Sleep!

Ever since Christmas Iz's schedule has been all mixed up. To make matters worse she gave up her nap making it even harder to fix things. She has been waking up at 4:30 just about every morning and has an overtired meltdown around 4 every afternoon. I tried putting her down when tired but that led to her waking up at 2:30 so that only lasted 2 days. I have been trying to make the best of it and have actually adjusted to her new "day". She is very resistant to change so it became a matter of choosing my battles with her.

Today I woke up around 4:45 and the house was silent. My first reaction was to check on the kids because it was so unexpected.  I imagine Iz being up most of last night had everything to do with this. I woke up again and the sun was up, it was 7:30 and only A was making noises. We got him up and started breakfast and tried to be extra quiet. I wanted her to sleep as long as possible so I could push back bedtime tonight without her loosing her mind or having another 2 hour meltdown (I wish this was an exaggeration).

Hopefully it goes well and we are rewarded with another later wake time. It kind of makes me laugh that at one point I thought 6:30 - 7:30 was early... those were the days.

Sweet Pea's Evaluation is Scheduled

We have been watching our little guy closely for awhile and using some of the speech therapy (ST) activities that they taught us for Peanut. We've been waiting for more words, having hope because people tell us boys talk later or that second children talk later because the first does all the talking for them (unfortunately this is not the case).

After watching Peanut's impressive progress we have decided that waiting isn't doing Sweet Pea any favors. I look back from the time I noticed Peanut was behind and when I convinced J that we had waited long enough, we lost months waiting. We can't wait longer with Sweet Pea. The stakes are too high. Peanut's diagnosis of autism raised his odds of having it to 1 in 10 according to the Developmental Pediatrician (DP). With autism being more common in boys we feel it is important to get him into EI because the earlier you start the better because the brain is still developing.

We have seen several red flags and even at Peanut's autism evaluation the DP mentioned some things that she noticed that were concerning. She suggested we contact EI if we felt that he may be falling behind and we told her we were already discussing it. It worries me a little that the DP was concerned, I almost feel like she suggested it to get the ball rolling because that was the first step we took with Peanut.

Our service coordinator called today to schedule his evaluation for February 7th. It was supposed to be sooner but one of the evaluation team members is on vacation. I will say I am not nearly as worried as I was for Peanut because this time I know what to expect. I know that he won't be scared because everything is done through play. I know that there will be several evaluators (I was a little suprised last time). I know that our service coordinator will be there to help explain everything (she truly is an amazing woman and has been such a help to our family). I know that we will know the results of their evaluation the same day (another shocker the first time). I know that it will be okay.

I have already accepted that he will more than likely receive services. He has a lot more red flags than Peanut did, and is much further behind in many areas that she was considered to be delayed in. I am ok most of the time except for the occasional moment where I see children younger than mine talking in sentences or doing different skills that we are struggling with. But I don't want to become "that mom". You know, the mom who feels sorry for herself,  the mom who feels like autism or developmental delays are the end of the world, the mom who says that their child is an trapped inside or even worse "an empty shell" or that they need to be "cured". On this journey I have met other moms who feel this way and it really breaks my heart. I want to just tell them "our children are perfect just the way they are. They are still the same child, it is only a diagnosis... a label. A label that can help us better understand what is going on our children and allow us to teach them in ways they understand better. That it is okay to accept the diagnosis.  By accepting it I in no way mean not providing therapy. To me, accepting it is realizing that our children are not "empty shells" and by seeing it that way we could miss out on the great children they are now if we dream about what we are missing or how it is "supposed" to be.It is realizing that it is part of who they are and embracing it as you would with any other part of them." But I don't... I stay quiet because it is not my place. What breaks my heart even more is some moms will say these things with their children right there, they're not deaf. I may sound like I am on my high horse, but I admit I still have moments, not quite "empty shell" moments (can you tell this really upset me?). But when I have a moment where I feel badly about it all I remind myself of the things they can do, and just how much I love them, and how much they love me. I want to show them that it is ok to be different and embrace their differences, we are all unique. As easy as it would be to become "that mom" I feel that being positive will help teach them to advocate for themselves and for them to be ok with who they are. (It's not that I think the moms who do feel this way are wrong, I know they worry and feel that way out of love. I just feel like they are missing out on the great children they already have as they wish for "normal")

Now that I'm off my soapbox... have a good night!

Sweet Pea Thursday

Today was pretty slow for pictures because the little guy was in a bad mood. There was a lot of Laurie Berkner Band playing today... what fun! If you don't already know who Laurie Berkner is please do yourself a big favor and never look her up. She sings tons of upbeat catchy songs that get stuck in your head for days. I can't seem to escape her. But Sweet Pea worships her. It never seems to matter how bad the tantrum is the moment one of her songs start playing or we sing the words all is calm. It really is a love hate relationship with her music. :-p

Here are the few calm moments I was able to get a picture of.

Peanut Tuesday Part 2

Our afternoon was pretty quiet. Since J had to work I loaded up the kids in the wagon for a walk. Peanut loved seeing J off to work from the sidewalk. Peanut tried on my shoes. The kids ran around rocking out to none other than The Laurie Berkner Band (the only thing to calm a fussy Sweet Pea). After dinner Sweet Pea went down and Peanut and I watched Pingu. I made her cinnamon toast. My Mom used to make it for me when I was little and I always looked forward to it. Peanut loved it and insisted on sharing it with me and saying "yum, yum" for me as she rubbed my belly. It was a sweet moment.

Peanut Tuesday

I am awful about taking pictures. I want to, but most of the time I am so caught up in the moment that it doesn't cross my mind. I've given it a lot of thought and have realized I am just not destined to be a mom who takes a million pictures. It also doesn't help that we seem to have bad luck with our camera and it has spent more time being repaired than in use. I am going to start posting pictures throughout Peanut's day on Tuesdays and Sweet Pea's day on Thursdays. Here is Peanut's pre-naptime pictures for today... I'll probably do another post later.

My Spring To Do List

Lately the weather has been beautiful and I can't help but think about spring. There are so many things I can't wait to do with the kids. Here is our very early Spring To Do List. I will update as we complete each item

● Plant flowers and have the kids water them daily. I know Peanut will enjoy watering them. Sweet Pea will probably be more into digging holes to plant them.

● Go to the beach. We really should go more often.

● Go for a puddle walk. I want to get the kids little rain jackets and boots and go spash in the rain.

● Go for a hike. We used to go for a weekly hike when Peanut was an only child. Dragging a double stroller was never really a good or fun idea. Now that Peanut gets around so well and Sweet Pea loves babywearing I think we can pull this off!

● Chalk Paint. We do this often but just in case we are busy trying new things I thought I would remind myself.

● Roast marshmallows and make smores.

● Go visit family back home. I am excited for this one!

● Go to Disney World!!!!!

● Enjoy a sunset.

● Go to the zoo.

● Go to the children's museum.

● Go to the park.

● Go to a movie. This is a big one! AMC Theaters offers a once a month sensory friendly viewing. They leave the lights on and turn down the volume. The kids are also able to get up as needed. Peanit is terrified of the dark, this will be amazing!!!

● Go to the library's story time.

● Check out a butterfly garden.

● Go to the splash park.

● Bake cookies.

We're going to Disney World!

J suprised me with our first family vacation shortly after he started his new job. I've been busy planning ever since. This is the first time we are doing anything "big" as a family. Peanut loves Bush Gardens so we are feeling brave.

So far we know that we want to stay on property.  I've narrowed it down to the Pop Century Resort or the All Star Movies. They both seem to have a lot that the kids will enjoy without blowing our budget on the room. I was even more excited when J suggested we take advantage of their annual pass payment program. We plan to make a few trips this year including Star Wars weekend for my birthday. (J really does bring out my inner dork ;-p) We also think it will take away the pressure of seeing and doing everything since we can come back another day. That will do wonders for Peanut because she'll probably be a bit overwhelmed.

We plan to do a charactor meal, but we haven't decided where yet. The kids are going to love it! Se don't even have to worry about Sweet Pea's allergies because Disney was kind enough to send us a list of places that he can eat and what menu items are safe. I was so thankful for that list because I was already stressed about making sure he'll have food to eat and whether or not to pack a cooler full of his foods. They are also offering some amazing accommodations for Peanut. It is a relief to know that we will be able to relax and really enjoy our vacation.

I am also very excited because we will be doing the kids first haircuts at The Harmony Barber Shop on Main Street at the Magic Kingdom. We have an appointment shortly after noon so we can hopefully catch the barbershop quartet.  I am excited because the kids also will receive first haircut mouse ears. I wanted to hold off on cutting Peanut's hair until she could let us know if she wants it long or short but with her sensory issues brushing her hair is like starting a war. I have been hesitant vto cut Sweet Pea's hair. He has such beautiful curls and the longer hair really suits him. But when it is wet it is almost halfway down his back and it could really use a trim. I think we're going to keep it longer for now.

I'll probably post more of our plans as they come together and of course there will be tons of pictures after the trip!

A Peanut Update: Peanut's Autism Evaluation Report

We have been waiting on this report since the day of her appointment. We recieved a diagnosis and therapy recommendations but were left with a lot of unanswered questions. It turns out we would have received it sooner but was returned to the office by the postman. We weren't really sure what the report would include. It has a complete summery of the visit. I was suprised how thorough the summery was. It also included her Battelle Developmental Inventory scores, band her Childhood Autism Rating Scale score.

Out of respect for Peanut's privacy I don't feel comfortable posting her actual score results publicly. According to the Battelle Developmental Inventory she is delayed in several areas including: self care, self concept,  receptive communication, expressive communication, gross and fine motor skills, attention and memory, and perception and concepts. Some of these delays are mild, but some of them are a more severe. On the CARS she scored under the severe catogory of autism. What is encouraging is that she was at the lower end of "severe". There is a note mentioning that her positive response to early intervention is encouraging and that they sill re-evaluate atound age 5 to see if she falls under a more mild diagnosis on the spectrum such as PDD-NOS or Aspergers Syndrome. 

There was a summery of recommended services and therapies and contact information of our evaluation team.

I was a bit suprised by some of her scores. But overall I understand them. I just keep looking forward and enjoy each day. She has already made so much progress and we know she is going to continue.

New Pics!

Here are a few new pics, more to come soon!

Alex being a cookie monster and Izzy napping in the cradle with all her babies and stuffed animals ♥