Workin' himself out of a job...

Apparently, Angelus has read himself right outta 'readers' at school.   They are no longer even pretending like they're "teaching him to read".  He now has to do his reading on the computer as they are working with him on comprehension.  Now, I didn't hear this directly from the teacher.  I heard it from Tommy, who heard it from the teacher.  He also said that the teacher stated, "everyone is now noticing his reading abilities.  Other students and teachers."

We're gonna start reading the "Harry Potter" series.  I totally think he can handle it, and will enjoy it a great deal.  AND we've really gotta work with him just "being" really smart and not telling people he's really smart.  The latter just sounds kinda pretentious and no matter how smart you are in life, there's always someone smarter.  He doesn't need to bring extra unwarranted "butt kickings" on himself.  He's too soft hearted for that.  They will totally "steam roll" that boy.  One of the other MANY, MANY things I love about him.  His great big, soft heart.

This is Angelus' favorite picture of Faith and him.

God sure knows what he's doing when we let him put a family together, doesn't he?  I'm reminded of this all of the time with Faith and Angelus and the way they are in life and with each other.

I Threw my Hands up in the Air

Saturday morning, Faith woke up around 5a.m. after having slept for a couple of hours.  Tommy had rocked and consoled her 'til she got to that point, but it was my turn.  My turn to be up with her and for the next few hours and have no idea what to do to help her, but try just about everything.  She would seem to want to be picked up and walked with, only to get mad and wiggle her way out.  Then she wanted to sit and rock, or so it seemed.  Or maybe a snack and something to drink...as she guides me to the cabinet in the kitchen where her snacks of choice are generally located and then into the dining room (where our refrigerator stands).  I get her a snack and something to drink.  Nope, that wasn't it either.

I probably looked a lot like this, just with even more frustration.  It's not pretty at all.

I had the television on gmc morning music videos since Faith usually enjoys music.  So there were different songs on the television as this all plays out.  Now I'm not a HUGE fan of the song "Jesus take the Wheel".  Not really sure why, I mean, I do like Carrie Underwood and most of her songs, just never been a big fan of this song.

At this point all I really just wanted to do was, throw my hands up in the air and just sit there and cry a little.  Cry for me, for not understanding.  Cry for her, for her not being able to convey what it is she really needed. We'd been trying to figure it out for a couple of hours, now.

In the background I hear..."I threw my Hands up in the Air, and cried...Jesus take the wheel, take it from my hands, cause I can't do this on my own.  I'm letting go, so give me one more chance to save me from this road I'm on."  That may not be exactly how the song goes, but it's what I heard in the moment combined with me literally wanting to throw my hands up in the air.

So, I guess you could say the song "spoke" to me, just differently than the story it was telling.

A Little at a Time.

This past week has been an eventful one.  Saturday we celebrated my Dad's 52nd birthday with cake and ice cream at my parents house.  We had to leave because Angelus ended up being in a lot of pain and needed to rest himself, and he wouldn't do that there.  Grandparents houses are cooler, ya know?  Sunday morning he had blood pouring out of his ear so we attempted to go to UrgentCare which isn't open on Sunday around here, so the ER it was.  He had a severe ear infection that caused his ear drum to rupture.  We've now got him in to see a Doctor (Feb. 1st was the earliest we could get for some reason) for a referral for an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist to see what else might need to be done for him.  He's acting pretty much like himself and not hurting now, which is a very good thing.

Monday we put Faith in the Pre-K classroom for about 30-45min. or so after Speech to help get her adjusted to the classroom and people for when school starts next year.  The principal and I were with her.  It was story time.  She did okay with it.  I *think* she seemed to like the teacher.  The teacher was standing behind her desk and Faith walked over to the lady grabbed both of her arms kinda stared at her "nodded" and then walked back to me.  It seemed as if it was her way of saying "hello" to her while also checking her out more closely.
Tuesday we had our home visit in order to get her everything set up to help get the equipment she might need that the Speech and Occupational Therapists recommend.  Her worker is really nice and said when she turns 4 there's more they will be able to help with (if needed, if we don't need the help with it we won't ask--that's how Tommy and I work).

Last week I took her to meet her new PCP because I wanted them to meet each other to make sure it would work out on both sides before I went ahead and made her the PCP.  I think it will work out.  The Doctor has a very calm and soothing presence and was very patient with Faith.  Nothing was wrong with Faith, I just really wanted them to meet first before hand...cause if it wasn't a good match it would turn out bad/stressful and exhausting for everyone.
Angelus has began doing plays for me, which consists of lots of wrestling stuff.  He did 3 of them for me the other day.  At the beginning of his first play he presented me with a survey to be filled out at the end of the play.  It had two questions on it.  1.) Did you like the play? 2.) Did you not like the play? Of course I liked the play, he did it. :)  I had to then sign and date it.  By the 3rd play he had asked to borrow my laptop, and got fairly ambitious.  He did theme songs for everyone, some background music and then music at the end.  It all "linked" up with what was going on in his play.  I thought it was pretty cool.

The kids go to different schools. We are technically in the Oaks school district, but Angelus has been going to Leach since Pre-K and wanted to stay going there.  I kinda wonder if this in the end is actually a good thing.  I know Angelus will be noticed for academics.  They are just gonna know who he is.  Faith will be noticed for having to do things a little different than the rest of her classmates.  If they're not in the same school the likelihood of others saying "That's Faith, Angelus' sister" or "That's Angelus, Faith's brother" is probably WAY down so less comparing, I think.  Still...I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing, but I do see the positives.  Since they're more likely (for now) to just be Faith and Angelus in their respective school settings.  Guess time will only tell if it was the correct choice, you (I) try to do what you think is best for both kids, sometimes there's just no way of knowing if it was the right one until years down the road.

Be safe out there.  May everyone's lives be as blessed as the one we get to live.

Faith in Angels...My journey.

It's easy to tell the title of this blog is a take on my children and their names, Faith and Angelus.  The more I think about it, it's such an accurate description for the journey we're on. The "my journey" is because it's my blog and so you're getting how it's effecting me and my "view point" on it all.  The kids and Tommy's "take" might be different.

Throughout this journey (so far)
we've met a lot of "Angels" and had to have faith in them and what they are doing.  When this journey really began for me...I suppose was one day at work, I'm sure that sounds strange...but I remember discussing Faith and her sleeping (or lack of) with my co-workers, and one of them, Sara, suggested she be tested for a possible sleep disorder.  I didn't ever get Faith set up for that, but from that
 moment on I kept a fairly detailed journal about what seemed to be "out of the norm"....several months later, Nio, asked about Faith and her sleeping and I remember standing in her office and rattling off all the stuff going on with Faith then it fell outta my mouth...(I mean I had done a ton of research, but never stated it out loud or put it with my kid), "I think she may be autistic" at the follow up to all the

things I was saying.  Right there in that moment, I just wanted to break down and cry, but I didn't (not yet anyway...it happened like a couple weeks later).  After making this admission, really more to myself than anyone else...that night Faith had one heck of a night of getting up-set and repeatedly throwing herself down and nothing we could do seemed to help.  The next day I got a hold of a lady, Lisa Tudor, was her name.  She took me and my concerns for Faith seriously (she was the first "professional" to do so).  She told me who I should get in contact with for an evaluation with Faith and had a lady come out to the house soon afterwords to help us get set up with all that we needed.  After I hung up the phone with her I made the appointment with the Pediatric Development Specialist (yes, on the same day).  We had to wait about 6ish weeks for her to be seen (which seemed super long, but usually it's about 6months.  We got lucky).  We got Faith set up with an IEP at the school (the superintendent had no idea about what's going on, but was smart enough to have the ones that did/do there), the principal and school has been so good with working with us. So to my "angels":

The Professionals
-Lisa Tudor: Child Development Specialist (thanks so much for listening to me, finally someone did).
   *Did vision screening
   *Multidisciplinary evaluation
-Dr.Laura Taylor, D.O.:  Pediatric developmental/Behavior Specialist (thanks for helping us to get things going the way they needed to be).
   *Found Faith on the Autism Spectrum
   *With Global Developmental Delay.
   *Referral to Geneticist   (these two coming up this year, hopefully I'll be given even more information).
   *Referral to Neurologist
-Anne Marie McSpadden, R.N.-Lead Clinician: (thanks for assisting with the multidisciplinary evaluation)
    *Multidisciplinary evaluation
    *Attempted hearing screening
-Dara Rue:  Case Manager (thanks for letting us know about all the services available and how to access them).
    *Super handy! :)
-Joan C. Burns, M.A. CCC/Audiologist (thanks for having one of the best bed side manners of those I encountered)
    *Performed the hearing test in a sound proof booth (upon the ending had the kindest warmest smile and said "it's not her hearing, honey").
-Ann Riggs (thank you for helping and being efficient and kind along the way)
    *Helped us to get access to services we needed.
-Denise Lagrand, PsyD-Clinical Psychologist (thanks for being as kind as you were to my little one and me).
    *Gave the second opinion on Faith's diagnosis.
-Betty Langston-Social Security lady (thanks for being so helpful).
    *The first person to mention a possible gluten free diet and the health benefits it could bring to our little one.

The School System
-Jerry Jackson, Speech Patholigist (thanks for working with us and Faith and helping to find a "niche")
    *Hangs out with Faith every Monday morning (bright and early) to help with Speech and give me        direction to work with her for the upcoming week.
    *He's her teacher and my coach. :)
-Patty Daniels, Occupational Therapy (thanks for giving me information, insight, and answering all the crazy questions I have).
    *Hangs out with Faith also every Monday and lets her swing or play in the "bean box".
    *Occupational Therapy:  Teaching Faith her "occupation"...working on how to be a 3year old.
-Barbara Tucker, Oaks Principal (thank you for helping us to get everything set up for Faith and being so willing to work with whatever needs to be done).
     *Faith's principal who always seems excited to see her every Monday morning and takes a genuine interest in what is going on.
     *She also got the services with the Speech Path. and O.T. set up for us.  There's a HUGE difference in a school doing it because "it's the law" than them going above and beyond and really trying to help in the best way they know how.

On the "work-front"
-Nio--"boss lady"(thanks for all the encouragement and support with allowing me to figure out how to help my little one).
     *No, really...she's my "boss lady".
-Sara--awesome co-worker (thanks for rearranging a schedule to help me accommodate my little one with what she needs.  It didn't (and doesn't) go unnoticed and I'm sure I could never convey how appreciative I am that you did that.

Supportive "services":

-TASG (Tahlequah Autism Support Group)--thank you all (every one of you) for the extra encouragement, support and place to find good, well-rounded, information on pretty much everything.
Of course I couldn't leave out my Mom and Dad who are always willing to give up a good nights sleep so I can get one. AND my sister, Jennie, who is just a great friend.  There have also been several other friends that I've found extra encouragement and support from during these few months...Dawn (I can't spell your new last name right, so I'm just gonna leave it off...you get one name). :)  Stacey Beggs Francis, Crystal Klinginsmigh-White, Brandy Rowbotham (sp?), Russ and Melissa, Essie and Chris, Jack and Ellie, Christine Fowler, Kelly Underwood, Melody Dollarhide, Sarah Mitchell Condron,Kerri Gillian (what's your last name now)? Jonna for taking the most awesomest family photos.  We can't leave out Kenny.  We just can't. AND Tommy, Angelus and Faith.  That's an awful lot of "Angels" that God sent my way this year.  He must have known I needed them.  Thank you.  ALL of you.

Here it is-- Faith in Angels: My journey... ready to see how the next part of the journey unfolds and how many more angels are out there just waiting to touch our lives and be touched by our lives.