New Toddler Chairs

Thanks GG for the new toddler chairs!



GG came to visit us from Iowa a couple weeks ago, and I am just now getting to post about it. We mostly stayed inside but we did all make it to church, the playground and the kids played in the front yard while Grandma was here. It was a nice visit, but like most visits it was too short. We can't wait for GG to come back again in June!

New Sensory Seeking and Support Meeting

For about the past month or so Nathan's sensory needs have changed. He used to be perfectly happy lining things up, drawing and occasionally throwing objects straight up in the air and watching them fall. But lately the lining up has come to a complete halt and it has been replaced with covering himself in cushions or objects (I assume to feel the pressure) and kicking them. It looks almost like a mini tantrum when he does this. In our basement playroom we have an inflatable pool with a bunch of stuffed animals in it and that's where we direct him to go when he needs this kind of input. We spend a lot of time upstairs too so I have resorted to making a pit of sofa cushions for him in the living room. Unfortunately the cushion pits don't always fulfill his needs so he will take any toy (puzzles, blocks etc) and scatter them on the floor so he can get down on the ground and kick them. I am at a loss on what to do sometimes. Even two of his therapists have noticed a change in him and they are going to have a meeting to discuss ways to get Nathan to focus again.I really believe that his sensory needs are getting in the way and that we need to deal with them so that he can focus better. I am thinking about getting a sensory brush for Nathan because his OT suggested it and I have read a lot of good things about it's use. Basically it is a surgical scrub brush and you brush your child's skin with firm pressure every couple hours and it should calm him down. It is one of those things that you have to stick to and do it religiously in order to see the benefits.

John and I are also thinking about going GFCF (Gluten Free Casein Free) and seeing a DAN (Defeat Autism Now) doctor. I attended my first Autism Support Group meeting last week and I think 28 out of 30 mom's have their ASD child on some type of diet. It was so wonderful to meet other mom's going through the same thing and be able to ask questions since many of the moms have "been there, done that". One of the mom's shared her story about her completely recovered son. He was diagnosed with Autism around the age of 2. He is now 12, has lost the diagnosis and appears typical in every way. Hearing these moms and how so many of their children have benefited from a change in diet has pushed us to look for a DAN doctor and try some alternative methods besides just doing therapy.

Speaking of therapy....Oh my what a long and slow process!!!! I am so over this! Our BSC is coming out today to do another 3 hour evaluation. After today we will have 2 weeks down and roughly 6 more weeks to go until Nathan can start receiving therapy. And to top it all off, the woman I need more than anything right now (Nathan's OT) is MIA for the next two weeks. Apparently she was in Mexico to get started with a church mission last weekend so her company has asked her not to meet with any children for the next two weeks due to the Swine Flu scare. I am glad that they are taking precautions but we need OT right now more than ever.
So to turn a frown into a smile I will leave end this post with a cute story going back to Nathan's new sensory need to cover himself up. Last night I went to check on him in his crib because it sounded like he was moving around and still awake. When I looked in, I couldn't see him. He was completely covered in stuffed animals, pillows and blankets. However there was about a 3 inch area that was not covered and all I could see was this little pointer finger moving like a windshield wiper as he was rubbing the nose on his bear pillow (something he has been doing to fall asleep since he was about 18 months old). It was the funniest and most adorable thing ever. I so wish I had a video or a picture. I'm not sure that my explanation does it justice.

600 miles round trip - Brave or Nuts?

The consensus is in.......and I am officially Nuts!

Our mini van needed a whopping $2,000 in repair work so I packed up the kids and the dog and we made a trip across the state to have my dad fix the car. It was just routine items that needed replaced so it was safe to drive the car, otherwise we would have never done this. It made sense to leave when we did because John was gone for business over the weekend and isn't returning home until Thursday night. Also, Nathan's therapy was either pushed back to the end of the week or canceled because of the swine flu scare. So really it just made sense to go.

The driving part of the trip really wasn't too bad. We did make a ton of little stops both on the way there and on the way back, so it took more like 7 hours to drive what normally takes about 5 hours without stops. All three kids did great on the road. They watched the car DVD players, snacked, drew on their DoodlePros, napped and we even went to a McDonald's playland to let the twins get some energy out.

On the way back I decided to turn one of the dvd players around so that Riley could see it and I think she really liked that. It was really fun to see how much the two girls are interacting now. Since Riley is still facing backwards, she and Reagan can see each other very well in the car. There were many times where I would catch them making each other belly laugh with a game of peek a boo.

Unfortunately the weather was all rain the entire time we were at Gram and Grandpa's so we didn't get out of the house at all. Naps at their house were a little tricky with 3 pack n plays in one room and two dogs that LOVE to bark at everything. There was really no way to cover up the barking because we were in a one story ranch home. I tried playing a CD to mask the noise but that only does so much. So naps were usually cut a little short which makes for somewhat cranky kids.
So anyway, we are back home and we have a lot on our plate for the next few days. We are very excited to see Daddy tonight since it has been almost a week since we last saw him. Not sure what is in store for this weekend, maybe a trip to the zoo if the weather is nice.