WAVES of progress.....

The day finally came. We have waited almost 2 years for this one "small" accomplishment.

I was getting ready to load the kiddos in the car this morning for a coffee run (which we do often!), and Aaron said, "Bye-bye, Nate"- like he always does- and Aaron waved at Nate. Nate looked RIGHT AT HIM, and waved back. I almost peed myself. Aaron and I looked at each other with disbelief---we were speechless. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??????? Wow. We were floored. Nate lost skills, including waving, when he regressed almost 2 years ago. It just went away one day 'POOF'! ..and it came back the exact same way.
It is also one of those stereotypical autism traits- "does he point? does he wave?". Well, ya know what?? My kid DOES wave!!! ya-hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are on this crazy biomedical adventure and sometimes I have basically lost my mind--but then my little guy shows us a little nugget of hope- that somewhere in that fog, lies my little boy. The little boy that smiles, hugs, laughs, AND WAVES.

Maybe we ARE doing the right thing--we will keep up with all of our supplements and therapy--and try not to go broke in the process. (maybe I can sell the cat...hmmmmm...)

**Here is a video of a few of Nate's skills lately. The waving isn't the best he was doing today- but it was all I could get on film at the end of a long day. :)**

Every day is something new--Go, Nate, Go!

Nate did something today that I am pretty sure no other kid in America does......
HE ATE BRUSSEL SPROUTS. hahahahaha. He gobbled them up. He is so funny. I am so proud of all the new foods that we have added into his diet. He is one healthy eater- that is for sure. I have gotten his sugar intake down to under 15g/day--and that is only from natural sugar sources (melon, peas, etc..).

He did pretty good this week with his programs. He is giving lots more hugs, squeezes, and kisses to his aides. It is awesome to see the affection on others besides his parents. He gained a few more toy playing skills and is able to match colors now too. He definitely has decalred his major though--PUZZLES! The kid is wacko for them! I guess that is just how his little brain works- he likes being mentally stimulated by things that "fit" and make sense to him. Art and creativity is going to be our biggest hurdle right now I believe. He is getter better and better with his trike, and he is kicking th eball now in addition to throwing and rolling. Tomorrow starts our nextround of swimming lessons. Huis friend Andrew will be there this time. I am sure the little guys will have a ball!

Here is a pic of Nate "sharing" the piano with Neve.

Watch out for Sharks!

This week has been fairly successful! Nate is gaining skills so rapidly- it is just amazing to watch. I am certain that we started all of this at the EXACT right time. If we had started any sooner I have this feeling that we would have ended up at this exact same spot- just COMPLETELY out of money! Nate is open to learning, which an almost 3 year old should be!!

We have mastered skills such as rolling a ball back and forth, throwing a ball overhead, pedaling a tricycle, wooden puzzles, taking off shoes, starting artwork, and the list goes on and on... Nate has also picked up the sign for "swing". I was really proud of him on this one since it is such an akward moving of the wrist- but he got it!

He has been swimming and loving it. We blew up a baby pool with slides for him in the yard and wouldn't ya know it- he broke out from the damn cheap plastic the pool is made of??! lordy. Well I will put a shirt on him next time- he had such a blast. We actually had one of his aides standing in the pool with him and doing his programs from in there. It was great!!! I added some pics of Nate from swimming at our neighborhood pool. I was so shocked that he wore his shark lifevest- but he did! yay!

Nate went to his friend's birthday party today. He did awesome! He got hit in the face a few times by the same little girl, but he didn't push her in return (which is a nasty behavior I had feared he might be picking up). He actually behaved perfectly at the party and was even giving arm kisses to one of his friend's mommy. It was cute.

Move over Rembrandt...I'm framing my Portnoy!

Nate's first artwork. I am so proud of our little dude. He is trying so hard. I can't tell you how good it feels to put something on the fridge. WAY TO GO, NATE!!

He worked really hard today with his Occupational therapist and this is what we got!

Just had to share...more later....

Smarty Pants

Here is a video of a few skills Nate has picked up in the past two weeks. He is clearly ready to be challenged and we are thrilled to see that.

Whew! What a week!

We have had an insane week- that is for sure. Swim lessons have started. Nate LOVES being there. Taking part in the group games and activities is rough (same a s Little Gym), but he enjoys every second of the slides and running under a water sprinkler.

We had our 2 day start-up with Children's Hospital IBI here at the house. It went really well and I think we have a great team. Nate will certainly have his ups and downs, but it will be good for him I think. I think 5-6 hours a day of WORK for any 2 1/2 year old would be exhausting!

Nate's biomed test results are still trickling in. We received his yeast test which shows his yeast and bacterial counts are off the charts high. We all assumed that. The normal range for a certain kind of bacteria is 0-150, with the median being 75. Nate's is 862, which is more than 10 times the average. We are counting the days til our next doc appt so we can start medication to remove the yeast and bacteria as well as starting probiaotics. Along with that comes the worst news of all. We have to remove sugar from his diet, almost completely. This includes all natural forms of sugar (fruit) and starch that his body is transforming into sugar. UGH! This doesn't leave a whole lot left for the ol' dinner table. Most veggies he can have, although he won't touch them. He is eating ground beef and ground turkey though, so it is SOMETHING I guess. He won't starve.

ABA is underway!

We are up to 15 hours this week of ABA(5 days a week) and we will increase to 20 in the next 2 weeks. What can I say about it? So far, so good! He seems to like his therapists. They are all so very different from each other and have very different approaches with Nate, while still being consistant. Nate has been coming to the table with ease to "work" on puzzles, sorting, object labeling, simple commands(stand up), and imitation (touch your head).

Nate has also started picking up a new sign!! He is tapping the back of his hand for "stack" (as in blocks). If he continues I will be sure to get it on video. He has kept up with "please" and "more". When Nate gets frustrated he just starts signing "please" and "more" frantically because that is the only way he feels he can express himself!! It is quite sad actually. we are anxious to get him some more "words" so he can express his little wants and needs.