Support us on the MS WALK!

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Walk/OHAWalkEvents?pg=personal&fr_id=6710&fr_id=6710&px=2993778

Nate, Neve, Mommy, and Auntie Alisha are hittin the zoo on April 12th to raise money for MS. This is our second year doing the MS walk. My friend Ky, and Auntie Alisha are living with MS and we are happy to support the cause that would help to change the future for Nate's generation.

Check out the link above- and donate to support us!

Poor Puffy Face Nate

Well we spent most of the day at the downtown Children's Hospital ER. Nate had an allergic reaction after a playgroup at a friend's house. We don't think it is food related- which makes it that much worse ---since we have NO CLUE what caused it!!! He has the swollen eyes, hives, blisters, and allergy "shiners". It ain't pretty.
He is home now and ok. I guess we are headed back to the allergist to have more extensive testing done. Lovely. I am thinking I should just put the little guy in a hamster ball and let him roll around to play. At least that way he would be protected. ---although with my luck, he would be allergic to the plastic the darn thing was made of.

ABA ABA ABA ABA ABA ABA ABA ABA

Ok- this is ALL we talk about. My head is exploding. We are starting to piece together Nate's ABA( http://autism.about.com/od/alllaboutaba/a/abaoverview.htm ) program. When I say "piece", I mean it. We are running our program through Children's Hospital as our painfully lacking insurance will cover some of the outrageous expenses. There will be a team of aides that work with Nate directly though, and it is our job to find, hire, and train them. Um, say wha?? I have been agonizing over this for months and months--- how the hell am I supposed to put 40 HOURS of therapy and training into the hand sof some yahoo I have never met, that has NEVER done this before, and has never worked with Autistic children???!!?? That seemed unreal to me. Especially being the control freak that I am, there is no way in hell I cam leave someone alone with my child, in a room in my home that I am not in.

Well, today I am (thankfully) singing a different tune. My mom friend, Vicki, is a Psycholgy professor at Ohio Wesleyen. She actually teaches classes in, you guessed it, behavior modification. I am ecstatic. What a great resource to find students that are actually interested in this field and would care about the work they are doing!!! Plus I have the added bonus of someone I know and trust recommending sharp students.

I can't tell you what I huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Who knows what the next few weeks will bring- with the interviewing and our intake meeting with Nate's lead Psychologist- but it is starting to "sit" better with me anyways. Well, that and the fact that I am installing a closed circuit video monitoring system in the playroom.

**pic of Nate with his "cheesy poofs" aka rice cakes.

Great Week at Little Gym

Last Saturday was BY FAR our best week at Little Gym yet. I am sure it is a combination of familiarity and everything else, but Nate did so great. He participated in EVERY activity including circle time. He rode the parachute around while he was arm to arm with the other kids. It was amazing. I barely recognized him. It was definitely a proud Mommy Moment.

Nate has been playing in his new ball pit. He was a little uneasy at first but now he dives in head first. He loves it and we are always happy to see that big ol' smile on his adorable little face.

Tonight we toured a public special needs preschool as another option for Nate. It wasn't horrible. I guess if that is the first thing that came to my head to write, then I am probably not too shot with it. It is in a horrible location- about 20 minutes NORTH of my house and on back roads that would be horrible to navigate in the bad weather with two little kids on the car. Otherwise, the facilities were nice and Nate had a ball playing in the Motor Room. I suppose my biggest concern, and it may be completely unjustified, is the types of kids that would be in his class. It is public, so there are disabilities of all levels and types. The children with the physical disabilities are obviously needing a little more attention in regards to activities- which I admit is selfish to think- but it takes that attention away from MY son and his education. I am sorry but that one on one time is SO important and I can't have him taking the backseat to anybody simply because he is excelling physically. The school is free since it is public, but I am not sure if I am selling him out to a general disabled program. He deserves more specialized attention and time with kids that are on the spectrum and have the same shortcomings that he does. hmmm......what is that worth to me? 27 Grand?

Therapeutic Listening

Nate's occupational therapist has suggested we try Therapuetic Listening. http://www.vitallinks.net/index.shtml ...so we are gonna give it a whirl. It really is just indtrumental music while he is playing and it does seem to help his concentration. It was funny- our therapist said, "Now don't worry- I know I promised you I wouldn't bring over any heebie-jeebie tools and methods for Nate.". LOL...I told her she can hit him from whatever angle she wants as long as she doesn't feed him or inject him with anything!! We are open to trying almost anything if it can help our guy learn new skills.
Nate has been doing great this week with his puzzles and piggy bank. These are both great for gaining fine motor skills. He also has been stacking things (a skill he lost or refused to do) and playing 2-3 steps games.
We finally have a concrete date for our DAN! doctor visit (instead of just phone consults). July 30th is the date. I can't wait to get him tested for ALL KINDS of things and find out what poisons are in his little body. I am prepared to be shocked as I feel really strongly about this.
He is off to speech therapy today- if we can make it there with all the snow!

EEG is clear

Well, it has been a busy week. Neve's doc appt went well and the ped is completely on board with my alternative schedule. Score one for the little guy.
Nate's EEG results came back normal- we are thrilled to hear that. Seizures are not something I am ready to think about. I wasn't too worried in the first place since his sleeping patterns are beyond normal and he is always well rested- but hell, what do I know.
Nate did great with therapy this week, and Little Gym too.
We got word that the move to WI is a no-go. I am already house hunting here in Columbus to find a better fit location wise for our family.

Ready to Rumble....

Nate had a great weekend. He had Little Gym on Saturday and it was the FIRST class where he didn't cry AT ALL- zero breakdowns!!! WOo-hoo!! I was so proud of him. He was happy and running around like a madman. I also have "figured out" that another little boy in his class is on the spectrum. I am slowly starting to talk to his mom as I am pretty sure she thinks I am a stalker as it is..lol....but I know her son is attending the school I am considering for Nateman so she would be such a valuable resource.
Nate also started making a new consonant sound- the "guh" sound. We are hoping it might be the start of "GO" which we say all the time and try to prompt him with. We shall see......
So tomorrow is Neve's 2 month appointment and I have my "presentation" ready. I am creating a (guided) alternative vaccination schedule. Let me say I am NOT anti-vaccinations. I am not saying that vaccinations cause Autism anymore than Cheetos do....I really doubt we will know in my lifetime, but it does just make SENSE that overloading their little bodies all at once with all that crap can't be good. Especially when we have a history now of Autism in the family as well as MS. I am expecting a fight though. I do not know our pediatrician's stand is on this matter. Tomorrow will be the big discussion. My girlfriend suggested something to her ped and the ped walked out of the room refusing to discuss it further. I would have found another pediatrician IMMEDIATELY- and that's probably what I will do if my current ped tries to dictate what I MUST do for my child. SO.....I am bringing a proposal, if you will, of what I have planned....but I am also gonna throw a pair of boxing gloves in the diaper bag just in case. I dare ya, Doc.