HANDLE, Cranio, Enhansa

If anyone asked me what my three biggest "wow"s would be with Michael, these would have to be them. We have done so many things with him that have been miraculous (Tomatis, diet, etc.), but these are current and making a huge impact on him now.

We had Michael's HANDLE followup this afternoon. It is so remarkable for me to think back where he was last year when we started, and compare that child to the Michael we have now. Today he was interacting, asking questions, being polite, so many wonderful things. Last year he was shy, acting out, impatient. He still has a long way to go, but I am just so thrilled with his progress.

I think the biggest things he has gained from HANDLE have to be better vision, self-confidence and body awareness. He has always struggled with getting his eyes to work together, making distance reading and close work like writing extremely difficult for him. Now, when his schoolwork comes home I can actually read it! And, no more throwing pencils to get out of writing! Also, he really seems to have a much better idea of where his body is in space, letting him freely jump, run, and just be kid. I love it!

I think the CST works so well with HANDLE. As his therapist has been working on his frontal lobe and the two hemispheres of his brain working together, we are seeing huge gains in self control, expression, curiosity, and pretend play. I'm not 100% sure what to attribute to HANDLE and what to CST, but together, they make a whole new kid.

Underlying all these gains has to be the enhansa. Now that Michael is free of the chronic candida infection, his tummy problems are gone and so is his OCD and most of his aggression. I can see every day that as his body heals, his brain does too. It is hard to understand how yeast can do so much damage, but boy do I believe it! Plus, the anti-oxidants have to really help in reducing inflammation and just making him healthier.

So, after much introspection on the way home, I have to rave about my favorite three 'wow's -- at least for today!

Good, but different....

Michael finally has an imaginary friend... but it's very different. He has a toy box that he calls his treasure chest.. but now it has a name. So he is putting his treasures inside "Matthew" and carrying him around from room to room. Not quite sure what to make of it, but it's definitely more imagination than we've ever seen. So, I'm really kinda happy about it!

I am guessing that I'm pretty content with things these days. Michael is happy, doing well in school, and making real progress. I'm actually finding time to find the house and do projects I've been putting off for years. It's a little hard to fathom, but content is good, right? I mean, we're still full steam ahead on biomed, and still researching, but I just don't feel as frantic as I have in the past. Of course, now that I've actually typed out the words, I'm afraid I'll jinx something!

Support for Dr. Wakefield

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
-- 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

I was thinking about this verse the other day in relation to Valentine’s Day. In the same day, I saw a facebook request by a friend to send Valentine’s Day cards to show support for Dr. Wakefield. There have been so many blog entries and articles talking about how horrible the decision was, and how the medical and legal fields have been taken over by special interests groups – I don’t really want to rehash that. (If you don’t know what I am talking about, just go over to Age of Autism and read for a while.) I am a firm supporter of Dr. Wakefield and don’t feel the need to go beyond that at this time.

But, when I read this verse, it really put into perspective how selfless Dr. Wakefield has been in his support of our children. To survive the public flogging he has been through, and come out the other end with his dignity and integrity intact, shows his true character. When someone shows so much love for our children, they deserve our respect and appreciation. Thank you Dr. Wakefield, you will never know how many lives you have touched in a positive and loving way.

Valentine’s day is still a couple weeks away – plenty of time to find a card, or help your child make one. If you can, please send them via Thoughtful House.

Dr. Andrew Wakefield
c/o Thoughtful House Center for Children
3001 Bee Caves Road
Suite 120
Austin, TX 78746

Please, vote!!!!!!

It's been a while since I've posted.. so far, this is an exciting, productive year for our family. Michael is doing amazingly well, I'm actually getting some projects done around that house that we've been putting off for years.. and I think we're just generally happy and content. So, what am I begging for?

Chase Community Giving is donating $5,000,000 to charities around the country. But, you have to vote on facebook for the recipients. It is so easy and quick to do.

Why vote for National Autism Association? They spread the word about hope. They have programs to help families in hard times. They have programs to help keep kids from wandering. They are one of my top five autism organizations.

So, if you have a facebook account, please, please, please go to www.voteautismnow.com and cast your vote for the National Autism Association Inc.

Thanks!

Happy New Year!

It's been a crazy but great holiday season. But, I am so ready to go back to whatever passes for 'normal' around here. Tomorrow is back to work, back to school, and back to reality. I'll miss the relaxation from the holidays, but it will be nice to get back on a schedule. Michael has certainly missed that!

But, one last present! Game giveaway has a great free game today, and it's kid-friendly. Let me know what you think?

Big snow of 2009!

I normally don't post video, but this one was just too cute.

Michael had so much fun playing in the snow today... sledding, walking, throwing snow. I love when he gets to do 'typical kid stuff'!!!!

Taking my life off 'hold'

I took this last week as a vacation week so I could get stuff done around the house, and prepare for the holidays. After I finally got the last presents wrapped and ready to go, I started to attack the piles of stuff in my bedroom. Wow! Talk about a huge amount of 'stuff'!

As I was going through some of the piles shoved further to the back, I realized there were boxes there that were five years old! As I was going through and trying to decide what to keep and what to toss/freecycle, I realized how much we had put on hold ever since Michael got his diagnosis. Our world has revolved around him for the past five years, almost to the exclusion of all else. Not that this is a bad thing - he has made such tremendous progress. But, kinda sad in another way when I look back on the things that used to matter to me.

I was talking with Steve and we realized that our life has changed so much since October. That was when we realized that Michael finally had the perfect placement (for him), and that he was incredibly happy where he is, and hopefully we have a break from fighting the 'system' to get him that placement.

October is also when we started seeing results from a new antioxidant we have been trying. Michael is happy. He's learning. We aren't having the daily battles we once did. A bad day now used to be an incredibly good one - just a year ago. I have so much to be thankful for!

So, now that we aren't in constant battle mode, there is actually time for us. We've taken a vacation. We've spent time together. Now, it's time for me to focus on my own health, and trying to get the house back. I'm not sure if there is any hope for the carpets (supplements really stain when they come back up!) but who knows, maybe the rest of the house can be guest-ready.

On that same topic, we finally broke out a new set of dishes. I had bought them soon after we moved into the house, intending to invite people over for dinner. It's a beautiful set, with all the serving pieces. But, after life started spiraling out of control, I lost hope of having guests and the set got banished to the garage. Yesterday, we brought them in, washed them all, and loaded the cabinet. Anyone want to come over for dinner? It will still be allergy friendly and life is still chaotic, but I have hope.

Does any of this mean that we are less focused on Michael and his recovery? Not at all. It just means that he is finally doing well enough that we can have other interests and maybe a few tiny moments of 'normal'. It's a Christmas wish so it has to come true, right?