Preschools galore...

I have embarked on the dreaded preschool hunt. I can imagine this is hard for any mom to find that "right fit", but this is WAAAY out of my comfort zone. I have 4 tours set up in the next two weeks. I have to check out their curriculum (make sure it is ABA based, non religious, etc..), location, facilities, staff, make sure it is a nut-free building, and my list goes on and on. I would have to say the worst part is finding somewhere I would actually be comfortable leaving my little guy and getting back in my car. I am sure this is hard on all day-care-disapproving moms such as myself, but this is worse. Nate can't tell me all the great things he does at school, let alone the bad things that happen to him. He has no voice and therefore I am completely in the dark. Then there is the ever present money issue. We are touring the private Autism Academy that I have heard good things about, but I pretty sure I will have to donate my eggs to afford that one. ...but hey, if it seems the best to me- I will beg, borrow, and steal to make it happen for Nateman. He deserves the best, and nothing less. I would never forgive myself if he didn't get ALL the help available to him because of money issues. Especially during these years when it has been proven how helpful these treatments are to pull Nate back into our world. We will find a way.

We are still tossing around the 40 hours of ABA strictly, but we are just exploring all our options. Plus, to add that cherry on my sundae, we still don't know about the move to WI, so I am exploring outlets there as well. I don't want to miss my spot on a waiting list- because EVERYTHING has one. Tomorrow is our part two of visit two at the Autism Clinic. We couldn't even get through all of the standardized testing last time so hopefully this week fares a little better. Wish us luck.

Starting the diet full force

We are, and have been, fazing Nate into the GFCF diet slowly. We are introducing snacks and finding replacements for all his favorite foods. It is extremely frustrating, and expensive, finding foods that he is allowed to have. After making a seperate trip to Wholefoods (which is a ways away I might add), I was more than overwhelmed by trying to read labels and make the right selections. I can find tons of resources for foods he can have- but nobody seems to "bring it all together" into one resource for Nate. He can't have Gluten, Dairy, Soy, and of course if allergic to nuts. Well, finding GFCF items is possible- but a lot of them are made in facilities that process nuts as well..so I am basically screwed. This is a HUGE undertaking and unfortunately, we are on our own. We took Nate to a nutritionist- that insurance didn't cover I might add- and basically got some good info- but it isn't brand specific. That means I have to scrutenize every damn label and the then leave the store an hour later with about 10 items to try.
We are desperate to get him to a DAN! doctor to start his biomed treatment and testing...but once again, there is a waitlist. Six months this time....and well it goes without saying that that isn't covered by our insurance. 600$ for out initial consult- plus 200$ every six weeks for followups, and then all individual blood/allergy tests are billed extra. Lovely. Guess I better start looking for my "night job" and changing my name to "Savannah Rain".