I have to write more...

I have to figure out a way to write more for at least two reasons.  The first one is for my mental health.  The second one is to keep track and record all of the things that are happening in my babies' lives.  My babies who are no longer babies.  They are three years old.  Some of that time went by really slowly, but I also went by super fast - all at the same time.  I am not sure my mental health is up for writing, so we will just got with an update on the kiddos...

Jack is doing great!  He is now using 4 and 5 words on his own.  It is AMAZING!  He is talking!  I am so, so, so happy for him and hope he continues to make progress this way.  We are going to speech therapy four days a week.  We go to MLee, where the therapists are trained in PROMPT.  We usually see Marcus and once a week see Ashley.  Jack seems to enjoy it and every morning asks to get in the car and go see Marcus.  Something is working!  He is doing well in his ABA programs.  My favorite one is teaching him and Annabelle to play chase together.  They have their own form of chase that they play without any help (and without actually tagging each other) and love it.  They are loving tagging each other too.  And I love to hear their laughter as they run in circles in my house.  There is no sweeter sound in the world than my two babies laughing together.  I hope we are able to capture it so I can listen to their joy for the rest of my life.  Jack is still playing with Mason from across the street and they really seem to be having fun together.  I am so glad that Jack has a buddy!  Jack is starting at Tiny Tots in another week.  He and Annabelle will go twice a week.  We are also starting music and soccer.  And, I am working on getting him in to music therapy as well.  He/we will be busy!  He finally had his three year well child check with our new pediatrician, Dr. Wheelock.  I love her!  He did well during the visit.  He is measuring about 50th percentile for height and weight.

Annabelle is also doing great!  She talks and talks and talks and drives me totally crazy!  She asks literally 100's of questions every day and does not stop just because the question is answered.  Today, my mom said something to her about being in a "stinky bus station".  There was at least 15 minutes of non-stop questions and comments about the "stinky bus station" and why it was stinky and what else was stinky and where the busses were going and on and on and on.  My mom apologized for bringing the topic up.  She loves her brother and has fun with him.  At her well child check, she was 95th percentile for height and weight.  She is super tall!  We got a referral for her for physical therapy and speech therapy.  Not that there are really concerns, but I think she could benefit emotionally from having someone just to work with her.  So, we will see how it goes...  She is also going to start school next week with Jack.  She is also going to go to The Little Yoga House one day a week - something special just for her.  She will be in music class and soccer as well.  Plus, the plan is for her to start violin lessons as well.  I am thinking that might not have been a good idea, but we will see.  Regardless, it will be a busy fall!

And me... I  have a couple real estate things happening, which is good, since we can always use the money.  We are still in a law suit with ECI.  They are offering $25K to settle, but we are hoping for more like $45K, so I do not think we will take it.  I am going to start writing home studies for Lutheran Social Services again, which is awesome, since we can always use the money.  I am hoping to take violin lessons with Annabelle, while the kids are at school.  And, I am also hoping to figure out a way to get some exercise in.  I really think I want to take tennis lessons.  We will see...  Jeremy and I are going to Raleigh next weekend to go to a football game and see his friends.  I am excited for a weekend away and to escape some of the heat.  It has been hot here!  I love the heat when I can sit in my pool and hang out.  But, with 2 kids, that doesn't happen much.  I am ready for all and am hoping a quick trip to North Carolina will get me in the right mindset.  I am also super excited to see our nephew, Bryce, while we are there.

And, I think that's a wrap!  Hopefully I can get back in the swing of writing more frequently, although I have said this before, so we will see....

A few random pics from the fall of 2013, since I don't seem to write much...

Annabelle on her first day of Yoga Peace School

Jack and Annabelle at the beach in Galveston

Jack and Annabelle on their first day of Tiny Tots

First day of Tiny Tots

Playing with daddy

Hanging in the tree

The beach in Galvestone

Tiny Tots with Meghan - Halloween festivities

Tinkerbell and Peterpan for Halloween!

Crazy Hat day at Tiny Tots

Blogs...

I have been reading way too many blogs.  I stumbled upon an "autism mom blog" and of course, she links to many more "autism mom blogs" and I just can't stop reading.  I definitely do not have time to be reading all of these blogs.  But what I really don't have is the emotional head space to be reading these blogs.  They are making me think!  Normally, I would say thinking is a good thing.  I would typically describe myself as a critical thinker and a fairly smart person who likes to use her brain.  But, since autism has entered my world, I really do not want to use my brain.  In fact, I wish I could find someone who could just tell me all the information I need to know it one short and concise paragraph and then make the magic happen.  Unfortunately, it does not work that way.  When Jack was diagnosed, I asked the doctor and the pediatrician and the BCBA, what the prognosis would be for him.  They all said he was too young to tell.  So, I decided then and there, if no one could tell me, then I would just go with the plan that he will be "just fine".  And, in my mind, the way I define "just fine", is that he will go to 1st grade, be in regular education, have friends, and do whatever it is that he enjoys.  Early on in our autism journey, actually before we even had a diagnosis, a friend suggested I contact an old acquaintance she had.  So, I did.  She has twin boys, who at the time were seniors in high school.  They had been diagnosed with autism at 3 years old and by 1st grade, were functioning just fine.  The day after we received the diagnosis, I called her.  I was having what I can only describe as a mental breakdown.  I was not in control of myself in a way that has never happened to me.  I was literally laying on the ground in the fetal position, sobbing.  She came over to my house.  I had never met her before and had barely spoken with her, but she was my angel that day.  She gave me her copy of "Let Me Hear Your Voice."  She gave me a bunch of cards that she had used with her boys.  And she told me her story.  She probably has no idea how much she impacted me and my thinking.  From that day on, I decided I would just do what she did and expect the same outcome.  Every now and then, we meet for lunch.  I tell her how Jack is doing.  She tells me how much better he is doing than her kids were at that age.  I feel better.  And I go on believing that Jack will be "just fine".  And, I still believe it.  He has made TREMENDOUS progress.  He is beginning to talk and will put 3 and sometimes even 4 words together.  We have finished OT because he seems able to regulate his sensory needs.  He is, according to Rebecca, in "intermediate" programming in the ABA program.  He and Mason, our friend across the street, have play dates twice a week and Jack and Mason held hands as the therapist and Jack walked Mason home after the last play date.  Jack played soccer and went to gymnastics and did as well, if not better, than most of the kids in the class.  He is going to be "just fine".  But, some of this "thinking" stuff has got me thinking.  And, I am not sure I even want to say it out loud (or write it out loud).  So, maybe I won't just quite yet.  I will keep thinking about it and rolling it around in my brain.  And maybe, I will call my "angel" and see what she thinks about all of these things I am reading.  I know what she will say - "Stop Reading".  And I will try, because I know I should not be reading.  Like I said, I do not have the time or energy to be reading other people's blogs on autism.  But, with her children, her journey is really done.  They are going into their sophomore year in college, at an out of state university, and are living on their own.  They have made friends and are happy and healthy.  Once I get to that place (still thinking Jack will get to that place), it may seem easier to say not to focus on anything and have confidence Jack will be fine.  And really, I do have confidence he will be "just fine" because there is just as much to say he will be, in fact possibly even more, than there is to say he will not be.  But, there is a tiny part of me that wonders if.  And, am I doing the right things?  Is there anything else I should be doing?  There is so much information out there, I cannot possibly read it all or know everything.  And, I do not know who to believe about the various contradictions.  But, I will meet my "angel" for lunch.  I will tell her how Jack is doing.  She will tell me he is doing so much better than her kids were at his age.  And, I will feel better.

Happy 3rd birthday!

Happy 3rd birthday to Jack and Annabelle!  I cannot believe it has been three years since you were born!  To celebrate your birthday, we had a Curious George birthday party at Jumpoline yesterday, the day before your birthday.  Some of your favorite people were there including Charlotte, Molly, Wesley, Holden, Lily, Clara, Nora, Mason, Matthew, Reagan, Anson, Madilyn, Reagan, Ever, Maebe, Phoenix, Pearl.  You also had lots of family - Granna, Gma, Gpa, Kaitlyn, Granjan, Grandpa, Uncle Josh, and Tiffany.  It was lots of fun!  Jack jumped the entire two hours with a very small break to eat a cupcake.  Annabelle jumped, but also played on some of the other toys and enjoyed hanging out and chatting with friends.  We had red cupcakes with banana runts and yellow cupcakes with red sugar sprinkles.  Jack and Annabelle had special cupcakes from Wildwood Bakery.  We also had bananas, since we were monkey themed.  Jack and Annabelle each had Curious shirts and Annabelle even wore a tutu made by Granjan.  It was pretty adorable!

Annabelle - this has been a fun year for you!  You are very curious and always wanting more and more and more information.  You have a vivid imagination and are always going on "trips" and "rocket ship rides".  It is amazing to hear the stories you create and I am so lucky to be a part of them.  You went to school at St. Paul Lutheran this year and Ms. Wuerchan was your teacher.  You enjoyed her and the school said you always did well.  We also did music with Heartsong and just recently began soccer and gymnastics.  We took several trips to the zoo and Sea World, both of which you always loved.  We went to North Carolina in April to visit Baby Bryce - it was a fun trip!  Currently, you love reading books and cooking in your kitchen.  You also enjoy drawing and painting.  You know your letters and numbers.  You have a great vocabulary.  You do a pretty good job of following directions.  You were potty trained right after your birthday last year and only wear a diaper at nap and night time.  Overall, you are a creative and spirited child and I can't wait to see what this year brings!

Jack - this has been a learning and working year for you, but just in the past couple of weeks, it seems like serious progress is happening.  You are typically in therapy 25 hours a week.  It makes me sad that you do not have much free time, but I am hoping it will pay off and in a few years, we can be done with all of this.  You are laid back and have a sense of humor, which is great!  You like to play with lots of different things, including cars, trains, and sensory boxes of rice and "dirt".  You are also in to painting and glitter glue and enjoy wagon rides.  You have been in music with Heartsong and seemed to enjoy it.  At least, you sing the songs all the time when we are home!  In general, you love music.  You have just started soccer and gymnastics and they are going well.  We have gone to the zoo and Sea World, neither of which impressed you.  You seem to like numbers and counting.  In the past couple of weeks, you have really started "talking".  I think it is real talking now, as you spontaneously put two words together almost all of the time.  YAHOO!!!  We started PROMPT speech therapy in February of this year and I think it has been a huge help.  I told your therapist, Marcus, that I wanted you talking by your birthday.  And, I think it has happened!  You are talking!  You are not on level yet, but I think it will happen!  Tonight, Daddy gave you an apple and you said "thank you".  I don't think anyone has even taught you that one - it almost made me cry.  I am SO excited!  Also, we have done potty training with you and started in the beginning of June.  You wear undies all day and wear a diaper for nap and night time.  Most of the time, even your nap diapers are dry.  The only problem is pooping, which you don't want to do in the potty yet.  As long as it happens in the diaper, it is fine.  It is not so fun when it is in your undies.  Regardless, you have made a ton of progress!  You have playdates twice a week as part of your therapy.  Right now, we are having Mason over twice a week.  It seems to be going well...  Overall, you are a chilled out kid.  I can't wait to see what this year brings!

Sea World for Father's Day

Jeremy was a great sport and said we could go to Sea World for Father's Day.  His mom is here and we all have season passes.  We are trying to get in as many trips as we can before the kiddos turn three and are no longer free...  We had a great day and it was not as crowded as I thought it would be and not even as hot as I thought it would be.  Jack was pretty upset when he realized we were not taking the stroller with us.  Last time, he did not want to get out of the stroller and you have to get out in order to see any of the shows.  This time, we just went without the stroller, so he did not have the choice to sit in it.  After his initial frustrations about the stroller, he did just fine.  He even peed in the potty a few times and we had 0 accidents - yay!

My favorite show is Azul with the divers and Beluga whales.  Annabelle loves to pretend to dance with Beluga whales at our house, so I think  it is one of her favorites too.  We also say a new Pet's Ahoy show which had dogs, cats, a pig, and other animals.  It was air conditioned, so that was a plus.  We tried to feed the dolphins, but they are no longer doing that program.  It was still really fun to be so close to them in their tank.  They were swimming in circles and jumping right in front of us.  Annabelle got splashed, which was super fun.

The kids had a blast at the splash pad, which is huge.  It took Jack a while to get used to it and he and I started with the baby splash pad.  But, after a while, he was running with Annabelle and Jeremy on the big one.  We also did more sesame street stuff this time then in the past.  We saw Elmo Rocks and at the end of the show, the kids get to go down front and dance. Annabelle and Granjan went down and Jack decided he wanted to go to.  It was great!  Afterwards, we took a picture with all of them and Jack became buddies with Elmo and "pet" him.  Annabelle was afraid at first, but later warmed up to them.  We got some cute pictures!

At the end of the day, Jack and Jeremy went back to the car.  While we waited for our pictures, Annabelle and I rode the Shamu Express, which was so fun.  Annabelle's first roller coaster ride - I think I need to document it for the baby book!

Overall, a great day with tired out kids!  Happy father's day Jeremy - the best father and husband I could ask for!

Potty Training

Well, I think we are almost there!  We started potty training with Jack last weekend, Saturday, June 1st.  He needs to be potty trained for his school in the fall and he just seemed ready.  Multiple times, he took off his diaper at nap - clearly a sign he was ready to be done with diapers.  One positive of autism (there are not many, so I like to highlight one if it ever occurs), the therapists did most of the potty training!  And, it was not fun.  Rebecca was here Saturday and Sunday, along with another therapist for each shift.  And then, the therapists continued to work on it during the week.  On Wednesday, I was starting to get nervous.  Jack did not really have many accidents, but he could hold his pee for a long time.  He was scared to pee on the potty and one time literally sat on the potty for 3 hours!  He would cry whenever he was on the potty and actually needed to pee because he was scared.  It was so sad for me to watch and listen to, but I knew we had to push through.  I was also worried he was going to spend the entire summer sitting on the potty.  But luckily, he must have sensed my concern, and on Thursday we turned a huge corner.  He figured out it is not that scary to pee on the potty.  In fact, he likes to watch himself do it and is very proud afterwards.  He also likes to flush and say "bye bye tee tee".  And since then, he sits on the potty and goes within a minute (much better than the 3 hour stand off).  He is not quite initiating that he needs to go, but he will say yes when asked and he will pee when he sits on the potty!  Yahoo!!!  We still need to work on pooping in the potty, but that will come and I am not too worried.  This is one of those things that takes a huge unconscious weight off my shoulders.  When he was initially diagnosed, one of my first questions was would he ever be potty trained?  I have worked with families with big kids who are still in diapers and that was really something I was hoping to avoid.  So, now that he is successfully peeing in the potty, I feel even more confident that he is going to be okay.  And the more confident I am that he will be okay, the more likely it is that I will be okay.

Today I smile again and again

because...

We got into the pool!  It wasn't quite as clean as I would like and it was a little chilly, but we got in!
Christy, Dom, Ever, and Maebe came over to swim and eat dinner - I love them!
Jeremy made grilled pineapple - possibly my favorite thing in the world.
We listened to Hey Lollies and Jack actually watched and seemed interested - yahoo!
I had a delicious iced mocha - another top 10 item on my list.
Annabelle, Jack, and I played ring around the rosie and both kids laughed and giggled.

Today I smile again

because...

Annabelle told me I am her "favorite pillow in the whole wide world"
Jack and I got to play at the park just the two of us - he went down the super fast slide all by himself
Annabelle was so proud to show her brother off to her friends at school
Jack ate his weight in zucchini for dinner
Rebecca said Jack is doing great!
I got to go to central market by myself - and I picked out lemon bars and cherries for myself

Today I smile

Today I smile...

Because I have sunflowers from Mother's Day smiling at me from my coffee table
Because Annabelle and I got to visit our friends the Farrells (Andrea, Anson, Reagan, and Madilyn)
Because I go to go to an awards ceremony for my lacrosse girls
Because Jack ate almost everything on his plate
Because Annabelle asked for "more snuggles please"
Because Jack sat in my lap and let me read a story
Because Annabelle and I got to visit Samaya and Devni and their mama

Funny things

We are saying funny things in this house and I wanted to make sure I write a few down before I forget.

This morning, as Annabelle and I were on a "rocket ship ride", she said, "I'm driving this rocket ship mommy.  Sit back and relax and chill out.  I got it."  It was pretty funny!

Swimming season has arrived!

For Mother's Day, I wanted to get in the pool with the babies.  They have been in their baby pool and seemed to do just fine.  Except, as soon as they figured out they could lean out and reach the grass, the race was on.  Both of them in opposite directions, trying to eat whatever may lie outside the pool.  I love the pool and plan to spend a lot of time in it, if the babies will allow it.  So, yesterday, the three of us got in.  It was a little chilly, but Jack enjoyed splashing and Annabelle enjoyed twirling around in her floaty.  Overall, it was sucessful and I am hoping we will have many more pool days in the future. continue.  It is already 95 degrees - I can only imagine what August will bring.

9 months

The babies are just over nine months.  It is amazing how quickly they grow and develop.  They are both crawling all over the place and pulling up on everything, including moving object like myself.  Over the weekend, we have installed a baby gate and child proof latches on all of the cabinets.  But, it still seems they are able to find something to get into.  They both are very interactive with each other.  They laugh at each other and have started taking one another's toys.  Usually Annabelle is the "taker" and most of the time, Jack does not care.  But, on the rare occassion when he does care, Annabelle will take his toy and his face will go from happy to sad in slow motion.  Annabelle will also scream while eating and Jack's face will go from happy to sad in slow motion.  And then he will cry and cry.  By the time he is calmed down, she will scream again - almost as if she knows what she is doing.  According to Granna, he is the "thinker" and she is the "do-er".  They both say lots of words that do not mean anything, Annabelle talking more than Jack.  It will be fun to see what they do next!

A little update

Just feeling like I will never remember all of the fun toddler things if I don't write them down.

Annabelle is going to school at St. Paul two mornings a week.  She seems to enjoy it and brings home art projects.  She is super smart and very verbal.  She wants to know who and where and why and what all the time.  And, answering one question does not end the conversation, but just fuels two more questions.  She has even asked about things I am just not ready to discuss with her yet.  So far I have been able to appease her with my answers.  It won't last much longer though. She has a great memory and remembers details and fun facts that I do not even remember.  She has a great imagination and still prefers to make tacos, but does lots of other imaginary play in her kitchen and with her dolls.  Annabelle also enjoys art - cutting, stamping, coloring, and most of all sticking stickers.  She loves books and will even listen to longer stories, a nice change from the board books.  She knows most letters of the alphabet and the sounds they make.  She can count to ten pretty well and then continues on to twenty without as much accuracy.  She finally has enough hair we can put it in a pony tail or pig tails!  She is an amazing eater.  She and Jeremy have "muscle smoothies" and she loves eating collard greens, kale, and various meat that Jeremy has on his plate.  There are very few things she does not like to eat.  She sleeps well.  She is napping in our room, which works well.  She typically naps for 2 or 2 1/2 hours.  Bedtime is 7:30 and she wakes up around 6:30.  She wears a diaper during nap and bedtime, but not when she is awake.  Knock on wood, she has been pretty healthy.  She has gotten a stuffy nose quite a few times, but otherwise, she is healthy!

Jack is in therapy all day every day.  We have finally finished ECI speech therapy and started with private speech.  He went once a week in February and is going twice a week starting mid-March.  He goes to OT once a week at Big Sky and we continue to enjoy it.  He is in ABA the rest of the time.  We have had some therapist change over the past few months, but I think we have a good team in place.  Rebecca still oversees the program, but we now have Sally as our lead therapist, and Megan, JoAnn, and Cameron as the line therapists.  I am happy with the way things are going and Jack is conitnuing to make progress.  He has play dates twice a week with the therapist.  Once a week is Wesley and once a week is Mason.  He also goes to the park a couple times a week.  He has been showing an interest in the kids at the park and interacting with the kids during playdates, which is great!  Jack love to jump, jump, jump!  He also enjoys being outside, looking at books, and playing with his train set.  He has a few words, but they are difficult to understand.  He is communicating more and more, so we are moving in the right direction.  We just have to get the talking down!  He loves to sing and hum and knows a lot of different songs.  He is a fairly good eater.  He is not very consistent with what he likes, but he seems to be a typical toddler.  He sleeps fairly well.  Sometimes he will take a really long time to fall asleep for a nap or even skip a nap.  But, for the most part, he sleeps 2 1/2 hours for nap, goes to bed at 7:30 and wakes up around 6:30 or 7.  He takes a lot of supplements and is GFCFSF.  He has been pretty healthy too, other than a few stuffy noses. 

That is the update!  Funny comments are being made and lots of laughter is happening.  I LOVE when Jack and Annabelle place and chase each other or giggle and giggle.  I LOVE when they share and give each other things.  And, I LOVE when Annabelle hugs and kisses her brother.  We will be okay!

A couple funny stories

I have been impressed my many of my friends' blogs and always wondered how they had so much to write about.  One friend told me that eventually my kids would say funny things and it would be easy to write about them.  Well, that time may be fast approaching... 

About a month ago, Annabelle got me with a funny one.  She was having a difficult time following directions, which seems to be occurring more and more frequently.  I have heard that 3 is harder than 2 and I can see that may be the case.  I asked Annabelle if her listening ears were on because she seemed to be having a hard time listening and following directions.  She said to me very matter of factly that her listening ears were not working because the batteries had died.  And that was the conversation stopper!

Another funny thing happened around the same time.  We were sitting at the dinner table and Annabelle fell out of her chair.  I made sure she was okay and she was just fine, just a little scared.  It was pretty funny, but the kind of funny you don't want to laugh at until you know the person is okay.  Well, Jack started cracking up.  He was laughing and laughing and could barely contain himself.  Then, he carefull stepped out of his chair and onto the floor where he quickly "fell down" and laughed and laughed again.  It was great!  Great that he noticed Annabelle, great that he laughed, and great that he copied her behavior! 

Goodbye 2012 and Welcome 2013

2012 has been a wonderful year in many ways and a challenging year in many ways.  I am excited to see what 2013 brings and am hopeful it is a little more wonderful and a little less stressful than 2012.

2012 was fun.  We took several trips to the beach, including the Outer Banks, NC, in June. We also went to Port Aransas once or twice.  We had quite a few visits from Gma and Gpa and Grandjan.  The kids had a fun pool party birthday bash.  We dressed up as the Flintstone Family for Halloween, with Fred, Wilma, Pebbles, and Bam Bam.  I made the costumes and have to say I impressed myself.  We have been to the zoo and Sea World, as well as a theater production of "Guess How Much I Love You" and several music shows, including Miss Staci.   Along with Granna, we had Gma, Gpa, and Uncle Josh for Thanksgiving and Grandjan and Grandpa for Christmas, so we were lucky to have family for the holidays.

Annabelle - 2012 was a wonderful year for her.  She started going to school two mornings a week beginning in September at St. Paul Lutheran Church.  The logistics worked well for us and they are so kind and flexible.  Annabelle took a while to adjust, but now she loves her teacher, Ms. Wurchen, and her teacher loves her.  Annabelle seems to be very bright - she knows all of her letters and the sounds they make and various words which start with each letter.  Thanks to the Little People zoo animals, we have Yak and Quail down.  She can count to ten (most of the time).  She sings songs and has a sweet voice.  Her school had a "Christmas Program" and Annabelle participated.  It was very impressive, as the church is very large and the school goes up to 8th grade, so there were a lot of people.  She went to the front of the church with her class and stood while they 3 and 4 years olds sang.  Most of the 2 year olds just sat quietly, even though she knows the words.  She did great!  We were all in our "Sunday best" and I felt like a grown up in a real family, possibly for the first time in my life.  Annabelle is an amazing eater and requested black-eyed peas and collard greens for New Years day.  She enjoys "muscle smoothies" with Jeremy almost every morning.  Annabelle loves cooking in her kitchen and makes pizza, tacos, soups, and all sorts of other treats.  She likes to do art activities and thankfully her school sends her home with many fun projects that have been completed.  She has an amazing imagination and I do not know where some of the things she says and does come from.  It is really fun to watch!  Annabelle still loves to read books and snuggle with her lovey.  She has been healthy for the most part, with a couple little colds thanks to her new school.  Annabelle is sleeping well and still takes a nap for two hours.  She is usually in bed by 7:30 and up by 7. 

Jack - 2012 has been a growing year.  We started the year off with OT and ST and eventually added and autism diagnosis and ABA.  We got things going into full swing in May and since then have been fortunate to make a significant amount of progress.  Jack is now able to play appropriately with toys, such as cars, train, pretend food in the kitchen, books, puzzles, and the list goes on.  He is able to attend and pay attention to things (when he wants) and make eye contact.  We were up to about 25 words, but it seems like they are not there as much, so we are going to work on them some more.  Jack is communicating so much more than he was before.  He does not necessarily have the words, but he looks and points and "talks" in a way that makes it very clear what he wants.  He is able to imitate, which is amazing and something I would not have known was such an amazing skill a year ago.  Jack loves to jump and jump - on the floor, in his crib, on the bed, or on the trampoline.  A few months ago, he climbed out of his crib, so we put the mattress on the floor.  Luckily, that has solved the problem for now.  He is no longer challenged when it comes to elevation changes and he will climb on everything.  I love it!  Jack is having "playdates" with Samaya and so far, he is doing better than she is.  He is also going to the park and doing well.  I am excited to see the new things he will learn.  Jack will sometimes take a while to fall asleep for his nap.  In general, he naps for 2-3 hours every day, although once a week or so, he will skip his nap.  He sleeps well at night and is usually in bed by 7:30 and then up around 6:30.  He has been healthy for the most part with just a couple little colds or allergies.  He takes a bunch of supplements and vitamins, which we are hoping will help with some of the autism stuff.  He is also on a GFCFSF diet.  It all seems to be working well.  The past couple of months, Jack has been on a steady incline of progress and I am hopeful it will contine.

Jeremy - 2012 has been a shrinking year.  Jeremy is "paleo" and eats what the cavemen ate - meat, nuts, fruits, and berries.  As a result, he is in the best shape of his life.  He feels good and looks good, which is all that matters!  He is going to cross fit a few times a week and really seems to enjoy it - a great way to deal with stress.  Jeremy is doing great at work and continues to get raises (which we all like).  He has not been able to go fishing as much as he would like, but he did get to go off shore over the summer and had a fun time.  Hopefullee he will have more fishing in 2013.

Becca - 2012 has been the most stressful, frustrating, and probably depressing year of my life.  Nothing can describe the feelings that go along with having my child diagnosed with autism.  But, as a result, I have grown and become strong in ways I would never have imagined.  We have an amazing home based ABA program for Jack and he is making tons of progress.  We are in a law suit with ECI which will help Jack, help our pocket books, and help other children whose parents do not know any better.  I have met some mothers who are warriors and give me home and inspiration and motivation.  I am in school, taking classes to get my BCBA.  I have learned what and who true friends are and what values are important to me.  I could go on and on, but I do not want to.  I want to appreciate the challenges I faced in 2012 and use them to help me be a better person for myself, my child, my family, and my world in 2013.