The Joys of Potty Training. . .

Anyone want to come over and potty train my kids?

Mister did pee pee potty 2 times today. I put him in big boy pants thinking I was going to be home for 4 days, What the Heck, lets give it a try. WRONG! He pee'd his pants 2 times in less than a half hour. LOL I should listen to my "know better" voice. DUH! We are just going to stick to the morning pee pee pottys and go from there.

Missy is thinking about it. She's gone pee pee and poo poo on the potty, LOTS OF TIMES! But still no real interest. Right now all she really cares about is eating Zurg's cape.

Two Doctor's Diagnosis'

Is there a plural for diagnosis?

We got two, one from a Developmental Pediatrician and one from a Pediatric Psychologist.

"High Functioning" Autism
http://autism.about.com/od/whatisautism/f/whatishfa.htm

Now that Mister has a diagnosis, I have to reapply to the State for Long Term Care. We've already been turned down twice under the Cerebral Palsy diagnosis. SOOO, hopefully this will fly. He's done SO well with diet and preschool. I'd love to get him more therapy.

It's crazy how many things go thru my head in one day. Vaccines, food, what food, not that food. Cholesterol, liver, ADHD, Autism, school programs, what are they going to do for the summer? Dog, cats, did someone feed them? Nana's house, grocery store, crap I have got to get to work. OMG who put all this stuff on my desk! Oh Yoh!

Just in case anyone has forgotten: Girl's Happy Hour, Thursday, June 5th , 4:00 p.m. at Cadillac Ranch! I intend to go see Sex in the City after Happy Hour if anyone is interested.

If you are wondering how I go from crazy busy in my head to happy hour????? Hellloooo, it is a natural progression. (In my head at least) ;o)

So many in need! What are you bitchin' about?

I don't know if these things go in cycles or what, but it seems we have a lot of hardship going on around us. My cousin, Jerry, is fighting his battles; my Aunt Honey is fighting hers; my niece's godson, Hayden, (very sad story) is dying right before his Mama's eyes.

What the heck do I have to whine about? NOTHING!

My biggest whine, I just don't know what I could do to help all these people. I'm not stupid, I should be able to come up with "something" I could do to help.

My first born, Jeff, I'm so happy he's who he is. I complain and whine about the trials we go thru, but really in the end, I'm happy he's who he is. About 2 months ago, Jeff came home from school and said a friend of his, Joanne, is a foster kid and she needs a place to live because her foster mom isn't nice to her. I didn't think anything of it, except that Jeff was feeling her need to make a change. About 1 week after that, I got a phone call from a psychotic mother, yelling at me that her daughter thinks I don't like her. "Huh, who are you? Who is your daughter?" I asked. Turns out, Jeff told Joanne that he would talk to his mom and that it would probably be ok for her to move in with us. OK, we had a small conversation about how helping people is SPECTACULAR, however you have to start with baby steps. ;o) I just love his heart.

I'm out! Love you all! Gin

A Beautiful Day

Busy week, Missy is still in swim everyday at 5:30. Daddy is in Minneapolis this week which makes going to swim quite interesting. Mister is all about the water, but it is Missy's turn. One of my bestest friends helped me out last night. We had swim, dinner and a drive across town to attend a wedding by 7:00 p.m. There were a few wardrobe changes and some french fries flying, but we made it.

With all that, today is a beautiful day.

Me and 3 of my closest and dearest friends went to lunch - can you believe it? Last minute too. I just felt like Souper Salad, I called one, then two and then three. All were available and it was GREAT!

Today is a beautiful day!

What the Heck (in a good way) ;o)

I've been a bit emotional and a little overwhelmed today. Mister had his ADOS Evaluation today. Very exhausting. Here's a link to describe ADOS.

http://portal.wpspublish.com/portal/page?_pageid=53,70384&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

I also received my e-Speaks weekly newsletter. I just love these stories. I really have nothing else to say except, please read this little boys story told by his daddy. I will post these stories each week. They are very supportive and encouraging for me and I hope that maybe Mister's family and friends might understand just a little bit more. Love to all - Mommy

http://www.autismspeaks.org/community/ownwords/intheirownwords_brady.php

Everything At Once - What the heck?

Ok, here we are ~ Crazy, but we're here! ;o)

We've been crazy busy this week. Mister has been eating alot of his allergens since he was going to his eval on Friday. I was afraid he'd be so good that they wouldn't notice his issues. Well, what ended up happening was on Thursday during pre-school, Mister got very tired, almost lethargic. He went and layed down in the middle of class. Mr. Aaron said he kept getting all sweaty but he had no temp. From that point on, I didn't allow him to eat anything he wasn't suppose to and within 24 hours we started to see the difference, by Saturday morning he was all back to normal. Goes to show how important the right foods are to each person.

So, Friday, his eval at the Melmed Center. OMG! I never thought I'd feel so comforted. I suppose I didn't realize it until after I left and had to step into the real world again. Other parents there knew when my son needed to remove ALL of his clothes to get a diaper change, or when he was adamant about turning off the bathroom light even tho someone was still in there. She said "its ok, we get it ~ thanks Max" ;o) In the real world, people would think you had a child who misbehaves and doesn't listen to his mom. In our world, that's just the way it is.

Dr. Jessani was fabulous. She was very reassuring and sypathetic to our families needs. We were there for about 1.5 hours. Mister played and made a mess while we started from the beginning, all the way to present day. All along she was watching him play. She also did a physical exam and then we placed him on a scale based on his abilities for motor, fine motor, speech and cognitive.

I don't remember exactly what the numbers were on the scale, but I do know that 1-30 was grey and designated "non-autistic", 30 to something was light blue and designated "high functioning autism", and then there was another category that was dark blue and designated "severe autism". Mister came in at a 36 "high functioning autism".

Now, the next step: The State of AZ isn't the best for paying out services. In order to get his therapy paid for, he must be diagnosed by an ADOS certified doctor. Turns out the Melmed Center has an ADOS certified doctor and there was a cancellation for Monday (this Monday) morning. This exam is not paid for by insurance as alot of tests and evaluations are not. Please pray for our needs in this area. So far we've been given the good fortune to be able to care for our children. I pray for that to continue!

So we will be going at 9:00 a.m. to meet with Dr. Chao at the Melmed Center. (9:00 to 11:00). Wish us luck!

Then. . . Saturday we got all dressed up and went to help celebrate Uncle Ron and Aunt Dara's Wedding celebration. I have got the most awesomest family! He's some pics to share. Both kids did very well walking down the isle. They each had an older "friend" to help them along the way.

Husband, Mister and Missy! Don't they look GREAT?

Missy and Madeline ~ how precious!

My girlie girl ~ Missy!

Mister's Evaluation Scheduled

We've had Mister's evaluation at the Melmed Center scheduled since February and now it's here. YEAH! We go Friday morning at 10:00.

He has been sooooo good. His words are awesome, his thoughts are awesome, he verbalizes all on his own (believe me sometimes too much). This morning at 4:50 a.m. Mister said "It's morning Mommy, sun came up". I sleepily said "yes dear it's morning - NOW GO BACK TO BED". ;o) It was even cloudy and gloomy today. His clock is all in synch with the sun. I can't wait for winter.

So, I've been letting Mister eat EVERYTHING he's not suppose to. Last weekend, we went to cousin Tyler's birthday party and had 2 pieces of pizza AND a piece of cake with frosting. He loved every minute of it. I'm hoping that, like clockwork, his words will round off and some of his "spectrum" symptons will return so that he doesn't seem perfectly normal at the evaluation.

I've learned (with Jeff) that once they are older and the developmental symptoms aren't there, no one believes there is a problem. They just think the kid is a bad kid, or a sneaky kid. I'm having a hard time with Jeff now that he wears black band clothes and has long hair. General Administration at school is clueless.

So, I want to have all my ducks in a row with Mister. I filled out a very lengthy and thorough questionaire for his evaluation. 2 1/2 hours of filling out the questionaire. I'm quite thankful that it was so lengthy.

So here we go into the spectrum world yet again. Monday, we'll all be back to our usual and customery diets. No wheat, no dairy, no eggs, no mustard, no cheese, no chili pepper, no canola, no oats! ;o)

Ok, here's some fun for you! Mister and Daddy mowing the lawn last night. Fun was had by both!

Flavors or Colors

This is a true "What the Heck"!

We have white cake and yellow cake! Why do we have chocolate cake and not "brown" cake?

Pick one, is it a flavor or a color?

What the heck?

Something Your Doctor Won't Tell You (or may not know themselves)!

We are all made up differently and should eat accordingly. The information below is for informational purposes only. $ amounts on these websites only reflect that particular website and are not accurate. I only included them because the explanations of the different tests are informative.

ImmunoLabs provides the IgG (Food Sensitivity Test) for $450.

If you could do 1 thing to help your child or benefit your own health, wouldn't you want to know about it? Something your doctors won’t tell you about and most of the time, don’t even know about themselves. Educate yourself, you are your own advocate!

Naturapath Medical Doctor, Dr. Donese Worden, 480-588-2233 (Power and Baseline Roads, Mesa, AZ) http://drdoneseworden.com/ Click on "new member" below the login and you can then see the button bar at the top of the page.

Please read these sites. They are very informative.

This is information:
http://www.healthydoctors.com/newsletters/healthydoctors%20insight%20newsletter%20article%20immunolabs.htm

More information: (GREAT explanations of the tests that ImmunoLabs offers)
http://www.directlabs.com/ImmunoLabs.php

This is the official site: (watch the videos from doctors and patients)
http://www.immunolabs.com/

This test is not for immediate allergies but the hidden ones; or you may call them food sentivities. Things that we've eaten all our lives and didn't realize it was causing havoc on our system. I have been introduced to this AWESOME test that only requires your blood (and $450). ;o) However, this test checks 250 food items and has made a HUGE impact in a lot of people's lives. Including ours. Please check it out.

Note that all chronic diseases are caused from inflamation. Where does the inflamation come from you ask? A number of places, starting with WHAT YOU EAT! There is a definite connect between what you eat, how you digest it and what actually gets to your brain.

They rank your allergens on a 1-4 scale. 4 being the worst allergen. Get this: The numbers are also accumulative. Which means a grilled cheese sandwich for Mister is a very high sensitivity. Here’s what we’ve got going on:

Mister:
+3 Cow’s Milk, +2 Cheese, +2 Eggs, +2 Mustard, +1 Wheat, +1 Oats, +1 Goat’s Milk, +1 Chili Powder

Jeff:
No +3s ;o), 8 different kinds of fish (no fish oils for him - Omega 3s - he takes Flax), +2 Cashews, +1 Wheat, +1 Baker’s Yeast, +1 Brewer’s Yeast, +1 Oats, +1 Radish

Husband:
BEER (no j/k), +2 Lentils, +2 Brewer’s Yeast, +2 Spinach, +1 Cow’s Milk, +1 Wheat, +1 Pumpkin, +1 Baker’s Yeast (A beer for Husband is a +3 - Wouldn't be so bad if it were just one beer).

Gina:
+3 Eggs (the whole flippin' egg, not just the white or the yolk), +2 Cow’s Milk
I can’t remember all my numbers, but there is:
Goat’s Milk, Wheat, Pumpkin, Brewer’s Yeast

Missy is too young to test since she probably hasn't built up any sensitivities yet.

40 Years old and fighting such a battle - What the heck?

My cousin, Jerry, is fighting the battle of his life, literally. He is married with 3 small children. He was diagnosed with Stage IV throat cancer and has been undergoing chemo and radiation. Tomorrow he is having surgery which will take him and his wife to Columbus. They have THE BEST support system thru their church, family, and friends.

I haven't been close with Jerry but keep up to date on his treatment. What I've felt and learned from his wife (that I don't even know) is that one should really have faith to get you thru everything. I am just blown away by their faith in the Lord. Here is a small part that I copied from an update, maybe it will touch you as it has me.

He Giveth More Grace

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater

He sendeth more strength when the labors increase

To added affliction He addeth His mercy

To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace

His love has no limit, His grace has no measure

His power has no boundary know unto man

For out of His infinite riches in Jesus

He giveth and giveth and giveth again

Please pray for Jerry and his family!

On this crazy trek I learned. . .

I learned that doctors think you are crazy when you tell them you are now seeing a naturapath medical doctor and you took your son off of all milk and wheat.

I also learned that when I talk to family and friends that aren't personally involved, they look at me like I'm talking a foreign language.

What the heck?

Why does the medical profession do this to us. People are REALLY sick and could at least tolerate their illnesses if they'd just learn to eat for their own body.

I can give you a "for instance". Last night, Husband and I went to dinner at this REALLY great place with my cousins, Ned and Elisa. OMG did we eat. Husband and I have been on Nutrisystem since January and have done really well. We both had the IgG test done. (Food sensitivity test - Immuno Labs) Mine came back with EGGS being a +3, Milk +2, wheat, pumpkin and brewer's yeast (no wonder I can't drink). Anyway, I've been trying to refrain from most. I still have some wheat. That's hard to totally stay away from; and milk in my coffee. That's about it. I've noticed a huge change in annoying things that happen to me, like MY EYES DRIP for what I thought was no reason, THE PAIN IN MY STOMACH for what I thought was no reason but maybe indigestion. So last night, I ate half of a cheeseburger (cheese and the bun), half a piece of salmon, some steak fries (MMM, they were yummy), oh and let's not forget the huge piece of Chocolate Mousse Turtle Cheesecake with whipped cream and chocolate sauce. ;o)OMG, I thought I was going to puke.

I woke up today with a running nose and dripping eyes. My eyes haven't dripped in months.

What the heck?

My next post will include some REAL information that I've learned in the past 8 months.

Here's some of my little ones

This is my Missy Girl! She's something! She's a psycho sister, she's a lover. She's just plain girl!

This is my Mister. He's loud, he's silly, he loves to dance and sing. Get this, when he sings, he sings word for word and clearly. Only when he sings. ;o)

This is my Jeff. He's a 16 year old Rock Star (he thinks). He's been playing guitar for about 3 years and is self taught. He doesn't read music but can learn any material if he has an extra hour. He's so on the spectrum. Hates school but loves his music. This is his girlfriend Chelsea (CJ) when they went to prom a few weeks ago.

What the heck? (Who'd a thought I'd have all these blessings)

Getting use to the blogging thing. . .

I've titled my blog "Topics of Discussion that are "What the Heck?" for a reason. I've found that many times in one day, I'm shocked at the lack of communication. From coworkers, medical professionals, service people, etc.

My biggest deal is medical professionals. How many of you have seen or heard of the book "What your doctor may not tell you about Premenopause"? This has been taken a step further when I came to realize that my boys may have to spend the rest of their lives dealing with a spectrum disorder that could have been prevented, if only my doctor (the doctor who was suppose to be protecting them) would have just said something. Anything! Even just a "maybe you should read this" or a "some people seem to think".

Yes, I'm referring to the dredded hot topic of the Vaccination Schedule. If I'd just known that the 25 shots they were going to give my son would spiral him into his own precious little world. 5 of those 25 shots each include 3 separate vaccinations. That's 15 vaccinations. This all happens before the are 2 years of age.

The doctors are the first to instruct new moms to not feed all vegetables at the same time to figure out if there are allergies or not, but they neglect to tell you the part that your small perfectly healthy little baby may be susceptible to neurological issues including Epilepsy and spectrum disorders.

What the heck?

Where does one start?

I have learned so much in the past 8 months. Spectrum disorders, diet, routine, medication, doctors, supplements. What the Heck?

This all started with Mister Millian. Diagnosed at 10 months old with Cerebral Palsy. What did I know? We were swept up by the state with multiple therapists; OT, PT, and Developmental.

Mister did great! His tight left fist loosened up. He got stronger with every visit from his angel, Miss Sarah (OT).

Mister was turning 2 and I was growing more and more concerned over his high pitch vowel sounds. "Wasn't he saying Daddy just 6 months ago?" What happened to that? I asked therapist "What about Autism?" The all assured me that Mister didn't fit the bill. He was social and participated eagerly.

What the Heck?