I started this blog not quite a year ago, to kind of keep those filled in that were curious about our life, and also as a way to kind of "process" through things that I was going through with all the different emotions/feelings/questions I had going through it all.
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| This was right around when our journey began |
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| Around one year later...Do you notice a difference? |
May 29, 2010 we began a journey that has brought so many incredible people into our lives, and just showed how many incredible people we had with us already. That was the day someone came to visit us and talk to us about what was going on with our littlest one (and confirm I wasn't totally crazy-whew! I'm only a little crazy). Various appointments, and an array of doctor visits all got crammed into about a 2month window. So many people to see, so many things to do, so many things to learn. No where near finished with that last one.
Hard to believe, but June 14, 2010 (it's been one year and one week-exactly) we were given an "official diagnosis" that Faith had Autism with Global Developmental Delay...meaning she is delayed in every area they test, which is 5 of them.
Life started getting a little better after that. For us. For her. I know. Weird.
In a year, she still isn't verbal but we've found other ways to communicate with her (that work sometimes--some days not as well as we'd like). It is no longer the "norm" for her to cry a good 12 plus hours a day. It's the exception. She laughs a lot more and we've even seen her brother get her to *kind of* play with him on occasion. Not nearly as much as he would like, but a little is WAY more than it was.
She can generally put her own shoes on, we have to help her get dressed pretty much otherwise. It's the more difficult part she's been able to accomplish. She has been able to leave her Ninja Turtle toy around and not totally flip out because of it. She loves playing with her little pink guitar, and thinks its funny when I play it.
She has attempted to say more words, is more okay with bath time...still horrible at hair brushing, or anyone at all in the house turning on the light to the bathroom. We have learned how to go in the dark. Yes. Even Angelus. One of her favorite places to hang out is the closet in the kids room, so I put a little plush Spiderman chair in there and a little cabinet with toys she likes in the drawers for when she sits in there. Figure I'd try to make her feel as comfortable as possible if she likes hanging out in there so much.
Right before the school year let up, her therapists stated that while she definitely has Autism, she is easily the most laid back Autistic child they had ever worked with (she gets that from me). ;-) With school getting underway again in a couple of months I'm really excited to see what more progress she is going to make through the rest of this summer and through the next school year.
We have been blessed that I now am going to be a stay at home mom. Tommy got offered a job that pays a lot more, and with the way the school year and therapies are going to be shaping up, we are so grateful I will be able to stay home with the little ones. The end of this month will be my last day. They've hired another girl to take my place, who has volunteered and also worked with us a lot. I'm fairly sure she will be even better at my job that what I am/was (but I don't wanna bad mouth myself too much). I am so glad about that too. The company and more importantly my boss and co-workers have been absolutely awesome to me. They have been supportive and encouraging throughout this whole journey. Even when I gave my notice, they understood exactly where I was coming from. I'm gonna miss them, but I am facebook friends with most of them AND I am able to drive to meet people, so there is that. I am looking forward to being with the kids and that being my only "job".
My "big" plans are to try and get the kids out to the creek a few times this summer, because they love that. Learn how to bake more things from scratch and gluten-free, work on a good schedule for everyone in the house. Help Angelus go through the 2nd grade math book he got from Barnes & Nobles (he was concerned he wouldn't do as good in Math as he should next year so we got this to try and help alleviate any concern he may have), try to get the dog and the kids "communication gap" to figure its self out. They want to play with her and she wants to play with them, but it isn't translating very well. Try to stay on top of having laundry down, yard mowed, and dishes fixed up. Possibly even try to have a consistent work-out regiment.
On a completely unrelated note, I was talking to the OT today about Angelus. He's been going to therapy with Faith and me for the past month or so. I commented to her that I thought *something* was going on with him, but wasn't quite sure what and I didn't think he needed any kind of professional help for it or anything. I commented that at most Parent/Teacher conferences the teachers always comment that he is "very bright, gets a long well with everyone, is respectful....and is exhausting." After she's met him and been around him more, she seems to think if he took an IQ test (which he hasn't) he's most likely score "off the charts"--or something like that. He asks a lot of questions and has another 20 to follow up that first one he just asked you, it's not generally because he got side tracked in the middle of that either. It's because he actually does process information that fast (sadly, he did not get this from me). Cant wait to see what this next school year holds for him either.
