Rimland Center

Our visits to the Rimland Center this week were very successful and promising. I went in trying not to expect too much... I thought we'd walk away with a list of labs to have run on Nate and nothing more, so I was pleasantly surprised when much more than that was accomplished.

I liked Dr. Van Dyke a lot. He actually listens! to what parents say! and believes them! We spent the majority of the first appointment giving a more detailed history (does Nate do this? does he not do that? what are his specific stims? diet? physical activity?). I hadn't really thought about it before, but most of Nate's stims are visual in nature (his main one is his obsession with watching things spin). Dr. Van Dyke's own 5-year-old son with autism is the same way, he told us, and he also told us about a new type of therapy I hadn't heard of before: vision therapy using prism lenses. I'm really excited about looking further into this; I'm buying the doc's recommended book, Seeing Through New Eyes.

The doctor also supported and liked our use of enzymes and GFCF diet, since those are usually the first two things he has parents do. We talked about the next steps in Nate's treatment, and we started one the next day, at his second appointment! I was thrilled to be able to start something, to be doing and not just reading/talking.

So, this new treatment is called methylation, and it involves giving Nate a vitamin B12 shot once every three days and adding in three new supplements: DMG, taurine, and folinic acid. The shot is methyl B12 because it's in a form even more usable by the body than the usual B12 shots some people get. I had read about methylation--in fact, I had just finished with the chapter about it in Children with Starving Brains. I've done some reading since then, too (see here, here, and here), and I still don't think I can adequately explain what it is or what it does. However, it helps the majority of children with autism in some way, so it's a good treatment to try first. (And, since it really can't hurt, Dr. Van Dyke likes to try it right away rather than wait for lots of testing that may or may not tell us whether it would be beneficial. I'm all about the doing and not just talking!) This stuff is going to help at a cellular level with things like oxidation/lowering oxidative stress, because "an increased vulnerability to oxidative stress and a decreased capacity for methylation may contribute to the development and clinical manifestation of autism" (James, Cutler, Melnyk, Jernigan, Janak, Gaylor, & Neubrander, here). The benefits should also manifest themselves in behavioral improvement: more social language, more efforts at imaginary play, etc.

With one of the Rimland Center specialists' supervision, Jon gave Nate his first MB12 shot on Friday. I don't think the shot hurt him; I think he cried because he didn't want me holding him still. In the two days after the shot, Nate seemed lethargic, more stimmy, much more whiny, and less cooperative. Hmm. I'm hoping it's his body adjusting the same way it has to the other treatments we've done. Since the shot, I have noticed a couple of positive changes that definitely could be attributed to the MB12: 1) for the first time ever, Nate made up a song and sang it (it was a song about going to the airport when we were on the way there. It had only a couple of words, but it was still cool); 2) he started saying please much of the time without prompting, and today he even said, "yes, ma'am" without my having to tell him to. Cool!

In addition to the MB12, taurine, folinic acid, and DMG, we are going to start several other supplement-type things that we can buy without a prescription. These include a liquid aloe vera to help even more with inflammation and the GI tract, fish oil (not just cod liver oil) for essential fatty acids, and one or two more things I can't remember off the top of my head.

We are going to do a few labs to determine some more about Nate, including whether or not his elevated ammonia levels on a previous test are correct. Some of these labs might indicate what future treatments, like antifungals for yeast overgrowth, we'll try.

Overall, we are so encouraged and excited about all of these treatments and love the Rimland Center.

Christmas trip

We had a really great time in Virginia this past week. This trip was so pleasant, relaxing, and fun, mostly because Nate was in such a better place developmentally compared to last time we were there (July). The plane rides out to VA on 12/23 were surprisingly easy, and we arrived to see my parents' new (to them), beautiful home (it's on the same street as their old house). Nate slept in a twin bed with some chairs pushed against it so it felt like he had a little railing like his bed at home has (funny story to come about this). We had a full, fun Christmas day, and the rest of the trip was spent doing things around the house and spending time together as a family. Here are some of my favorite pictures out of the 200 I took. :)

Nate "winking"


No one noticing Lucy's snack...


Jon's ability to sleep through anything



















Our second night there, we put the children to bed and all watched a movie. My dad went to go to bed, but he came back and asked, "Is Nate supposed to be in the hall?" Nate was asleep in the hall, flat on his back with arms and legs straight, with his blanket wrapped around his head. The next night, I thought Nate might want a little light in the room so I left the bathroom light on when we put him to bed. Hours later, when my sis Lucy was going to bed, she found Nate half asleep on the bathroom floor with his blanket. Poor boy! He did fine the other nights.

Lucy started doing a number of new things this week. She started giving kisses on the trip out there. She also started clapping her hands and clicking her tongue. Yay Luce!

I haven't even mentioned Nate's appointment at Rimland Center, because I'm writing a separate post about that. Here's a preview: it was GREAT.

Merry Christmas

We are having a great time in VA. My parents' new house (they bought a new house down the street from their old one and moved in this month) is really wonderful--spacious and beautiful. Christmas day was very nice, with lots of family and good food.

Today, we had the first of Nate's two Rimland Center appointments. It went really well; I loved the doctor and am so encouraged and excited about what's in store. I'll write more after his appointment tomorrow, where we're starting the next kind of treatment (in addition to diet, enzymes, and the other stuff we're already doing).

In two days

Nate wasn't being very cooperative, but here's a video from this morning.

Fun with videos

It's raining lightly at our house, and I love the sound of it hitting the skylight above our stairs.

Here are some quick cute things!

Lucy thinks it's fun to "clap" Nate's head (and I love that he lets her--even thinks it's funny--and is gentle back to her):



Nate (and me) singing this morning (wait for the end of the song):



Lucy doing this silly face/breathing thing she has started this week:



I just finished putting together a quick look at the progression Nate has made with his speech over the past several months. It's pretty amazing to think about how far he has come:

Sweet times

This morning, we were all playing together in the master bedroom, and I asked Nate what he was holding. He said, "Fwashwight," (it was Jon's keychain flashlight) and then he said, "Show Lucy fwashwight." He walked over, sat on the floor next to Lucy, and pointed the flashlight at his face and said, "Cheese!" It was cute and also a first: he has never wanted to show Lucy anything before. Yay Nate!

I also wanted to document a couple of things he has been doing lately at mealtime:
- the cute way he says applesauce: "applehoss."
- when he eats pancake (gluten free, of course), he will randomly call out words like "sock!" or "cat!" After a few times of him doing that, I realized he was saying that about the pancake and whatever shape he had happened to eat it into.

50 random things about me

I've seen several others write these lists on their blogs, and I thought it'd be fun to do one too. Let's see how long it takes me to think of that many things about me! (I started this list on 11/28, and it started out as "101 random things about me," but I just can't think of any other interesting things, so I'm stopping at 50.)

1. I was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, and lived there until I was 8.
2. I have also lived in Marshfield, Massachusetts (outside of Boston), and 4 cities in Southern California.
3. I consider California my home.
4. I began playing the flute when I was 10 years old. (Still play today.)
5. My favorite food is avocados.
6. I graduated college in 3 years.
7. I sing and play flute on the worship team at my church.
8. I get more nervous singing than I do playing the flute.
9. I pay the bills for our family. (To clarify: Jon makes the money, but I pay the bills!)
10. I have a younger brother, Greg, and younger sister, Lucy. I think I'm a typical oldest child.
11. I love dangly earrings.
12. I have a shoe fetish and could easily buy a hundred pairs if I had limitless funds.
13. I played basketball and softball in high school. I wasn't extremely good at either one but especially not at basketball.
14. I broke my nose playing softball.
15. I also broke my arm in two places while rollerblading when I was 10.
16. I won my school's spelling bee in 5th grade.
17. I would love to be able to have a craft/sewing room one day. The main reason I haven't scrapbooked in well over a year is it takes too long to get out and set up all the stuff.
18. If I could play another musical instrument, it would be the cello.
19. I am very dependable. I believe if I say I'm going to be somewhere or do something, I should be there or do it... on time.
20. I am an introvert. I need time alone to recharge.
21. I have always liked that I have small feet... size 6.
22. My labors with Nate and Lucy were very different: Nate 23 hours with pitocin and epidural; Lucy 3 hours with no medicine (almost didn't make it to the hospital).
23. If I had a day completely free of responsibility, I would sleep in, go out to coffee, get a pedicure, have a big salad for lunch while reading a good book, then do something craft-related (sewing, scrapbooking, etc.) late into the night.
24. I was an English major in college.
25. I went to Pepperdine University.
26. One of my favorite authors is Ursula Hegi.
27. Some of my favorite musicians are Chris Rice, Fernando Ortega, and Bebo Norman.
28. I don't really like to go shopping. If I need something, I am in and out of the store quickly. I prefer online shopping, especially if the site takes Paypal.
29. One of the first things I noticed about my husband when we met was his deep voice.
30. One of my favorite things about him now is his gentle, even temper.
31. We named our son, Nathaniel (Nate), after Jon's best friend, Nathan (Nate). Nate Johnson was Jon's high school youth leader, and they became close friends who have remained close for over 12 years.
32. We named our daughter, Lucy, after my sister. My sister is sweet, easy-going, quick to laugh, smart, fun-loving, with a strong faith. We would love our daughter to end up the same way.
33. We didn't intend to name both of our children after other people; it just ended up that way. ...Wow, it's already December 8 and I've only come up with 33 things about myself. This is hard.
34. I wear contact lenses and hope to have laser eye surgery one day. My vision isn't that terrible, but it's bad enough that I don't go without glasses or contacts.
35. I don't like staying in PJs all day; I like to get showered, dressed, and ready for the day pretty soon after I wake up. I usually get the kids dressed right away too.
36. I feel naked without makeup.
37. My favorite books as a child were The Chronicles of Narnia, Matilda, and the Laura Ingalls books.
38. My mom says I taught my sister how to read. (I was probably 9 and she was 3.)
39. This list has been my way to put off doing all of the editing jobs that have been streaming in. (I do freelance editing work for grad students.)
40. One of my favorite housecleaning chores is mopping.
41. One of my least favorite housecleaning chores used to be emptying the dishwasher, but now that Nate "helps," I sort of look forward to it.
42. My friend Casey once said, "I'm so bad about remembering to dust the baseboards in my house." I said, "You dust what?"
43. I truly enjoy watching most sports. I know the rules too. (Favorites: basketball and football. Least favorites: soccer and hockey--not enough scoring.)
44. My first job, besides babysitting, was as a bus person at a restaurant in Scituate, Massachusetts, for its Sunday brunch. I was 15.
45. My other high school jobs were at a Christian book store (didn't like it much) and teaching swim lessons (liked it).
46. When I was about 10, I wanted to become an astronaut. This desire didn't last very long, but I remember it well; I even wrote to NASA to ask what classes I should take in college. :)
47. I have one best friend and several other girlfriends. I'm not the type to have a ton of close friends.
48. I got my worst haircut when I was 16 or 17. I brought a picture of the style I wanted to the salon, and the girl just butchered my hair, creating a style that looked absolutely nothing like the one in the picture. It took months to grow out. Now I'm more adventurous with my hair... with color at least, but probably not really with cut.
49. I'm not sure whether we'll have more children. Before we had kids, I thought I'd have 3 or 4, but now I'm not so sure!
50. If we were to have more kids, I like the name Isaac Spencer for a boy.

Varelfas

Here's a Merry Christmas dance from my crazy family to yours. Lucy is the funniest. :)

This morning - updated

Nate had an appointment with the neurologist this morning (a follow-up from his original appointment in March... this has been a long time in coming, since they were supposed to see him after 3 months. This office has definitely not earned a high grade in my book for efficiency, timeliness, following up, or generally knowing what the heck is going on.).

It went how I would have predicted: the doctor praised the fact that we have Nate in behavioral therapy and heavily discounted all of the biomedical stuff we're doing. She would barely let me get a sentence in about how I feel the biomedical treatments are helping; she spoke over me repeatedly about how she doesn't believe they work. The only thing I was able to say without interruption was, "If it doesn't hurt my son but might help him, I'm going to do it." I am not surprised or disheartened, but I am sad for all those other families who blindly, hopefully (that is, full of hope) trust what their knowledgeable doctor says and therefore don't try these other treatments. Anyway, Nate had several melt-down moments while we were in the appointment, and the doctor had some really nice and encouraging things to say about how I handled those from a behavioral standpoint.

The doc ordered some more blood work (everything so far has come back normal) and asked for another follow-up appointment in six months.

Play time

Lucy discovered that the girl in the mirror is really fun.

Videos

This first one is sad but cute. I took the video because Nate was singing with the music, but he ends up saying "Hold you" like I wrote about last week.



Here is Lucy. She started sitting really well this week.

Happy family

This is the closest we've come lately to a full family picture. :) If Lucy looks tired to you, it's because she has been taking extremely short naps! Sleeping at night is still OK though.

Starting the diet

Yesterday I went to Mother's Market and bought lots of gluten-free/casein-free-friendly items, like gluten-free (GF) all purpose baking mix, white rice flour, GF cereal, and casein-free (CF) vanilla rice milk. Today was Nate's first full GFCF day. It went well until tonight, when we were over at Ray and Colleen's (I bring the children over there and Colleen watches them while I teach my flute lessons) and everyone else had pizza (pretty much Nate's favorite food). Poor Nate didn't understand why I wouldn't let him have any; instead he had a GFCF waffle, baby food fruit (he still eats these), and popcorn. He got over the pizza thing once we put it away and everyone was done.

It's interesting that he has been asking for cookies and crackers all day and then rrrreally wanted the pizza tonight. That seems to confirm the idea that his body is addicted to those things.

We will continue doing the enzymes with Nate, but since we'll be doing the diet too, I won't have to be so strict about enzymes with every bite he eats. I'm wondering if it might also work the other way around--that I might not have to be so strict with the diet since he's using enzymes. I'll have to ask about that.

Here are some sites I've found helpful in this very new venture:
Information on flour alternatives - what each kind of flour is good for, substitutes to use for gluten (which is needed to make foods stay together and have a good texture)

Recipes and meal planning ideas - the chicken fingers look good.

Yummy cookie recipe - this blog has several good-looking recipes, many GFCF.

I'll add more as I find them. :)

12/3/07 Wow, this girl has a lot of great information (includes casein-free too):
Cooking & Baking Gluten-Free: Tips from a Gluten-Free Goddess

What's new with us

I received a Nannie request for a blog post, so here's what's new with us!

Nate's Monday-Wednesday-Thursday therapy schedule is going well. He's still adjusting to the group therapy on Mondays and Wednesdays; it's a much different setup, and he still has to learn the "wait your turn" concept, but he's doing well and it's great for him.

This week he just started saying something lots of children say, and I think it's so cute. When he wants to be held, he says, "Hold you." I love that.

Lucy is sitting relatively well and is scooting around on the floor but not getting onto all fours yet. Soon!

Thanksgiving last week was really nice. We went to Jon's parents' house for the meal and had a great day. I must say I do miss my mom's creamed onions. (Mama, can we have that at Christmas?) :)

Jon and I are about to sit down to a homemade pizza and watch the Clipper game!

Cuties

We are loving the park lately, especially now that Lucy likes going in the swing. It's nice for me now, too, since Nate is able to go on most of the structures without giving me a heart attack from almost falling.

Intro to treating autism

I'm no longer feeling overwhelmed by all the information out there on treating autism. But I remember what it was like starting out with Nate, feeling like there was so much to learn but nowhere to start. Here is my primer on treating autism, including books I've read and treatments we've tried. (I'm writing this as much for myself as for anyone else; I like to get all these thoughts down in writing but also want a place to point people to if they come to me asking about the things we've done for Nate. I am definitely NOT an expert on this subject, but I've been learning a lot through research and through friends and acquaintances who have been through it too.)

First, autism is treatable. It isn't just a brain thing. Mainstream/traditional treatments like behavioral therapy are really helpful and should be pursued. Alternative/biomedical treatments are also effective and should be vigorously pursued... as early as possible.

What are the treatments?
Mainstream - Many children with autism are put in behavioral therapy, like ABA (applied behavioral analysis). ABA is a play-based therapy where they work on social skills, eye contact, appropriate play with toys, imaginary play, whatever the child needs help with. Children may also be placed in occupational (for self-care skills, eating, oral motor movement, sensory issues), speech, and physical therapies.

"Alternative" - This is where the list of possibilities seems to go on and on. I use quotation marks because pediatricians and other doctors are often ill informed and don't know about or believe in these treatments, so they would think of them as alternative; however, they are working for many, many children. Because autism is tied up in many systems in the body, not just the brain, it seems logical to treat all of the affected areas, especially the ones that seem to start the chains of symptoms that lead to the ones in the brain. Many parents see results when they put their children on a special diet (like gluten-free/casein-free).* This is because children with autism don't seem to process certain foods correctly, and parts of those foods end up acting like drugs, attaching to the opioid receptors in the brain and thereby altering behavior (among other things). Along these same lines, enzymes can be used (alone or in addition to diet). Here is my post on enzymes. Also, since their bodies often don't process nutrients correctly, these children may benefit from various (and many) supplements. The first book I list in the books section has lots of information on helpful supplements, what they do, and why they are needed. Some other biomedical treatments include hyperbaric oxygen, treating for yeast overgrowth (Candida), chelation/toxin removal, and methylation (which has shown to help over 90% of patients with autism in some way! See here, here, or here).

Books
Changing the Course of Autism: A Scientific Approach for Parents and Physicians - This book changed the way I understand autism. I had read bits and pieces in other books about autism being more than just a brain thing, but Jepson's book fully lays it out. The first half is very technical and very informative, explaining what goes on inside the bodies of children with autism. He cites many, many studies and explains them in good detail. The second half spells out biomedical treatments to try. Jepson doesn't give specific dosing information, because most of the things should be under a doctor's supervision. I like that this book presents the "why" and not just the "what" for treatment.

Children with Starving Brains - Written by the grandparent of a child with autism and the founder of Autism Speaks, this book is written along similar lines as Changing the Course of Autism but is a bit more practical. I still haven't finished this book (am only 1/3 of the way through), but it is on many recommended readings lists.

Enzymes for Autism and other Neurological Conditions - This book is not particularly well written, but it details using digestive enzymes in a very practical manner. DeFelice details what enzymes are, how they work in the digestive system, how to start using them, what to expect when starting, the myriad benefits of using them, etc. It is also from this book that I found out why and how to use magnesium (in the form of epsom salt lotion).

Overcoming Autism: Finding the Answers, Strategies, and Hope That Can Transform a Child's Life - This book is written from a strictly behavioral treatment standpoint. It explains some good philosophies for how to interact with children with autism, encourage them to use language, steer them away from stims, etc. However, it was sort of depressing for me to read: I read this book early on--before Nate was talking at all, and so many of the strategies were for children who were already talking. Overall, I wouldn't say someone should read only this book, but instead read this book in addition to some of the biomedical treatment books. This can help provide a broader, comprehensive treatment picture.

Steps to take
If your child is diagnosed with autism (or you suspect it), here is what I recommend you do:

- Get a regional center/state services evaluation. Here is the Orange County CA reg center website. This will start the process of getting traditional therapy for your child through the state.
- Attend your child's therapy and learn to interact with him/her the same way the therapists do so you can continue the learning at home.
- Look into changing diet and/or adding enzymes gradually; pay attention to your child's behavior and see if you can tell a difference. (Remember to wait out the adjustment period.)
- Find a DAN! doctor. Many successful biomedical treatments (like supplementation or chelation) should be attempted under a doctor's supervision.
- Read, read, read!
- Have someone to talk to--it doesn't have to be someone who has a child with autism, but at least someone who can sympathize, lend a listening ear, and encourage.
- Remember that your child is still your precious, unique child!

Websites
Talk About Curing Autism - This Southern California-based organization's website has lots of resources for parents, including help with special diets, vaccine recommendations, support meetings, and more.

Autism Research Institute - Home of Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!), the ARI website also has many resources, including an overview and myths about autism, a recommended reading list, a video "My Child Was Just Diagnosed With Autism -- What Do I Do Tomorrow?" (under "First Steps"), and the official list of DAN! doctors.

GFCF Diet - Help with starting the gluten-free/casein-free diet.

Kirkman Labs - Supplier of many supplements, enzymes, and other products many parents use.

Houston Nutraceuticals - Where we get Nate's current enzymes, Peptizyde and Zyme Prime.

Enzymes & Autism Yahoo Group - Forum where you can ask questions about enzymes and other biomedical treatments.

Autism Speaks - Contains current news, videos, and research information.

* We still haven't put Nate on a special diet, but in anticipation of being asked to do it when we take Nate to the Rimland Center next month, I have removed straight milk. He hasn't seemed to miss it. Next will be yogurt. It will be hard to get rid of cheese since Nate has a quesadilla at least 6 times per week.

Videos

I've been working on a super-long autism-related post, which is why I haven't posted in a few days. But I just had to come on and link to these videos, one of Nate singing "Jesus Loves Me" and one of Lucy laughing last night.

The weekend is here!

Phew! Here are Nate and Lucy this week.

Beds and car seats

This weekend we took apart Nate's crib and set up his toddler bed. He was so excited about it... until we told him he had to sleep in it. :) So Jon sat in the room with Nate for an hour or so that first night, but the two nights since then have been a breeze (in part because we installed a bed rail the next day), AND he has still been taking a nap! The transition was easy, and Nate is proud of himself and his big boy bed.

It's about time for Lucy to switch to a bigger car seat, so I was planning on giving her Nate's and getting a new one for Nate. This is where I need some help: what "next step" car seats do you all use or have liked in the past? So far I've looked at the Britax Regent, which is huge but really safe; the Cosco Summit, which keeps him in a 5-point harness until 40 pounds and then switches to a seatbelt booster; and the Evenflo Generations, which is like the Summit. Nate weighs 32 pounds right now. What do you all recommend?

Then & now pictures

Nate at 4, 7 months, and 8 months; Lucy at 7 months

Rimland Center

I'm really excited tonight because we got an appointment for Nate at the Rimland Center. It's a new, state-of-the-art autism treatment center in Lynchburg, VA, the town where my parents live. Here's a news article about the center. Several of the doctors there are DAN! doctors, knowledgeable about biomedical treatments like diet change, supplementation, yeast treatment, etc. My mom attended the grand opening this past Saturday and relayed to me how wonderful the place seems. (An interesting note: one of the speakers at the open house was Dr. Houston, the creator of the enzymes we give Nate.) I downloaded and filled out the paperwork (30 pages!), faxed it to my mom, and she brought it to the center. We were praying that they would be able to take Nate some time during the week between Christmas and New Year's, since that is when we are already going to be in Lynchburg (airline tickets already bought). Today we found out that they are able to take us! I am thrilled and really anxious to get moving on these next steps for Nate.

Speaking of Nate, he is amazing me more every day. Today we were doing a puzzle together, and I asked him what one of the pieces was (it was the letter Y, with pictures of yarn on it). I have told him before that it is yarn, but it has been a long while--since before he was talking at all. He said, "Y ... is... yarn!" It's so cool to realize that, though he couldn't put any of the sounds together, he knew what it was, and now he totally remembers and is able to say the word without any prompting!

Nateism

On the way home from therapy today, I sneezed. From the back seat, Nate says, "Bwess me!"

Group

Nate started group at therapy yesterday. I stayed to observe the first several minutes while I fed Lucy her breakfast. We walked in (right on time, but people must get there early), and Nate saw the 15-20 children sitting in the circle; he walked right up and sat in the circle next to Will, his former in-home ABA therapist who is now Nate's "shadow" for group. They all sang five or six songs, and Nate joined in on the ones he knew and tried to do the motions, too. Toward the end, he started crying because 1) I was still there and 2) I think he wanted to go on the slide or something. But he got over it. After the song time, they all split into smaller groups to do what seems like a station schedule: Nate and two or three other kids went into a small room to do some sort of work, while another group went to do "gross motor" (the obstacle course/"fun stuff"--slide, ball pit, balance beam, etc.), and another group went into a different room, etc. Nate did gross motor later, too, and Will said he liked it but didn't like the taking turns/waiting for the person in front of you to go first thing. He'll catch on to that very quickly, though. Overall, I'm very pleased with this new setup for Nate and look forward to his getting adjusted to it.

Lucy - 7 months

What a joy sweet Lucy is in our lives. She is content and easy-going, with the softest cheeks and skin I might have ever felt. She has her daddy's eyes and face/head shape. I'm hoping she also inherits his good skin, generosity, humility, and even temper.

So far, Lucy has eaten baby oatmeal, butternut squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans (not a fan), and rice cereal. Here she is not enjoying the green beans (a.k.a. snaps):



She sleeps at least 8 hours at night (8:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m.), but I'm hoping that will stretch longer soon. (I'll probably stretch her times by half-hour increments over a couple of weeks.)

Lucy has some favorite toys: a stuffed giraffe that rattles, a plush teether toy with several colors that also rattles, and a little plastic pink and green turtle. She also loves chewing on Nate's blocks and playing in the exersaucer.

She can roll easily both ways now and sits with assistance. She hasn't gotten up onto hands and knees, but I think she'll figure that out soon. At her doctor appointment last week, she weighed 15 pounds 14 ounces (40th percentile), and her height was 50th percentile. Her head cirumference was 40th percentile.

She smiles a lot and is very content. She doesn't laugh as readily as some babies, but when she does, her eyes light up and her giggle is so cute. She laughs easiest at Nate, and he now understand what I mean when I say, "Make Lucy laugh."

I am so thankful for our little sweet pea!

Back to normal

This week is a bit back to normal now that we can go outside without getting covered in ash. The fires are mostly contained, and we're praying the winds don't pick up again.

Nate had another evaluation at Cornerstone, and they recommended he keep the same number of hours but instead of doing in-home ABA on Mondays, he would do what they call "group" on Mondays and Wednesdays. Group is a lot like preschool: there are several children (4-5 I think) together, and they sit together, sing songs, do obstacle courses, raise their hands to volunteer or ask questions, etc. It sounds really cute and perfect for Nate. We'll see if Regional Center approves it.

I'm off to eat lunch while the children nap!

Oh, and here we are as Clark Kent and Lois Lane for a party we went to this weekend:



Edited to add more pictures:

Nateism

For a long time, I've looked forward to the day I could start posting about cute things my children said. Kids really do say the darndest things, and it is a special joy for me that Nate is starting to be one of those kids! Tonight after Bible study (where a babysitter watches the 8-10 kids at the house next door), as we were driving away, Nate said goodbye using a word we've never formally taught him: "Bye bye, children!"

In the works

This week I've been making more calls for the next steps in Nate's treatment. I've been looking for a DAN! (Defeat Autism Now) doctor. These are doctors (sometimes pediatricians, sometimes internists, sometimes other M.D.s, sometimes more "holistic" doctors) who usually have been to one or more DAN! conferences and believe in treating autism biomedically (enzymes, diet changes, supplementation, toxin removal, more) in addition to traditional therapies. I want to start taking Nate to one because some of the next things I want to try should be medically supervised (like if he needs treatment for yeast overgrowth, which often requires prescribed medicine).

The first and most prominent place I called is so full it is not taking new patients and apparently is not even using a waiting list (the girl on the phone was pretty rude, even when I read out loud to her an e-mail I'd received from one of the doctors there). However, another place I called sounds much more promising: the receptionist spent a good 15 minutes on the phone with me describing the doctor and her work, which includes a 2-hour initial appointment. The receptionist said about 30-40% of this doctor's work is with autism, which I like since some of the other places I looked at made little or no mention of autism. In addition, this doctor holds an open-to-the-public session one evening a month, so we could go talk to her and meet her without committing to a large first appointment fee.

This week we also went to get Nate's blood drawn for a second time. We'll have to go back to the lab for a third draw since the amount of blood needed for all the tests the neurologist wants run is too much to draw at one or even two times. Most of the tests are measuring things I don't understand unless I look them up: DNA for Fragile X, carnitine levels, quantitative plasma amino acids, acylcarnitine profile, and quite a few more. There will also be results for levels of lead, lactate, and ammonia in the blood. Whatever doctor we end up going to will no doubt use these results (and maybe more) in determining what we'll try next.

More on motherhood: being appreciated

I often depend on my husband to validate me, to make me feel appreciated, to tell me I'm a good wife and mother. He is good at doing that and does it often; however, I realize that it shouldn't be my motivation, that it isn't what dictates whether I actually am doing a "good job."

Amy from Amy's Humble Musings echoes these thoughts:

For many years, I walked around waiting for someone to notice my sacrifice and hoped for some grand acknowledgment on Mother’s Day. (I admit it.) One day I realized that my obedience is better than feeling appreciated. And this is the secret of the Christian’s life--everything is an offering for Christ. What we do for little ones, we do for Christ.

Aha!

God knows women desire appreciation and to be noticed. The Proverbs 31 woman, who seems to "do it all," is appreciated. A highlight of that chapter for me is verses 28-29:

Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praises her:
“Many daughters have done well,
But you excel them all.”

I do desire for my children and husband to appreciate me, and I don't believe that is wrong. However, verse 30 should be my focus:

Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.

It is the woman who does all of this work for Him who deserves the praise!

And happy birthday, Lucy M!

Miscellanies

Fires
Many of you have probably seen news coverage on the southern CA wildfires. The Malibu fire destroyed Malibu Presbyterian Church, where I went when I attended Pepperdine. It also destroyed a really neat castle we used to drive by and wonder about.

The air at our house has an eerie brownish tinge to it, and the smoke/ash smell is really strong. The closest fire to our house is still not very close, but having it be in our city does make the fact that people are losing their homes more real.

All of this is to say we're OK, and please pray with us for those affected!

Something new
I've been using my current purse since early high school. It is still in decent shape (which is certainly a testament to the sturdiness of this brand, The Sak), but I've been finding myself feeling a little embarrassed by it because it is so out of style. I have a couple of other bags, but they aren't everyday bags because they have lots of colors or are too fancy or too small. This past week, I used some of my flute lesson money to get myself a new bag. It came today and I LOVE it! It's a Harvey's seatbelt bag. Ricci had (still has?) one and I've always admired it.

I'll try to post a pic of my new bag later!

Cute kids
Here are Nate and Lucy after her nap today. I love these kids!

Language

Nate is saying a LOT! He repeats almost anything I say now, often with correct pronunciation. I hope to catch him on film saying some of the especially cute things, like "Cool," "Exercise," "Good morning," "Okay" (pronounced "Otay" of course), "Hi baby girl," and "Ohhh, nice" (he says that one after he gives someone an unpromted kiss, I think because I often say, "Oh, that's so nice" when he kisses Lucy). We also got his PECS book this week, and we've been using it. He finds the picture of what he wants, places it on the velcro strip next to the "I want" picture, and brings me the strip. Then he says, "I want _____" (cereal, bubbles, whatever). The key here is that he must bring me the strip and communicate with me, not go to what he wants and miss the communication thing (example: running to the fridge and saying "milk" even though I'm in the other room).

Go Nate!

I caught some of the words today:

Busyness

We are into the fall season, and it feels especially busy this year. We have therapy 4 days a week, MOPS (a fun commitment!), AWANA, flute lessons, and of course the normal day-to-day stuff. Now that I look at it, that little list doesn't seem like much... but it is! We don't have any commitments on Fridays, so I always let out a big exhale when we make it to Thursday afternoon. I don't want to get through each day just barely holding on, but some weeks, it feels that way!

Other notes: Nate and Lucy had their first sibling bath together on Monday evening. I was giving Lucy a bath, and Nate wanted to get in. It was cute.

Ricci and I took the kids to the pumpkin patch yesterday. A couple of school groups were there, so it was really crowded, but the kids still had a fun time.

Miles & Nate


Eli


Lucy in the sling