Florida & a good dose of Vitamin D

Just over a week ago our family took off for a week of sunshine with my parents before my mat leave ends (which is this Thursday by the way).  We've travelled with Andy quite a few times so we weren't too concerned about how he would do.  We were pretty sure that as long as we had a bag full of snacks, books and dvd player then he was set...and we were right! 

Em on the other hand was a different story.  We were actually a little nervous about how she would react to having to stay still for that many hours.  Em was all smiles with all the new faces and enjoying watching all the action until we got to the Customs Hall.  When we entered the Customs Hall we realised that there was a wait of at least 20 mins, it was nap time and it was stifling hot in there.  Immediately we dived into our diaper bag and handed Andy his first snack (some GFCF Pretzels) and he was happy as pie.  Emily was not so easily distracted.  She decided that it was time to stretch her lungs and scream as loud as she could for all to hear!  It was one of those mortifying parent moments.

Luckily, one of the airport employees noticed Emily's meltdown as without our knowledge asking permission of one of the Custom's Officers to allow us to skip the line.  Next thing we know our whole family is being waved through to the front of the line!  I think the rest of the passengers were actually quite happy to no longer have to listen to Emily's screams.  It was done with such kindness that I'm willing to guess that employee has travelled with young children herself at some point!

Next, we arrive at Security and basically undressed to accommodate all their new rules.  I walked through the scanner with Emily (we passed!) and then they expected Andy to walk through the scanner on his own.  Andy of course had other plans, like jumping, and had no interest in doing what they were wanting.  I felt bad for the security lady trying to explain to Andy what to do.  I quickly explained to her that Andy has Autism and that it might be easier if John could just carry Andy through the scanner.  After a few false alarms they made it through successfully!

Already for the second time someone took the time to look outside the box to help our family.  When we made it to the gate we found out that the inbound flight was delayed and we met Sophie as I mentioned in my last post. 

Eventually, we did make it onto our plane, Andy had settled into his chair and had fun learning how to do up his seat belt.  Once we settled him in with his blanket he surprised us by snuggling up to John and falling asleep before push back!  We were shocked but it served as a reminder that even when Andy seems regulated that any new situation is still a lot of stimulus for him to process and takes its toll on him.  While we felt bad that he was so exhausted we also felt proud that he handled it so well without a meltdown...take that percentiles!

Our weather was incredible all week.  Sunny all day with white wispy clouds.  Basically it was perfect Florida weather.  We managed to swim every day and even get some relaxing family time in.  We loved our getaway but it was not without its ups & downs for Andy.

Andy's stress comes out his food, bowels and sleep.  The first days Andy was only willing to eat fruit and hot dogs (Oscar Mayer Beef Nitrate & Gluten Free Hot Dogs).  He didn't poop from Friday until Monday - even with that much fruit (finally did thanks to the probiotics Culturelle).  He slept well at night however also took long naps every day. 

Andy was also having some behaviours that we weren't used to seeing.  He wasn't using his words.  He was easily upset when we were making requests of him.  He was also hitting, including Emily once.  As we continued our week we realised on Wednesday that we needed to take Andy to a walk-in clinic suspecting an ear infection or bronchitis and that was likely the reason for his behaviours.

It's always nerve racking to bring your child with ASD to a doctor's office but, I am happy to report that we had a fantastic experience thanks to a wonderful Nurse Practitioner (NP) named Jessica. 

Andy fell asleep in the car after being up since 5am.  The clinic allowed me to fill out the forms and allow Andy to sleep in the car until he was ready to be seen.  Andy was still asleep on John's shoulder when our NP came in to the exam room.  I explained to her that Andy had Autism and is considered non-verbal.  That he is usually quite regulated but with not feeling well he would likely be quite upset at a stranger trying to examine him.  She just smiled and said 'no problem, why don't we try and do most of the exam while he's asleep?'.  It was obvious that she was a mommy too!

Jessica, our NP extraordinaire, managed to do the entire exam while Andy slept - even managed to him to open his mouth so she could see his throat! haha  Turned out Andy had a minor ear infection that was aggravated by allergies.  This time I remembered to request chewable meds and off we went with our scripts.  Andy started to bounce back within 24 hours.

Ironically with all the craziness we still enjoyed our holiday tremendously.  It's incredible what a break from your usual routine, surroundings and a good dose of sun can do for your mood.  Our dose of Vitamin D made us so relaxed that our three hour flight delay on the way home (we pulled in our driveway at 4:30am from the airport) and we didn't even care....we still loved our week away and wouldn't change it for the world.

Oops, I lied.  I'd change one thing.....I'd stay longer!  Thanks Grann & Grandpere for inviting us to join you for our week of sun!

Dairy – a food we CAN live without

A very interest post from the Resourceful Mother...worth the read!

Dairy – a food we CAN live without

Love and potential...all you need is love!

Sometime before Christmas my parents called my husband and asked if they could invite us to join them for a week in Florida in February.  They thought it might be a nice break after the crazy year we've had with Andy's Autism and Emily's birth as well as just before I return to work. 

You might have wondered why my parents called my husband to invite us and not me?  I laugh about my mom's sneakiness now, but she knew that there was a good chance that I'd say 'no' before I gave it too much thought.  I can be...okay, I AM quite stringent about Andy's therapy schedule.  I do not stray from this schedule and would never cancel a session lightly.  I think that Andy's IBI is invaluable to his success.  It is our number 1 priority as a family right now.

To make a long story short...as you already know we went to FLORIDA!  No matter how stringent I might be on Andy's therapy schedule even I can see the positives of a week of sun, family and relaxation.  I'll post over the next few days about our trip but first I want to share with you a little tale about the power of strangers!

On November 1st, 2010 Andy underwent an assessment for government funding for IBI.  The week before we left for our vacation I got a call saying to book a review of the results from Andy's assessment.  I didn't think it would be a big deal, I mean I knew the results already right?  I was interviewed during the process for almost two hours.  I have a realistic personal assessment of what skills Andy's can and cannot do.  I didn't see how the psychometrist was going to tell me anything that I didn't already know.

Boy was I wrong...

So on Wednesday, February 10th, 2011 at 1pm I started my phone interview quite relaxed.  Most of the conversation went like this -

Psychometrist "Blah, blah, blah"

Me "Uh huh, yes, uh huh"

This went on for about thirty minutes...then she said "And now I'll review Andy's percentiles for his abilities.  Andy falls into the 1 percentile.  This means that out of 100 kids, Andy has the most difficulty in completing tasks."

What the @#%&????????????????????????

I was speechless (oddly) and stunned.  Rationally I knew it was a good thing that he had scored low because it helped us get him approved for funding.  However, I truly thought he would have scored higher than that.  Surely Andy can't be at the bottom of ALL the other kids???  I just don't see how that seems right.  This blow sat with me for several days, even wine with another ASD mommy friend didn't make it go away.

This is where the power of strangers came into play.

Fast forward a few days and it's now Friday, February 12th and we're at Lester B. Pearson Airport in Toronto.  We get to our gate only to find out that the inbound plane is delayed and we've got some time for kill with an energetic 3 year old.

I offer to hubby to walk around the terminal with Andy while he still had the freedom to move about.  Andy immediately walked across the gate waiting area towards another young family.  Andy went right into their space with a huge smile and started to jump up and down.  Their little girl, 4 years old, went right over to Andy and started jumping exactly as he was.  It was a beautiful thing to watch at how innocently their daughter just adapted to Andy's attempt to play, something we work hard on every day!

As the two of them started to play the parents looked on...mostly Andy running ahead, then looking back to see if Sophie was following and smiling every time he saw that she was.  And then as parents do we started to chat.  I then see that Sophie is doing her best to talk to Andy...and I panic a little knowing that he can't answer her.  I explain to Sophie's parents that I hope Sophie won't mind that he can't answer her as he's currently non-verbal due to his Autism.

Sophie's parents were surprised.  They said that they never would have guessed at his diagnosis.  They then asked where on the spectrum Andy fell, whether he was considered high or low functioning?  I'm not sure why but I shared with them Andy's percentiles..sometime it's easier to share with strangers.

The honest shock and disbelief on their face and subsequent comments when I said that I had just been told that he fell in the 1 percentile finally allowed me to let those results go.  I realised that those percentiles might be important for some, but not for Andy.  Percentiles don't define us...do you even know what percentile you fall into???  I don't, but what does matter is the following.

I love Andy and see his potential.  John loves his son and sees his potential.  Emily loves her big brother and sees his potential.  Our family loves Andy and sees his potential.  Andy's friends love Andy and sees his potential.  Strangers love Andy and see his potential.

Love and potential...all you need is love!

p.s.  By the way, Sophie didn't care at all that Andy couldn't answer her:)

Florida

We've arrived and we're already feeling relaxed.  Andy was a superstar when it came to travelling...Emily was the tyrant!  You can tell the traveling and flight delays have taken their toll on them.  We've had two exhausted kids all day and layed low.

I'll write more about our adventures later!

Sunshine here we come!

It has been a CRAZY busy week...if you've noticed I haven't had a moment to blog.  We've had a week full of highs and lows and tons of meetings.  However, there's light at the end of the tunnel....

Tomorrow we take off for a week in Florida!  This next week is going to be filled with R & R (rest and relaxation) for the whole family!  We plan on enjoying time with my parents, soaking up some rays and swimming for as many hours as we can.

We'll do our best to bring some sun home with us!

More surprises with Andy's latest skills

It seems that one must never underestimate what our kids are taking in from our surroundings, actions or words.  As previously mentioned in earlier posts this week (TV & Cheese and Bacon) Andy is starting to understand the connection between words and communication. 

At the same time, Andy's imitation skills have been improving as well.  My girlfriend came over Saturday morning with her two boys for a play date.  As she walked in our house Michelle waved at Andy.  In return, Andy waved back.  This usually would not be out of the norm but on this occasion it was.  Andy usually waves with an open palm and his fingers going up and down, this time I noticed that he was waving his hand and upper arm back and forth.  This was exactly what Michelle had just done..Andy was imitating someone who had just walked in the door that he hadn't seen in many months!  Very exciting:)

It seems that in our household we've not completely adjusted to Andy's new skills of imitation and words.  Tonight I was sorting through our clothes trying to get ready for our sunshine getaway while John was feeding the kids dinner.  Andy apparently got impatient waiting for his next course and got up out of his seat.  I was walking by him and said "Andy get your butt back in your chair".  Then as I'm rounding the corner I hear John say "Andy get your butt back in your chair"....and then it happens...Andy says "BUTT!".  John just started chuckling and then being a good speech therapy parent he reinforced that Andy had said "BUTT" and they continued on with dinner!

I'm thinking that we may need to make some adjustments to our daily routines thanks to Andy's newest skills of words and imitation!

We were actually going to be on time!

With my countdown to returning to work getting shorter and shorter we're trying to squeeze as many 'family time' hours in the day as we can.  Today our special outing was heading out for family swim.  Swimming would easily be considered Andy's favourite passtime (aside from eating lol).

Every afternoon Andy has some quiet time when he hangs out in his room.  Sometimes he naps, sometimes it's just time for him to unwind and take a break from all the stimulus around him.  We find if he doesn't take this time out in the afternoon then we have a very cranky overstimulated boy who is unwilling, or even able, to do any other activities later in the day.

Our plan was to go swimming after Andy's quiet time.  I was pretty sure he wasn't going to sleep but knew he needed his down time.  So at two o'clock I got Andy out of his room, Emily up from her nap and John up from his nap and started running around like a crazy woman so we could get out the door and make it to family swim on time.  I put my boots on and go to hand Andy his jacket to put it on.....and he's fast asleep on the couch!

Couldn't help but laugh...and think that it figures because we were actually going to be on time!  It would seem that all of Andy's new words this week may have left him a little exhausted.

BACON!

In the past week, Andy seems to finally be making the connection with words and communication.  The connection is something we've been waiting to happen for a long time.  We've always felt that Andy is quite smart and that once he realizes that using words will get his message across faster than pointing or getting upset that the floodgates would open and there would be no stopping him.

We've seem this connection with friends of ours little boy Finny.  His words seem to be spilling out of him now.  His family can hear him practicing new words or different ways of asking for things when he's in his room.  It's been incredible to watch him transformation and while cheering him on we've been crossing our fingers for the day that Andy would make the same leap.

On Monday we noticed the first change when he used "TV and Cheese" to request things.  Then on Tuesday morning, Andy said "Mickey" when Mickey Mouse Clubhouse came on tv.  On Friday after his quiet time we got some very rare "mommy & Andy" time to play.  I was spoiled with some more words like "apple, open, mom, read (ead), book (boo)".

This morning was probably the funniest word of all, I promise you'll never guess... BACON!  We were having some Only Oats Pancakes and bacon for our Sunday morning family breakfast.  We don't often have bacon so needless to say Andy was over the moon.  I guess his enthusiasm for our treat was overwhelming enough that we got to hear his new word "BACON" twice!  John & I were laughing at the image of us cooking up bacon as a re-inforcer for his IBI sessions.  Just imagine how fast Andy would progress if we offered him 'bacon' for every target...although it may not be so good for his overall health.  Perhaps we'll come up with another plan.

Andy's angels

God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today.  Have you used one to say "thank you?" 

~William A. Ward

Over the past year we have been given supported, loved and lifted up by the kind words, actions and love of our family and friends.  Sometimes saying 'thank you' although it seems like such a simple concept can be a difficult thing. 

How do you thank someone with the right words, look or gift for the incredible of their support that you've needed so badly to help you survive the day? the week? the month? the year?  We've tried throughout the year in different ways to thank everyone for the incredible support that they've given us, but sometimes it seems like 'thank you' is simply not enough.

So, for all those wonderful members of "Andy's Angels" that have helped us out in one way or another...thank you from the bottom of our hearts.  When people say to us that they don't know how we do it, move forward with our positive attitude as we do, know that it's because of you.

For the kind and encouraging words. 
For the helpful times when you've spent time with our kids. 
For the playdates and invitations to outings where you welcome our family with open arms and understanding.
For the open heart that you have when you listen to us when we need to talk.
For the questions you ask about our journey.
For the encouraging emails, phone calls, comments on my blog, comments on facebook.

All those things add up to the strength and energy we need to keep moving forward.  You are every part of Andy's recovery from our mortal enemy (aka Autism) so make sure to take pride in his advances as much as we do!

Thank you,

Alisa, John, Andy & Emily

xoxo