad story for all involved! A little boy (brother's age) didn't respect the animals space and was injured. Thankfully the child was not injured seriously and was not a life threatning event. E overheard Cale and I talk about it and how we need to take another trip there soon to show the kids what the barriers mean and why you can't cross them. I know neither of my children are that curious they would completely disregard signs and climb over barriers, but I still felt I needed to make mention the WHY. I think our community has learned a hard lesson here. We have since been back. The leopard was out when we went. I asked her if she should go up to the leopard and get a closer look? She said "NO! That is dangerous and that sign says NO!" I praised E for showing the animals respect. Cause in the end, we all need to follow rules so we can enjoy seeing their beauty. I was very happy to hear other parents taking time to explain why you don't crawl under things and over barriers. Good job parents! We love the zoo and all the animals!

Easter blessings

2011-05-19T16:36:00.005-05:00

This Easter was one I will never forget. I am so thankful the way the Lord has moved in our lives this year. This is the second Easter we have gone to church as a family of four. The first time we tried it two years ago, it was disasterous. We were paged by the nursery to pick up not one but both of our children due to constant crying. So last year, Elise and I went alone and the boys stayed home. Something changed for me this New Years. I am not sure what it was, but it was definitely done by God. I have only missed two church services this year, which is pretty good for me. Both weekends were full of other things, which left my heart longing that alone time with God. I have also be praying for God to work in Cale's life for our entire marriage. He believes in God, but did not believe in church. This Easter, my prayers have been answered. Cale is in fact a new man! I couldn't be prouder and even more drawn to do God's work. Ever since Easter weekend in fact, we have gone to church each weekend as a family of four! Praise the Lord!!!! (Seriously, if you know Cale you know this is a BIG deal :) ). It is very fun and exciting to see God mold and change someone who is so strong willed. I am in awe and feel so blessed to be apart of what is going on in our church right now. More on that later!

Here are pictures from Easter weekend church services:

Daddy, Gannon, and Elise

Mommy and her chicks

After church we decided to treat the kids and us as well. We went out to a resturant as a family of four. This has not happened in two years! (Diet reasons only)

Elise really enjoyed having her Daddy at church! It was SO sweet

Easter Sunday was spent as a family here at our house. The kids don't know anything about an Easter bunny or why they got a basket. They do know the true reason why we celebrate and I think that is priceless. As a matter of fact, I made their baskets with their treats/toys right in front of them. Neither one had a clue why but that was fun too! Elise said "we get treats because Jesus is alive and loves us!" well kinda, but we will work on that :)

Of course we had to have an egg hunt. These pictures pretty much sum up what happened for a solid hour! It was SO fun to watch the kids run all over the yard in shear excitement.

We had so much fun watching Elise find the eggs. She would get so excited about finding a new one, when she went to put the egg in her basket, another one would fall out! She never had a clue what was happening. Needless to say she found a lot of eggs! :)

After the egg hunt we finished up family time and of course opening the eggs to see what was inside. Thank you so much Dani, Courtney, Uncle Trevor, Grampy, Nanny, Nana and Papa Jeff, and Grandma Marlene! You all made our day so special!!!

I had to throw this picture below in. After we had family time inside, Elise asked Dani and Courtney to hide eggs again for her. She tried to run as fast as she could...again. It was SO funny!

Although eggs, food, family, and baskets full of goodies are fun, it is not the true reason for Easter. This Easter of 2011 is special and has forever changed me. I have learned so pretty good lessons this year and have a renewed faith in the power of prayer. Hopefully my future posts will be able to reflect that!

Artwork done by Elise Warden

Field day for Gannon

2011-05-18T16:49:00.003-05:00

Gannon isn't able to partipate in certain things due to his delays. One area he needs help is PE. He actually struggles in this area quite a bit. So he has an adaptive PE teacher who helps him try to do similar things as his peers. At the end of each school year, there is always a field day or "olympic day" where you do a bunch of activites outside. Most of those Gannon can not do so well...he actually hates it because most of those "fun" things are just over his head. All of the children with Gannon's autism class have this same problem. So as a group, they made their own version of Maize Olympia (aka:field day) It was only for special needs kids who attend MES. Each child had a para or teacher so it was all under control. I didn't take any picture of Gannon during this time, because he was very unhappy. He didn't like any of the activities. His PE teacher said he had to do at least 5 of the stations that were set up. We did it but it was not pretty. After doing this he was able to play on the special playground near by....now that was more like it! I had two very happy kids:

Something I have noticed the more I go up to school, the more both kids grow. Elise absolutely loves this little girl in Gannon's autism room. She is in first grade this year, so will be moving to a new school next year. Elise will miss her tremendously! She prays for her every night and always asks to go to Gannon's school to see her friend! This little girl can talk, but does have pretty significant behaviors. Elise never seems bothered by them nor does she ask why she is acting a certain way. I am so proud of Elise and pray that she continues to have a special place in her heart for children who are similar and yet different from her brother. Elise and her friend played for almost an hour together. They laughed together, played tag, and then ran around chasing eachother and playing hide and seek. It was truely priceless! It's always fun for me to be around a handful of autistic kids and see how they are similar and yet so different! They are each so special to me. I am really going to miss those First graders! One little boy came up to me before I left the school yesturday and gave me a big hug and said "I love you!" I pray one of these days, my son will be able to utter those sweet words....in his own way.

DONE!

2011-05-17T09:42:00.004-05:00

I think people have gone back to their old ways. Autism isn't in the news anymore (not like it was in THAT much anyways) and people have forgotten that is ok to be different.

I went to the store the other day and was shocked when gentleman took one look at Gannon and started complaining. It was really sad. Sad that people just don't get it. I of course did my normal routine. Not allowing it to bother me at all. Gannon doesn't notice those things either, so no harm done. Instead of getting mad or making a scene, I simply reflected on the situation at the end of the day. I asked Elise to pray for "the angry man at the store". She was there and knew his behavior was not appropriate. I took this as a teaching moment for Elise. We then prayed for people to be more understanding and acceptable. Hopefully one of these days, we can change the world.

On a lighter note, I am finally done with my first year of college as a parent! This was by far the hardest semester I have had yet. I wouldn't trade it for anything though. I took a clinical class on Autism and a graduate class on cognitive psychology. Two classes which really hit home for our family. I have learned so much and I am thankful I have the opportunity to go back to school.

There's a first time for everything

2011-05-07T11:06:00.007-05:00

and we are sure doing some! We decided to take a spur of the moment trip to Kansas City for a weekend getaway. We were gone for two nights and three days, which for us is kinda a big deal. We have never gone anywhere like this before! All I can say is....WOW! I was blown away with how good the kids did. Cale wasn't able to join us, but our friend/therapist was. She made our first family vacation a very special one! Thanks April so much!!!

Where did we go? Our first night was spent at the Great Wolf Lodge indoor waterpark!

(this was VERY early in the morning...Gannon was not happy to have his picture taken:) )

Gannon did far better then I could have ever hoped for! Elise did really good too! She did get tired and was ready to "go home" while Gannon was still going strong. Gannon loved every aspect of Great Wolf lodge and soaked in all of the sensory things going on. We did not have one problem, meltdown, or issue...the entire trip! (Well I should say once we got there...more on that later)

Gannon's first waterslide

Elise's first time down the waterslide...she didn't know what to think at first but quickly changed her tune and loved the kiddie area.

Gannon quickly was bored with the smaller area and found the giant tower. The tower with the BIG kid slides and adult slides. Let's just say, we could have lost him for hours! He loved loved LOVED the big slides! After the first hour of sliding, he discovered which slide he could go the fastest in and which one he needed to make himself go faster in...seriously!

For the day, Gannon was just a normal kid. Normal in every since. He met friends, waiting in line like a champ, would sign "go" to several little friends he met. He got so good at climbing the massive structure I could NOT keep up! So I just let him go. I let him be just like his peers. It was like Gannon was trying to tell me "Mom, I got this!" I was nervous the first few times, but after that I just set back in sheer amazement. Gannon is really growing up. I am learning with God's help to let go, a little at a time. I of course made sure ALL staff knew he was autistic and nonverbal, so he might need help waiting if the line was long. The theme of the day was definitely "There is NO way he is autistic!"

Here is my sweet little girl after we took a little break

Here is my favorite little guy making his way up to take another ride on his favorite slide:

(He is behind the guy in the red shorts...)

Here is proof that my little fella can "talk" and get a friend to do what he wants. He never ceases to amaze me. Everywhere he was, he found a little friend to slide with. It was priceless. He would tap a friend on the shoulder, then say something who knows what, but then they would go where ever he wanted to and then just played. Played like normal little kids! I was SO proud. No one ever asked me "what is wrong with him? or Why can't he talk? No one even cared. It made this Momma so proud!

Every so often we made Gannon come back over to the kid area with Elise. He was very uninterested in it and always tried to escape back to his favorite area. This is what he had to do with the "baby slides"...this was the first time Gannon ever went backwards down a slide

Here are my two favorite kids leaving the waterpark

We checked into our next hotel which was so much fun. We were on the fifth floor and the kids LOVED the view! After we checked in, we headed to the mall. I decided to take them to Build-A-Bear. I had no idea if Gannon would want to take part in this or even understand. Ha! Of course he did and picked out his own little friend. He did everything I asked with out any problems, and sometimes even beat me to it. He knew what this bathtub area was for before I could even say anything!

(Gannon giving his little friend a bath!)

Elise was super jazzed about this and thoroughly enjoyed the entire mall trip! Of course she did, she's a girl! :)

Here we are. Just walking in the mall...with our new friends! This was on a Friday night, in a big city...you can imagine how many other people were there that night! This also was the first time we have EVER taken the kids to the mall without our stroller to ensure they don't get lost! Gannon and Elise absolutely loved our special little trip and I am so thankful I got the courage to take them. It was hard, but I am proud to say we made it!

I would also like to note that this just so happened to be the weekend of a huge Autism Conference for professionals. So after we left the mall, we finally clued in why so many people were shocked that Gannon did have autism and was unable to talk. I kept saying, geez why don't people get it. Well apparently the children and adults with autism had lots of behaviors that were noticable to the general public. Gannon did so good that he was invited back to Great Wolf Lodge for another night FREE of charge! That might have been the best compliment I could have received. The general public taking note that Autism isn't so bad afterall. We all look different and that is perfectly ok.

Autism-celebration

2011-04-13T14:01:00.002-05:00

Hopefully everyone knows that April is Autism Awareness month. At school, Gannon has been in celebration mode. Of course when you live the life...it's really no different than any other month of the year. As a family we know the ins and outs of our lives and how autism plays a piece in that. The main difference, is for people who don't live with autism. Those who have what some call a "normal" life.

We have a different spin on it though. We are a pretty tight nit family who does allow autism to run our lives. We are a very lucky family to have what we do. Sure our life is hard and challenging just like the next but I do notice something unique in our family dynamic.

We are waiting for the day when Elise asks what is different about her brother. All she knows is autism and having a nonverbal older brother. She also knows Gannon is different from other boys because he has autism. However, she says it so proudly. Like her brother is extra special because he is not the norm. She knows sometimes Gannon gets his way and it is fair, but she also takes it all in stride. When he can't wait his turn, or he always gets to watch a show even though it's her turn, or she always has to let Gannon have what she does (lately she likes to take his favorite toy just to see what will happen). But not once, has she said "that's not fair!" God has blessed Elise with a special heart for Gannon and other children with autism.

I continue to pray for understanding and acceptance. Afterall, I feel that is what April should be about. Focusing on transforming those who are not impacted with this lifestyle. Afterall, a family raising one or more children with autism looks very different from every other family. Daily skills and things that kids can "just do" is not there for families like mine. Simple tasks such as picking out your clothes for the day or what to have for breakfast can either go very smoothly or disasterous (and there is never any warning as to which day you will get). Playing, going shopping, traveling, and just basic life skills such as telling someone you just don't feel good. All simple things. All major accomplishments in the world of autism.

I have turned a new leaf as an Autism mom. I no longer focusing on getting to said destination. It's all about the journey. We will "get there", sure it won't look like every other family nor will it follow a certain timeline. But in God's timing Gannon will master the skills he needs to. He will overcome the odds against him and he will thrive. I have no doubt in my mind God will watch of my son. He will protect him when I can't. Through Him, I have peace.

Here's to the best Autism awareness month I have had yet!!!

A trip to a special park

2011-04-11T13:11:00.006-05:00

Today we had a going away party for our friend Miss Carrie. Too bad I didn't get ANY pictures of the kids with her. She invited a group of parents with children with autism she had worked with over the past 5 years. It was really a fun time even though these pictures don't reflect that. In Gannon's defense it was very crowded (compared to times when we normally visit this park) and hot that day. I usually take the kids in the morning when it's cooler and less busy. Today we went at 2pm. So here are the best ones from this special day we won't forget!

Peek a boo

Gannon usually is all smiles...and he does love this toy

Gannon is not a fan of spinning. All of the autistic kids were taking turns on this thing...however mine HATES it. He didn't last one minute. Just another example showing just how different ASD kids truely are :)

Gannon thoroughly enjoyed playing with his baby sister though. I am truely blessed!

Elise just loves to RUN...

We only stayed at the park for one hour. Poor Gannon was signing "all done" after 20 minutes. As you can tell by his face, he played hard!

Worn out

2011-04-08T09:41:00.003-05:00

We have literally been running non stop it seems....one day we will catch up. Hopefully sooner than later :)

Tuesday Happenings

2011-04-05T14:01:00.002-05:00

We are approaching the end of the school year both for the kids and I. You would think this was a good thing, but in reality on so many levels it's not. Gannon did pretty well over Spring break, but one week off of school is nothing like three months. Hopefully we will have several trips planned to break up the extra long break. Gannon does qualify for the extended school year, but our program is not idea for children with autism. So we chose to skip it and hope for the best once school picks back up in August. Gannon is still struggling with potty training. We have been on this potty training journey for almost four years now. He is fairly consistant during the day urinating. He is no where near ready for night training and we are still struggling with bowel movements on the toliet. I am hoping we can get some of these tummy issues in control so Gannon is able to start the training process. He is still going here at home every hour as well as at school. That is our number one goal for 2011-2012. Gannon is ready to be out of pull ups and diapers. He does NOT enjoy having them on one bit, so I am taking the cue and trying to find a way to clear up his gastro issues to move forward. Elise is doing fabulous without her pacifier at night. We have came full circle now. She doesn't even mention it anymore! I know we won't be losing her taggie blanket anytime soon however :) and really that is ok. She will need braces I am sure at some point in time. I am actually looking forward to their next dental cleaning. Hopefully we will have a clean bill of health at that time too! Today for one of my college classes I went and observed other children on the spectrum. I went to a local school which is all special needs. The classroom I observed would be the type of room Gannon would be in if I chose to pull him out of his current school setting. It was an eye opener! It's funny I have lived with autism for the past four years, but in just two short hours my eyes and heart were opened even bigger. I saw things that I don't see here at home with Gannon. Of course it facinated every fiber of my being and has me driven to learn as much as I can about autism and the "why's" behind things. This has led me to meet with a couple advisors up at Wichita State Univesity. I am needing to pick my fall classes out and wanted to come up with a unique plan. I officially changed my major a little over a month ago. By doing this, I have moved up my graduation date (YEAH) and I also will get credit for learning everything I possibly can about my son and his diagnosis. My new major is Bachelors in Arts (communication sciences and disorders) and will go into the Speech Language Pathology program with a minor in Psychology. Between my graduate level Autism class and my cognitive psychology class, I feel very confident on what I want to do in the future. I will have more to share on this after I get all of my ducks in a row!

A first for Elise

2011-04-03T11:27:00.002-05:00

Elise asked me to straighten her hair before the big KU/VCU basketball game. So of course I did. She loves it. I cried a little and realized we are in need of a haircut...very soon!

Elise kept posing away in front of the camara

I kept asking her to turn around so I could get a picture of the back of her hair to see how long it was. I was shocked!!!

(she would NOT completely turn around...she didn't want to miss the camara I guess)

I will let her hair grow a bit more so we can donate her hair to locks of love. I know you have to have ten inches before you can do this. Currently it is not long enough to cut that much off and still have reasonably long hair. Stay tuned for Elise's first hair cut...ever!!!

Spring Break wrap up

2011-03-30T10:03:00.005-05:00

We finished up our Spring Break with a trip to a small amusement type park here in town and a trip to a unique park. I took a ton of pictures but have narrrowed them down to these. This was Gannon's first time ever riding any type of ride where Mom or Dad wasn't with him. Needless to say he did just fine! We were the only ones in the kiddie area so it was perfect! NO waiting in line or any meltdowns at all :)

We let Gannon and Elise each pick which rides they wanted to go on and in what order. Once Gannon realized the fun in these...he was hooked!

Elise had a great time on the swings too. We rode them the most!

Next up, helicopters

These little bugs were Elise's favorite by far, but Gannon also requested to ride them several times too. These things were hilarious! They had a button to push that would produce a bug sound....it was classic! So funny to watch Gannon use the botton and follow verbal prompts!

We tried these hot air balloons two times. The second time around worked much better!

Both kids wanted to ride this, but quickly lost interest mid way through the ride. Lesson learned my children are NOT fans.

When we ran out of tickets, we told the kids were would head to a special park. Elise has gone to this one before but not Gannon. He had a blast!!! It is really a neat old park with lots of things to do. We actually only played on the playground and swings. We didn't even do the paddle boats, petting zoo, train ride, or mini golf. So here are some of my favorite pictures of the kids while at the Watson Park.

Miss April came along with us all day, since she still works with Gannon in the mornings. We had a wonderful time with her.

I decided to get over my own sensory issues, and swing with Gannon. He was absolutely enjoying this. Of course, when April said she wanted to take pictures of us, it became less funny and so he didn't smile near as big as he was.

Elise worked on her skills:

Gannon thought it was very funny to ride tantum down the slides with April

This was a cool little bridge. You could jump on it and it would bounce the other person up. Gannon thoroughly enjoyed having April and Elise play with him :)

Gannon thinks half the fun of slides is watching other people come down. Here he is waiting and looking for Elise to come down:

Overall we had a wonderful relaxing but exciting Spring Break. We did NOT work one bit the entire week which was a first for Gannon. He was definitely disappointed he didn't get to go to school but I think we did good trying to fill his time. Here's to next month!!!

Growthing like weeds

2011-03-29T22:05:00.005-05:00

Gannon and Elise have been healthier this year than any other year I believe. I definitely can tell because they are literally growing out of their current stock of clothes. Thank goodness we are getting ready for a new season.

Before too long I have a feeling Gannon will be the smaller one of the two. As of March 21st here at their stats:

Gannon: 3 foot 9.5 inches - 35th percentile

and 43 pounds - 25th percentile

Elise: 3 foot 5 inches - 90th percentile

and 37 pounds - 77th percentile

Happy Tuesday to ya!

Zoo two

2011-03-27T07:54:00.005-05:00

Here are the rest of the good pictures from the zoo trip this week. We are very blessed to have a zoo membership for the family. An added bonus is our zoo is kind of a big deal :) Everytime we share with other zoo staff/ or keepers when we are out of state visiting other zoo's they marvel our hometown zoo! I will never forget the first time we visited the zoo in Houston, Texas....they just raved about out zoo....which always makes you feel nice. I have been to several ones out of state all over the country and they know who and what our Sedgwick County Zoo stands for! That is something to be proud of :) The reason I split this post up is to share more about Gannon. Gannon is getting older and gaining some really good skills, but in several areas he is literally trapped by his "situation" which is obviously the severity of his autism. He absolutely loves to get out of the house and go places, but sometimes after we get there I feel like he trys to tell me "this is NOT what I had in mind". We have had a zoo membership for almost five years now. Meaning Gannon has gone to this same zoo hundreds of times...and yet many times I feel like he views this as the first trip ever. He will not walk the entire way through the zoo like his peers. Elise can and does but Gannon is miserable if he has to walk very far. He by far prefers to be in this:

his beloved stroller

It is not that Gannon physically can't walk or has endurance issues. His body can but he doesn't want to. Kinda like grocery shopping. Many autistic children struggle with shopping. In my local autism support group I am one of the few Mom's whos child has NEVER thrown a fit in the store while shopping (even during witching hour!). One key piece....the shopping cart. Gannon loves to ride in the cart. When I say love, I mean literally loves it! I have spent entire days shopping, running from store to store forgetting he might be hungry. I will just shop til I drop and as long as Gannon can ride in something, he could care less how long I take. Perfect and convient for me, however now I am realizing that is not always a good thing. Because during site seeing and adventures when I don't want to lugg the stroller with us because honestly he is too big anyways, its a huge meltdown if he doesn't see the stroller with us and then gets to get in. It's like his little world is NOT right if the stroller is not involved.

(just a cute pictures with the tiger-per Elise's request)

April tried very hard to get Gannon to interact with the animals and exhibits. Gannon would look for a few moments but then quickly climb back into the stroller and sign "go"

I couldn't help but keep this picture. It's not a cute face by all means on Gannon but I think it's kinda funny! Like "Hello....Mom there is giant cat right behind me...stop taking my pictures!!!"

This little red panda was working with a zookeeper on feeding and it was pretty cute. She moved away though as I was taking this picture. It was pretty cool to see how calm this animal was with people around!

Of course I couldn't forget my favorite of th day with my special little guy :)

Back to our delimma, Gannon isn't climbing the functioning ladder of autism really at all and as he grows it become evident we have to start planning for the future. Gannon isn't going to stay underweight or little forever. As much as I don't want to admit it, he will grow into a double digit kid and even a teenager (gasp!) so we are going to have to start thinking ahead. How we will help Gannon cope with the world around him? How are we going to go places (seeing how we are just now starting to get out and try things) with Gannon when a stroller can't be involved? I don't want to cause him any more stress then he already is living with, but at the same time I want him to function at the highest level possible...whatever that is.

I want him to feel confident about who he is and not always have that "flight or fight" feeling. I want Gannon to have a way to communicate with the world around him and not just with his family or therapist. I want reassurance he will be ok.

I want him to not be afraid of the world around him but embrace it. That is much easier said than done. We aren't even for sure his cognitive abilities. We know he knows more then he shows at school...but can he apply his knowledge out of this house? Is it just school? We know he has issues with generalization and pretty significant at that, OR is it that he is done. Done with having to show us his abilities and showing the school stuff he has learned AND mastered over a year ago.

My giant break in blogging was mainly to get focused and take care of things which were falling apart here at home. Gannon is in the best school district for children with autism in our state. I had suspiscions that school wasn't going as I thought they should before Christmas. I tried to ride it out, but as I am learning more and more about the professional/clincial side of autism...things had to change. So we have had numerous visits with the school on what our wishes are for Gannon. They were willing to bend a little, but mostly we were asked to stop what we are doing at home. There is a huge gap between what Gannon can do inside our home and what Gannon can do at school. Until that bridge or gap closes we can't move much further ahead. I do love Gannon teacher and therapists (SLP,OT, and PT). I was not used to how their program worked but I am coming around to it. Cale and I have said, that we are going to do it their way throughout this school year. If Gannon is still struggling or the data is not showing his true knowledge then when we school is back in session in August, we will hash everything out then. I will not subject Gannon to something he isn't going to benefit from. I know right now, homeschooling is not an option for us. I can't provide everything for Gannon. Next year he will be in first grade which means all day school. So we are excited about that because we feel Gannon really needed all day kindergarten this year.

Gannon is still a very happy kid who still won't hurt a fly. His only form of communication is to show you what he wants with by leading you to it, signing a few things, and crying. He does great with his iPad but can't put multiple pictures together to form a sentence of what he wants. He will point to a picture on his Tap to Talk program but that isn't always accurate either. I would say about 90% of the time I know exactly what he wants and is trying to tell me. But the other 10% is what is awful! When he is sick.....when he is hurting....when he is sad.....all of those types of things we have NO clue! I love this kid with every fiber of my being and it kills me when he is crying (real tears) and I have no clue why! Of course you ask him questions like every parent does to their child, but when I ask them I get no response. Just tears and a little boy crushed on my lap clinging onto my neck and burying his head.

That is why I don't work. Gannon has always been a Momma's boy. He loves his Daddy for sure but when it comes to me, Mom just makes everything better. Cale recently told me that this semester has been pretty taxing on my little guy. Tuesday's and Thursday's I have class early which means someone else is getting him off the bus. Monday's and Wednesday's I have class late which means I don't put him to bed. So MWF when I get Gannon off the bus, he is just grinning from ear to ear when he sees me and wants me to carry him into the house instead of walking (just clings to my neck). Those same nights are when I am gone. Cale informed me M/W nights are very hard on Gannon. He won't go to bed without a fight. It usually lasts a little over an hour (which is not normal and is apparently getting worse as my semester goes on) everytime Cale tucks him back into bed, he just says "mmmmmooommmma" Gannon can in fact say "momma" but it's long and drawn out. He didn't tell me any of this at first because he knew it would break my heart. All he wants is his Momma to be around whenever he is. Getting off the bus and going to bed are pretty important things I guess in his little world. When I am not there to help make sense of those things, he is just lost.

Needless to say, next semester I won't be taking any afternoon or evening classes...

A trip to the zoo

2011-03-24T08:50:00.007-05:00

We are enjoying our spring break. Pretty low key but just what I need. We are too busy the majority of the time so I am soaking up the sun and time with the kids! It has been really nice weather here, but the wind has been a little outta control. We decided to make the best of it though and head to the zoo bright and early.

Gannon was happy to be out and about but not too happy about the cool weather and wind in his face

Gannon does enjoy going to the zoo normally but today he wasn't too happy overall. He didn't seem to enjoy being out of the stroller at all really. Elise was very excited to be at the zoo! Excited about seeing all the animals!

Can was not too impressed with the lions but did enjoy the Leopard and tiger exhibit

Elise asked to bring this big cat home....needless to say she didn't get her way :) It was pretty cute. She kept saying, "I am not ready to leave yet I am talking to my cat!"

Gannon and April with the tiger

Elise was not too sure what the Red Panda was. She kept asking if this was a fox or a bear...

Red Panda in a tree eating some breakfast

Of course I attempted to get some really cute pictures in the tiger exhibit house...

He zoned in on the cheer a little too much because he was anticipating the words and started clapping faster and faster....oops!

Elise was not wanting to take pictures...so this is sadly the best one...now back to animals!

Elise didn't know what to make of the gorillas. She did think it was pretty fun to sit and have a talk with one though. She is telling him (or her) a joke here:

Next were the hippos! We rarely are able to get good pictures of these little guys. Their water is always pretty cloudy which doesn't make for good pictures. Elise kept asking if she has ever seen these animals before??? I assured her she had :)

Elise was most excited about the elephants and giraffes. But it was pretty windy and the elephants just wanted to go inside (they were literally standing by the doors like saying "hey let us in here!") So we didn't get to really "see" them much. The rhino's were not very active either so we moved right along to these little guys:

Since it was spring break we decided to go first thing in the morning. I have made a mental note to not go that early again until it's warmer. The majority of the animals were not active really at all. None of the petting zoo animals were even out yet so we didn't get to see them at all because they were in the pasture. Many of the exhibits were also closed for cleaning since it was so early. So I have learned my lesson to wait a little bit. I am glad we went first thing on a side note however, as we were leaving around 10:30am, the line to get in the zoo was terribly long! All the way to the street! As we were walking closer and closer to the exit I realized we did have good timing because it was about to get crowded! Gannon does NOT do well with crowds at this zoo. I am not sure why but he is always in a pretty rotten mood when he can't see the animals. Hopefully the next time we venture out to the zoo, it will be warmer...or at least not 20 plus miles per hour wind!

All about Elise

2011-03-22T08:34:00.002-05:00

My littlest babygirl is no longer a baby. Not only is her hair super long and still pretty curly, she has also managed to finish our entire preschool curriculum in less than a year. She LOVES to learn!

Here she is playing her preschool game online

She is very active at three and half years old. Loves anything sports but has one specific sport she is not interested in 100%
a hint: it is NOT soccer!

She is defnitely Cale's daughter! Man, does she like to ham it up for people and has a wonderful sense of humor. She can count to twenty, she knows all her colors, she can identify all the letter in the alphabet as well match upper to lower and lower to upper, she is starting to sound out words and has a few sight words, she can undress independently and almost dress independently. She is a social girl and thrives in larger groups of kids (her age or older). She is very loving and has pretty good manners too. I can't believe she will be four years old soon!

But what has surprised me the most is, she is officially no longer a baby! She has given up her pacificer aka "D". We have been trying to break this nightly habit for almost a year. What did it take??? Why a certain little bribe I came up with on a whim...and now I am eating those words! Elise's new favorite sport is cheerleading! She wants to compete like the "big girls" so bad. She watches youtube videos during her free time everyday and studies those kids! When she isn't playing, she is practicing her moves. She is so funny! We took her to one open gym before the new season starts...and thats where the story begins! Sink line and fish! She is caught on the cheer bug. She will take part in one more open gym, then follow up with a month long of tryouts. So by the end of April, we will know if she is going to be cheering for Cheer Eclipse! So, my bribe....I said you can NOT do cheer if you still have the D, so if you give it up we will put you in cheer. Sure enough that night, she wanted to go to bed without it. Cried for about 30 minutes (not really hard or anything more of a whine) and has not seen it since! That was over a week ago. She is very proud of herself that she has given it up and is going to be a cheerleader! If in the event she doesn't make the tiny squad at Cheer Eclipse, we will keep her in classes there so she can try out when she is 5! Good job Elise! You are such a big girl and we are so proud of you!!!