Hello Friends....
I don't have much time to post (I'm at work and really should be working--Leslie this will only take 5 minutes-I PROMISE!! =) ) BUT, we just got the BEST news and I really need to share it!!
So, Spectrum of Hope (the ABA school) costs about $1,150 a week. (In the past this has NOT been covered by insurance.) See the email string below....insurance has decided to pay this year! BOY DOES GOD ANSWER PRAYERS!!!! Thank you EVERYONE who have been faithfully praying for us!!
As a side note, I am cautiously optimistic about this, insurance has a way of finding loop holes and all of a sudden stop paying and in some cases we have even been asked to pay them back!!! But, this really does look hopeful!!
From: Kimberly Wallace
Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 1:28 PM
To: Tami Eichenberger
Subject: Insurance Benefits for Spencer for Spectrum of Hope
Tami,
Below are the benefits quoted by BCBS for our services at SoH. You will be receiving an invoice (if you haven't alread) indicating $0 is due. It appears after the first two weeks of service with us, you will have met your deductible. If you have any amounts not covered by insurance, we will invoice you for those, but it looks you will not pay anything more! Yea!
$150.00 deductible payable at 80% up to 1500 OOP, then 100% (max OOP per cal year for in network provider is $1,650.00)
This is not a guarantee of payment, this is an explanation of benefits, quoted by the insurance company. Deductible has been met and the OOP should be met shortly. (Do not know for sure, how much has been applied to OOP).
Thanks,
Kay
Kimberly Wallace-Nenson
Founder of Spectrum of Hope
From: Tami Eichenberger
To: Kimberly Wallace
Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 1:35 PM
Subject: RE: Insurance Benefits for Spencer for Spectrum of Hope
Kay,
SERIOUSLY??? HOLY COW!!! When will we know FOR SURE that they are paying? I have had the experience in the past where they quoted coverage, but then it came back that they didn't pay for one reason or another!
Also, what about what we have already paid ($3,450)? It what is being quoted is correct, they we possibly overpaid for the session we are just finishing up?
Thank you so much for helping us with this!! I am very excited and hopeful, but also cautiously optimistic. We have been burned in the past to the tune of $15,000 that we had to pay (scratch that, we are still paying :))
Tami E.
From: Kimberly Wallace
Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 1:39 PM
To: Tami Eichenberger
Subject: RE: Insurance Benefits for Spencer for Spectrum of Hope
They have already issued a check for the week of July 7 for $729.60...which is 80% of the weekly charges...see...below
Eichenberger--07/07/09 to 07/10/09 Paid $729.60
As soon as we receive the EOB's from BCBS, I will be able to tell you for sure what monies should be returned or God forbid, charged...Are you available to come in next MONDAY and sign some paperwork for me? and we can go over this together?
Kimberly Wallace-Henson
Founder Spectrum of Hope
Keep those prayers coming, if this really does become reality, the Eichenberger's have a BIG decision to make in the next month!!!
Until next time....peace, love, hope and prayers!!
T
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
The Great Escape at the YMCA
Anyone who knows me knows that a part of my "therapy" in dealing with Autism, being a working mom and life in general is that I work out EVERY day. I LOVE going to the YMCA, it has been a great source of escape, friendship and fellowship with some really fantastic people. I know there are people who have children with Autism who have not had a good experience with the Katy Y, but we have and we love it there!! We have been members for several years and have had the priveledge of knowing a lot of people there most of whom are fantastic. They have always been very welcoming and accepting of us, Spencer and his differences.
The girls in the Child Watch are the best, and they L-O-V-E Spencer! They always greet him with a huge smile and a hug! He can be challenging at times and I have worked very hard to educate them on Autism and how to "deal" with Spencer while he is there. To successfully have a child with special needs included in a community program you, the parent, has to be willing to partner with them and work toward acceptance and tolerance. Most days Spencer loves it, he actually looks forward to it!! He has this cute little routine where he jumps over all the "cracks" in the pavement on the way in, holds my card to have it scanned at the front desk and then runs to the far windows so he can look at the pool. We stay there for just a quick minute, then I say "Spencer let's go play with our friends and then maybe we can go swim afterwards." On the way to Child Watch, he pushes the buttons on the 2 water fountains, taps the Coke machine and then taps the candy machine (not the Powerade machine, just these 2--I dunno). (It's a weird little OCD thing...but hey it's the simple things in life!!) Then he walks into Child Watch without a fuss, gets his sticker and goes to his room. I get to workout for about 2 hours and then we either go swim or pick up a treat for the way home. Easy as pie!!
Well, during our 2 weeks of antibiotics, that all changed for the worse!! I didn't realize it at the time, but when I finally put it all together it made sense. It started out with him acting really aggressive towards the staff, screaming, crying and hitting. They would come get me, I would go down to his room and tell him "Spencer we need to be nice and not scream, if you are good you will get your treat." He would calm down and I would go back to my class. This kept escalating each day until finally one day after going down there to "calm him down" several times, I had to leave after only 30 minutes of workout. If you know me, I get a little (okay, a LOT) bit cranky if I don't get at least an hour a day. I'm sort of pouty like that, I get in a funk all night, just because I didn't work out.....some say I am obsessed, I say, it's how I deal! Prayer and meditation for the mind and exercise for the body! A well rounded approach I say! (At least I don't have to take meds, drink or spend hours in therapy. ) I digress....
Well, like I said Spencer loves the pool at the Y, he could sit and stare at it for hours!! About a week ago we were at the Y and I had just got started on my workout...RPM--an awesome Spin Class--it's a new one and I am LOVING it. This was only the 3rd time I had been able to go, so I was really looking forward to this class. About 10 minutes in the Child Watch girl came down and asked that I go “talk” to Spencer. Well talking hadn't really been working the last few days, so I asked her if it would be okay if he went into the Kids Zone. (It's for the older kids and they get to play video games--he LOVES the Wii and PS2, so I figure it would entertain him for the rest of my class.) The room also has windows that overlook the pool, so he happily went in and sat on the couch by the windows and seemed so much happier and content. I'm thinkin..."Cool, this will for sure be his thing and will help with his aggression, maybe he was just bored in the other room?" So back to RPM I go. I actually got through the rest of the workout, but when I went back to Child Watch to pick him up the girls all had this VERY worried and concerned look on their faces.
One of them said "Tami, I am so sorry, Spencer got out, we are calling our supervisor right now! I don't know how this happened, I am so sorry, this is very scarey!!" I mean she was terrified!!
I was like "what happened?" I wasn't really all that alarmed, Spencer has this way of "wandering". While it can be scary at times, I really am pretty calm about it, because it happens pretty often and I always know where to find him, anywhere there is water or a lawn mower!
She said "He somehow slipped out and went down the hall (btw-this is a REALLY long hall) and went out the doors to the pool, had his shoes off and was taking his shirt off! He was about to get in the pool!"
I'm sorry, but I just had to laugh, that is so typical of Spencer. You see he is actually a LOT smarter than we all give him credit for. I know him.......he sat on that couch all quiet and content (looking sweet and innocent), but all the while watching the staff, plotting and planning his escape. He knew EXACTLY what he was doing! He wanted to go swimming and that was that!
I guess in the end I can say this little stint of antibiotics gave us our share for grief. I'm sure they did their job and I am so thankful for that, but I am ultra happy we are DONE!! We have been back to the Y the last week and EVERY day I have gone to pick him up, the girls all say how great he was. And, I haven't had to leave class and I have even pulled a few doubles (that's 2 cardio-classes back to back)!! What a treat!!
Look forward to the next post, we just got results from out consult with Spectrum of Hope and it was GREAT!!!
Took this last night, found him in Parker's room with the helmet on and football in hand! My little Sporto!! Can you tell he's ready for for some football? Countdown...isn't it like 3 weeks until pre-season starts? Go Texans!!
Until next time...peace, love, hope and prayers!
T
Consider it a pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trails of many kinds. Because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James 1:2-4
The girls in the Child Watch are the best, and they L-O-V-E Spencer! They always greet him with a huge smile and a hug! He can be challenging at times and I have worked very hard to educate them on Autism and how to "deal" with Spencer while he is there. To successfully have a child with special needs included in a community program you, the parent, has to be willing to partner with them and work toward acceptance and tolerance. Most days Spencer loves it, he actually looks forward to it!! He has this cute little routine where he jumps over all the "cracks" in the pavement on the way in, holds my card to have it scanned at the front desk and then runs to the far windows so he can look at the pool. We stay there for just a quick minute, then I say "Spencer let's go play with our friends and then maybe we can go swim afterwards." On the way to Child Watch, he pushes the buttons on the 2 water fountains, taps the Coke machine and then taps the candy machine (not the Powerade machine, just these 2--I dunno). (It's a weird little OCD thing...but hey it's the simple things in life!!) Then he walks into Child Watch without a fuss, gets his sticker and goes to his room. I get to workout for about 2 hours and then we either go swim or pick up a treat for the way home. Easy as pie!!
Well, during our 2 weeks of antibiotics, that all changed for the worse!! I didn't realize it at the time, but when I finally put it all together it made sense. It started out with him acting really aggressive towards the staff, screaming, crying and hitting. They would come get me, I would go down to his room and tell him "Spencer we need to be nice and not scream, if you are good you will get your treat." He would calm down and I would go back to my class. This kept escalating each day until finally one day after going down there to "calm him down" several times, I had to leave after only 30 minutes of workout. If you know me, I get a little (okay, a LOT) bit cranky if I don't get at least an hour a day. I'm sort of pouty like that, I get in a funk all night, just because I didn't work out.....some say I am obsessed, I say, it's how I deal! Prayer and meditation for the mind and exercise for the body! A well rounded approach I say! (At least I don't have to take meds, drink or spend hours in therapy. ) I digress....
Well, like I said Spencer loves the pool at the Y, he could sit and stare at it for hours!! About a week ago we were at the Y and I had just got started on my workout...RPM--an awesome Spin Class--it's a new one and I am LOVING it. This was only the 3rd time I had been able to go, so I was really looking forward to this class. About 10 minutes in the Child Watch girl came down and asked that I go “talk” to Spencer. Well talking hadn't really been working the last few days, so I asked her if it would be okay if he went into the Kids Zone. (It's for the older kids and they get to play video games--he LOVES the Wii and PS2, so I figure it would entertain him for the rest of my class.) The room also has windows that overlook the pool, so he happily went in and sat on the couch by the windows and seemed so much happier and content. I'm thinkin..."Cool, this will for sure be his thing and will help with his aggression, maybe he was just bored in the other room?" So back to RPM I go. I actually got through the rest of the workout, but when I went back to Child Watch to pick him up the girls all had this VERY worried and concerned look on their faces.
One of them said "Tami, I am so sorry, Spencer got out, we are calling our supervisor right now! I don't know how this happened, I am so sorry, this is very scarey!!" I mean she was terrified!!
I was like "what happened?" I wasn't really all that alarmed, Spencer has this way of "wandering". While it can be scary at times, I really am pretty calm about it, because it happens pretty often and I always know where to find him, anywhere there is water or a lawn mower!
She said "He somehow slipped out and went down the hall (btw-this is a REALLY long hall) and went out the doors to the pool, had his shoes off and was taking his shirt off! He was about to get in the pool!"
I'm sorry, but I just had to laugh, that is so typical of Spencer. You see he is actually a LOT smarter than we all give him credit for. I know him.......he sat on that couch all quiet and content (looking sweet and innocent), but all the while watching the staff, plotting and planning his escape. He knew EXACTLY what he was doing! He wanted to go swimming and that was that!
I guess in the end I can say this little stint of antibiotics gave us our share for grief. I'm sure they did their job and I am so thankful for that, but I am ultra happy we are DONE!! We have been back to the Y the last week and EVERY day I have gone to pick him up, the girls all say how great he was. And, I haven't had to leave class and I have even pulled a few doubles (that's 2 cardio-classes back to back)!! What a treat!!
Look forward to the next post, we just got results from out consult with Spectrum of Hope and it was GREAT!!!
Took this last night, found him in Parker's room with the helmet on and football in hand! My little Sporto!! Can you tell he's ready for for some football? Countdown...isn't it like 3 weeks until pre-season starts? Go Texans!!
Until next time...peace, love, hope and prayers!
T
Consider it a pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trails of many kinds. Because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James 1:2-4
Monday, July 20, 2009
Oh what a fun 2 weeks we have had!!
Just a little quick update! It's been a BUSY 2 weeks!!
We have had some BIG stuff going on with Spencer the last two weeks.
On the BioMed front, we are FINALLY done with the antibiotics. I say FINALLY because they were causing all sorts of bad behavior. Increased stimming, hitting, crying, screaming, running away, etc. (I'll have to blog about the Great Escape at the YMCA--that was fun!!) These behaviors are apparently a result of a yeast overgrowth. Seems kind of wierd that yeast would cause all this, and I was skeptical at first, but boy am I a believer now!! To see the shift from sweet litte Spence, to gradually turning into demon child, and now after a few days of yeast treatment, back to himself! I TOTALLLY buy into it!!
Here's how it happened....we blogged a while back about the "bacteria" we all have in our gut. Well if you recall Spence had 4 really bad ones and only 2 good ones. So, for the past 17 days we have given him 2 VERY strong antibiotics that are supposed to kill off the bad bugs. Well, while the meds are killing off the bad bacteria, they are also killing off the good, and since he now has zero bacteria (good or bad) to eat up and help digest his food, he had a strong overgrowth of yeast. (Lucas told us this might happend). Well, ding dong me didn't clue into this until about 10 days of banging my head against the wall with his troubling behavior. Needless to say Spencer and I weren't seeing "eye to eye" until I had my "aha" moment. Once I put 2 and 2 together I figured it out. THANKFULLY that is over. We are now on Diflucan for 21 days to kill off the yeast and a ProBiotic to help boost the good bacteria. We've been on it for 3 days and already he's back to his sweet self. I think the pharmacists thinks we are crazy, generally if you are put on Diflucan for a yeast overgrowth/infection, you only get 1 pill. We have 21, does that tell you anything about how aggressive we are treating this??
Here's how it happened....we blogged a while back about the "bacteria" we all have in our gut. Well if you recall Spence had 4 really bad ones and only 2 good ones. So, for the past 17 days we have given him 2 VERY strong antibiotics that are supposed to kill off the bad bugs. Well, while the meds are killing off the bad bacteria, they are also killing off the good, and since he now has zero bacteria (good or bad) to eat up and help digest his food, he had a strong overgrowth of yeast. (Lucas told us this might happend). Well, ding dong me didn't clue into this until about 10 days of banging my head against the wall with his troubling behavior. Needless to say Spencer and I weren't seeing "eye to eye" until I had my "aha" moment. Once I put 2 and 2 together I figured it out. THANKFULLY that is over. We are now on Diflucan for 21 days to kill off the yeast and a ProBiotic to help boost the good bacteria. We've been on it for 3 days and already he's back to his sweet self. I think the pharmacists thinks we are crazy, generally if you are put on Diflucan for a yeast overgrowth/infection, you only get 1 pill. We have 21, does that tell you anything about how aggressive we are treating this??
Second big thing for our little Lou is he started at Spectrum of Hope, an ABA school in Cypress 2 weeks ago. ABA is Applied Behavior Analysis, which is a process of reinforcing appropriate behavior and redirecting inappropriate behavior. It’s VERY intense/intricate, they first determine a target behavior or skill. Then using those targets, they reward the desired behavior/skill every 20-30 seconds with a reinforcer (candy, tickles, a toy or activity). They work up to extending that time and then eventually eliminating the reinforcer altogether. The goal being he begins to exhibit the behavior/skill without prompting/reinforcement. So what is it that he will be working on? Well, it's pretty cool because we give them his IEP's from school and they will work on them while he is there. (An IEP is an Individual Education Plan, it's sort of like a lesson plan that is customized for Spencer. When we get back into regular school, I'll be sure to bring this topic back up and explain more, but for now this should suffice.) They also did an assessment called the VBMAPP (not sure what that stands for...all these acronyms get very confusing), I'll see the results to that probably later this week. They do the assessment to see what his learning style is and what they need to add to his targets that will help him progress even further. Our biggest target is increasing his expressive communication via signing, vocalization and/or word approximations and using picture icons. The emphasis being on manding (requesting/asking for) this should help us in decreasing his tantrum behavior because he will gain confidence in his ability to obtain a desired item or activity and not be so frustrated. It should also help with potty training, which I am SO READY to be done with.
So far he is doing okay. He had sort of a rough start, but seems to be getting better each day. He works with 4 different therapists throughout the day and each one writes on his daily report what they worked on. He seems to be settling in with most of them, except for one. She writes that he is having a "difficult" time EVERY day. I'm thinking it's her. (It couldn't possibly be Spencer! he he he!) The others always say he had an "awesome" session. Who knows, I plan to bring it up in our consultation later this week. He went to Spectrum last summer and we found that it was just the boost he needed to get ready for the start of school. We are hoping for the same thing this summer! It's so intense for him and it's really a challenge for us (being working parents!) He and I HAVE been enjoying some fun time together though. School is 9-3, so you can see working 6 hours a day isn't going to fly. So he's been coming to work with me before and after school. He has been beyond AWESOME! He walks so nicely into the office (his favorite thing is using the FOB access card to get into the doors, he likes to put it up to the sensor, see the light turn green and hear the little beep...it's the small things in life!!) He eats his breakfast and sits quietly at “his” desk for a good hour and a half. At 8:40 we leave for school, I get back around 9:15, then head back at 2:45 to get him. We come back to the office and finish up our "work" until 4 or 5. We get to do it for the next 4 weeks!! I am seriously burning through some gas!! Here are some cute pictures of him "at work".
I really like this one, it's like he's saying, "excuse me, but do you need something? Can't you see I'm trying to work here!"
Until next time...peace, love, hope and prayers!
T
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purspose.
Romans 8:28
Monday, July 13, 2009
The Marathon
I have often considered running a marathon, I mean I’m physically fit enough, I’m (fairly) young, and I have the tenacity to get it done. I have many friends who run the Houston Marathon and some who even run several a year. It intrigues me, it’s one of those accomplishments that you wear like a badge of honor. Do you ever notice the cars on the freeway that have the 13.1 sticker or the really cool people who have the 26.2? That’s why they put them there to say “I ran a marathon” and prove to the world they did it. Do you ever wonder about the training that goes into it? The pain and agony of the actual race? For most it’s a BRUTAL 2-3 hour ordeal, I mean really, that doesn’t sound like much fun?? As I ponder this task I seek out advice from my marathon friends and they begin to paint a picture for me of what training for and running a marathon is like. I mean you can’t just go out and run 26.2 miles, well I know one person who does, but he’s a little wacky like that! I also find out that MANY people who “run” a marathon don’t actually run the whole thing. This surprises me a little, because I think if you are going to say you “ran a marathon”, you should actually have to RUN the marathon, the whole thing. Anyway, so what does this have to do with our journey with autism?
Well, as I said, I have often contemplated the idea of running one, but recently I have come to realize that I don’t actually have to run a marathon, I run one everyday. You see, having a child with autism is like running marathon. You train for it every day, you read, study, blog, discuss, ask, seek, pray and find as much as you can, you arm yourself with the training to run the race. And when it’s race time you start off in a sprint, full speed, hopped up on adrenaline and the confidence that you have “trained” enough for the task at hand. As the race continues you slow down to a steady jog, and find yourself saying "hey, this isn't so bad, I can SO do this!". You find your happy place, your rhythm, your inner peace that it's going to be just fine. Then, you hit it, you hit a wall. Your legs just can’t seem to move anymore, they start feeling like lead, you just can’t seem to go on, it’s too hard, the finish line too far in the distance. So, you start walking, slowly, slowly, slowly. Then something happens, thoughts of your training creep back into your mind. You begin to realize again what you are there for, what your purpose is: to finish the race, at all costs. You begin to feel a slight tailwind; you feel the presence of God breathing life back into your spirit. Your steps begin to pick up and you find yourself jogging again, slow and steady, your legs are still tired, you feel beaten down, but you must forge ahead. You again find your happy place only to run smack into another wall. Again, you walk, and the race continues just like that for 26.2 miles.
In my marathon, some days I can see the finish line, I can taste the sweet victory, I can see the flags waving and hear the crowds cheer!! There is hope, I have faith, and we will overcome this race. But on other day’s it’s too far off to comprehend, I begin to doubt all the evidence of recovery. I can’t seem to picture a recovered child. And that is when I dig, dig deep and find the courage and faith to move because I know it is there! I know that I can not quit, this is our journey and we must follow the path. Whether it is a smooth rolling hill or a treacherous mountain, I have the courage and faith to know that we will be carried through the rough spots. I pray that someday I can look back at this race and see it as a small challenge that was put in our path. Will I have a recovered child? I can’t really answer that, it is not my question to answer. I can only give him my best and pray that the direction we must follow be revealed with clarity. All I hope for myself is that I can leave the race with the peace of mind and heart that we did our best.
Until next time...peace, love, hope and prayers!
T
Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9
Well, as I said, I have often contemplated the idea of running one, but recently I have come to realize that I don’t actually have to run a marathon, I run one everyday. You see, having a child with autism is like running marathon. You train for it every day, you read, study, blog, discuss, ask, seek, pray and find as much as you can, you arm yourself with the training to run the race. And when it’s race time you start off in a sprint, full speed, hopped up on adrenaline and the confidence that you have “trained” enough for the task at hand. As the race continues you slow down to a steady jog, and find yourself saying "hey, this isn't so bad, I can SO do this!". You find your happy place, your rhythm, your inner peace that it's going to be just fine. Then, you hit it, you hit a wall. Your legs just can’t seem to move anymore, they start feeling like lead, you just can’t seem to go on, it’s too hard, the finish line too far in the distance. So, you start walking, slowly, slowly, slowly. Then something happens, thoughts of your training creep back into your mind. You begin to realize again what you are there for, what your purpose is: to finish the race, at all costs. You begin to feel a slight tailwind; you feel the presence of God breathing life back into your spirit. Your steps begin to pick up and you find yourself jogging again, slow and steady, your legs are still tired, you feel beaten down, but you must forge ahead. You again find your happy place only to run smack into another wall. Again, you walk, and the race continues just like that for 26.2 miles.
In my marathon, some days I can see the finish line, I can taste the sweet victory, I can see the flags waving and hear the crowds cheer!! There is hope, I have faith, and we will overcome this race. But on other day’s it’s too far off to comprehend, I begin to doubt all the evidence of recovery. I can’t seem to picture a recovered child. And that is when I dig, dig deep and find the courage and faith to move because I know it is there! I know that I can not quit, this is our journey and we must follow the path. Whether it is a smooth rolling hill or a treacherous mountain, I have the courage and faith to know that we will be carried through the rough spots. I pray that someday I can look back at this race and see it as a small challenge that was put in our path. Will I have a recovered child? I can’t really answer that, it is not my question to answer. I can only give him my best and pray that the direction we must follow be revealed with clarity. All I hope for myself is that I can leave the race with the peace of mind and heart that we did our best.
Until next time...peace, love, hope and prayers!
T
Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9
Friday, July 10, 2009
The New Not So Super Smoothie
We blogged a while back about the Spencer Super Smoothie. Well, the crazy hippie lady at Thoughtful House told us to start “rotating” his food. Seriously, I’m happy enough we are getting him to eat smoothies and some meats. Now I have to think about “rotating”…who has time for that? Do I need to make a chart? Oh, I’m really good at charts…just ask Parker about his chore charts! HA!! I don’t have a chart yet, but I can see it in my not too distant future. Anyway, so to get some sort of rotation, we started changing up the smoothies a little bit, experimenting with adding in different fruits and veggies.
Well, Mike was going by the HEB on Monday and asked if I needed anything for Lou. I said, “sure get some cantaloupe, flax seed, and any other fresh fruit and veggie you see that he might like and see if they have any hemp or chia seed.” We both get pretty excited because he actually found some hemp seed.
Now before you all go calling CPS cause I got my kid on some hippie lettuce/wacky tobacy, let me clarify. This is not marijuana hemp, it is from the hemp plant (the seeds are really good for you—check it out http://www.smartbomb.com/nw15455.html !!) they grind up the seeds into a powder that is jam packed with protein and many vitamins that Spencer needs (tryptophan being one). Tryptophan is essential in healthy brain function. You may know it for it's popularity during Thanksgiving. You know it's found in turkey and everyone blames it on why they sleep all day on the couch after their Thanksgiving feast. FYI—it ain’t the tryptophan that’s makin you sleepy it’s all the yummy treats and a little over eating! Don’t you just love thanksgiving!! Mmm….turkey, gravy, rolls, pie…I’m getting hungry! Ooops, Sorry…..I was dreamin….back to the HEB story…he gets the hemp, some spinach, carrots, and asparagus.
The next evening we set out to make some new smoothies…for the base of the smoothie, we pretty much stick to the basics: berries, carrots, and either broccoli or spinach but this time we decide to throw in a few stalks of asparagus and a scoop of Hemp powder. We make the smoothies in a batch of 5 at a time, that way we are only making them every 3rd day. We have a Magic Bullet that makes some really awesome smoothies—it ROCKS!! It comes with 5 cups, thus the reason we make 5 at a time. We get all 5 prepped and then one at a time we blend them up. The blending is somewhat of an art you need to have just the right amount of liquid to get it blended…if you don’t have enough it won’t blend, if you have too much, it will be too runny and impossible to feed Spencer. It’s a process of put the lid on, blend until it seems stuck, take it off, shake it up, put it back, take it off, shake it up, put it back, etc. until it’s all blended up smoothly. We get them all done and they actually blended up pretty nicely, except for the lovely green coloring.
So Tuesday evening I sit down to give him his first “new” smoothie, he takes it okay but with every bite he gives me a really weird look and seems to “roll” it around in his mouth before swallowing. I think to myself, well, he’s just not that hungry. Wednesday morning comes and Mike experiences the same thing and it takes him FOREVER to eat it. Wednesday night, same thing, so I smell it, it smells AWEFUL, like asparagus. After about 3 or 4 bites, he starts gagging and coughing, I quickly put the cup under his mouth to catch anything he decides to give back to me. Wouldn’t that be lovely, green puréed spinach and asparagus all over the place! I manage to get it all down him, but I think I may throw the last 2 out. They are just too nasty. What did we learn today, adding asparagus makes for a NOT so Super Smoothie!! YUCK!
Until next time...peace, love, hope and prayers!
T
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. John 14:1
Well, Mike was going by the HEB on Monday and asked if I needed anything for Lou. I said, “sure get some cantaloupe, flax seed, and any other fresh fruit and veggie you see that he might like and see if they have any hemp or chia seed.” We both get pretty excited because he actually found some hemp seed.
Now before you all go calling CPS cause I got my kid on some hippie lettuce/wacky tobacy, let me clarify. This is not marijuana hemp, it is from the hemp plant (the seeds are really good for you—check it out http://www.smartbomb.com/nw15455.html !!) they grind up the seeds into a powder that is jam packed with protein and many vitamins that Spencer needs (tryptophan being one). Tryptophan is essential in healthy brain function. You may know it for it's popularity during Thanksgiving. You know it's found in turkey and everyone blames it on why they sleep all day on the couch after their Thanksgiving feast. FYI—it ain’t the tryptophan that’s makin you sleepy it’s all the yummy treats and a little over eating! Don’t you just love thanksgiving!! Mmm….turkey, gravy, rolls, pie…I’m getting hungry! Ooops, Sorry…..I was dreamin….back to the HEB story…he gets the hemp, some spinach, carrots, and asparagus.
The next evening we set out to make some new smoothies…for the base of the smoothie, we pretty much stick to the basics: berries, carrots, and either broccoli or spinach but this time we decide to throw in a few stalks of asparagus and a scoop of Hemp powder. We make the smoothies in a batch of 5 at a time, that way we are only making them every 3rd day. We have a Magic Bullet that makes some really awesome smoothies—it ROCKS!! It comes with 5 cups, thus the reason we make 5 at a time. We get all 5 prepped and then one at a time we blend them up. The blending is somewhat of an art you need to have just the right amount of liquid to get it blended…if you don’t have enough it won’t blend, if you have too much, it will be too runny and impossible to feed Spencer. It’s a process of put the lid on, blend until it seems stuck, take it off, shake it up, put it back, take it off, shake it up, put it back, etc. until it’s all blended up smoothly. We get them all done and they actually blended up pretty nicely, except for the lovely green coloring.
So Tuesday evening I sit down to give him his first “new” smoothie, he takes it okay but with every bite he gives me a really weird look and seems to “roll” it around in his mouth before swallowing. I think to myself, well, he’s just not that hungry. Wednesday morning comes and Mike experiences the same thing and it takes him FOREVER to eat it. Wednesday night, same thing, so I smell it, it smells AWEFUL, like asparagus. After about 3 or 4 bites, he starts gagging and coughing, I quickly put the cup under his mouth to catch anything he decides to give back to me. Wouldn’t that be lovely, green puréed spinach and asparagus all over the place! I manage to get it all down him, but I think I may throw the last 2 out. They are just too nasty. What did we learn today, adding asparagus makes for a NOT so Super Smoothie!! YUCK!
Until next time...peace, love, hope and prayers!
T
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. John 14:1
Monday, July 6, 2009
Playground games
Playground games....ahh remember the days when you were younger and you would be at school all hum ho about the day only to look forward to the one event of the day that was so much fun you just couldn't stand it. RECESS!! Think back to all the fun games you would play, red rover, dodge ball, keep away, 2-hand touch, etc. Most of the time it required teams to be formed and the process of choosing teams included a first round of rock paper scissors to see who would be the team captains. Then the "captains" would set off choosing sides. Today, some would say this process isn't fair to the kids, that it hurts their self esteem. HA! No, I say it's a right of passage, teaches a kid to be kind, make friends, try hard and always do your best. Because frankly if you don't do those things no one will ever want you on their team. I digress.....Remember the thrill and pride you would feel if your name was one of the first called? Usually that meant your were either "BFF's" or you were a great player. So I think my journey with autism is a lot like those play ground games. We'll get back to that....
My wonderful mother has shared our blog with many of her friends. She has the BEST friends! Her college roommate Barbara is the one who got us hooked in to Camp Barnabas, for which I am forever grateful. Her friend, Jan, was there with her when she was dealing with raising three teenage girls, without Jan, I'm not sure my mother would have come through that with sanity. We were typical teenage girls, catch my drift?? And her neighbors, they are awesome!! They have been there for her through so much! Each one of them is so special to her and to us (her daughters) because they have been her rock and salvation during the last 10 years. One of those neighbors, JoNelle, is the most kind, sweet, compassionate and loving Christian women I have ever met. Her faith and spirit were such an important part of my mom's battle with cancer last year, which I am forever indebted to her. Over the weekend, my mom forwarded an email from JoNelle with her thoughts on our blog...the following is a little excerpt from her email that really had a profound impact on me and re-confirmed some things in me that I have thought of all along, but have also compelled me to write about it in this edition.
To begin with..."this is one of the most emotional...heartfelt...sometimes funny...but always...containing the Spirit of Christ...in scriptures and stories...I have ever read...What a fabulous "writer". Tami is...but MORE than that what a Christ centered Mom she is...I can't begin to imagine what her life is like even after reading these Blogs...I can't put another person that I know in this "framework"...of being a working Mom, a wife...and having these two wonderful children...I have always heard and believe to a certain extent...that God gives "special children" to families that He personally chooses...AND I DO believe that your sweet family is a "God chosen one"...
Back to the playground....so yeah, I believe we were chosen to be Spencer's parents, to play on God's team. I actually believe that most of life is chosen by God. Life isn't happenstance. We all have trials and tribulations and I could spend a good deal of time validating why I believe that based on scripture and teachings that I have been witness to by our wonderful Pastor, Dr. Ed Young. But that's not what this blog is about. No doubt I have had my moments of saying, I DON'T WANT to be chosen, why can't I just have a "normal" child (I really don't like that reference, cause I don't know a kid out there that is "normal"). Why can't life be easy, I admit I envy those that appear to have the rosey colored life. (But you can always look deeper and find it isn't as rosey as it seems on the outside). Seriously though, I think I'm a pretty good person, I try to stay positive about this journey. But I have my pity parties, who doesn't? We all want life to be easy. We want the streets to be paved in gold and to live a carefree life. In this game, like on the playground, I am chosen. And you know what? It isn't so bad, I want to play on God's team. God chose us to raise Spencer, and for that I feel honored!! What better a compliment can a person receive to know that God, hand selected you, entrusted you, to raise one of His special children. I received this from another Mommy Warrior and it pretty much sums it all up...
Did you ever wonder how mothers of handicapped children are chosen? Somehow I visualize God hovering over Earth. As he observes, he instructs his angels to make notes.
"Armstrong, Beth; son; patron saint, Matthew. Forrest, Marjorie; daughter; patron saint, Cecilia. Finally he passes a name to an angel and smiles, "Give her a handicapped child."
The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She's so happy."
"Exactly," smiles God. "Could I give a handicapped child a mother who does not know laughter?"
"But has she patience?" asks the angel.
"I don't want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wears off, she'll handle it. I watched her today. She has that feeling of self and independence that is so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has his own world. She has to make it live in her world and that's not going to be easy."
"But, Lord, I don't think she even believes in you."
God smiles, "No matter. I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just enough selfishness."
The angel gasps, "Selfishness?
God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she'll never survive. Yes, there is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a 'spoken word'. She will never consider a 'step' ordinary. When her child says 'Mama' for the first time, she will be present at a miracle and know it! When she describes a tree or a sunset to her blind child, she will see it as few people ever see my creations. I will permit her to see clearly the things I see - ignorance, cruelty, prejudice - and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life."
"And what about her patron saint?" asks the angel.
God smiles. "A mirror will suffice."
I am not a saint, when I look in the mirror I see, Tami, mom, wife, sister, daughter, friend. I am nothing more and nothing less. God put us on this path and it's our job to stick with it until the end and for that I feel honored.
Tomorrow, Spencer will start 6 weeks of daily 1 on 1 therapy for 6 hours a day. I am so thankful for the people in my life who have made it possible to send Spencer to this wonderful place. At therapy they will focus on teaching him to "mand" (think of demand or ask for) his wants and needs. This is a HUGE step he needs to overcome in order to FINALLY be potty trained. (It sure ain't fun cleaning up after an 8 year old and I have been changing diapers for 10 years and I am SOOO ready to be done with that!) So, say a little prayer that God give these wonderful therapists wisdom and strength to teach Spencer what he needs to overcome this obstacle. It will give us all so much more independence!!
On the Biomed front, we are plugging along on the diet, we are sort of at a stand still developmentally. He is half way through his first antibiotic (which tastes horrible, so we are SOOO looking forward to being done with this one...5 more days to go). We will then start the second, Bactrim. It will be a little easier to give him, it's liquid and is grape flavored, so it should be a piece of cake. We do that one for 7 days. Then on to the Diflucan. I can't say I have noticed any difference with the meds. But I know it takes time.
Until next time....peace, love, hope and prayers!
T
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phillipians 4:13
My wonderful mother has shared our blog with many of her friends. She has the BEST friends! Her college roommate Barbara is the one who got us hooked in to Camp Barnabas, for which I am forever grateful. Her friend, Jan, was there with her when she was dealing with raising three teenage girls, without Jan, I'm not sure my mother would have come through that with sanity. We were typical teenage girls, catch my drift?? And her neighbors, they are awesome!! They have been there for her through so much! Each one of them is so special to her and to us (her daughters) because they have been her rock and salvation during the last 10 years. One of those neighbors, JoNelle, is the most kind, sweet, compassionate and loving Christian women I have ever met. Her faith and spirit were such an important part of my mom's battle with cancer last year, which I am forever indebted to her. Over the weekend, my mom forwarded an email from JoNelle with her thoughts on our blog...the following is a little excerpt from her email that really had a profound impact on me and re-confirmed some things in me that I have thought of all along, but have also compelled me to write about it in this edition.
To begin with..."this is one of the most emotional...heartfelt...sometimes funny...but always...containing the Spirit of Christ...in scriptures and stories...I have ever read...What a fabulous "writer". Tami is...but MORE than that what a Christ centered Mom she is...I can't begin to imagine what her life is like even after reading these Blogs...I can't put another person that I know in this "framework"...of being a working Mom, a wife...and having these two wonderful children...I have always heard and believe to a certain extent...that God gives "special children" to families that He personally chooses...AND I DO believe that your sweet family is a "God chosen one"...
Back to the playground....so yeah, I believe we were chosen to be Spencer's parents, to play on God's team. I actually believe that most of life is chosen by God. Life isn't happenstance. We all have trials and tribulations and I could spend a good deal of time validating why I believe that based on scripture and teachings that I have been witness to by our wonderful Pastor, Dr. Ed Young. But that's not what this blog is about. No doubt I have had my moments of saying, I DON'T WANT to be chosen, why can't I just have a "normal" child (I really don't like that reference, cause I don't know a kid out there that is "normal"). Why can't life be easy, I admit I envy those that appear to have the rosey colored life. (But you can always look deeper and find it isn't as rosey as it seems on the outside). Seriously though, I think I'm a pretty good person, I try to stay positive about this journey. But I have my pity parties, who doesn't? We all want life to be easy. We want the streets to be paved in gold and to live a carefree life. In this game, like on the playground, I am chosen. And you know what? It isn't so bad, I want to play on God's team. God chose us to raise Spencer, and for that I feel honored!! What better a compliment can a person receive to know that God, hand selected you, entrusted you, to raise one of His special children. I received this from another Mommy Warrior and it pretty much sums it all up...
Did you ever wonder how mothers of handicapped children are chosen? Somehow I visualize God hovering over Earth. As he observes, he instructs his angels to make notes.
"Armstrong, Beth; son; patron saint, Matthew. Forrest, Marjorie; daughter; patron saint, Cecilia. Finally he passes a name to an angel and smiles, "Give her a handicapped child."
The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She's so happy."
"Exactly," smiles God. "Could I give a handicapped child a mother who does not know laughter?"
"But has she patience?" asks the angel.
"I don't want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wears off, she'll handle it. I watched her today. She has that feeling of self and independence that is so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has his own world. She has to make it live in her world and that's not going to be easy."
"But, Lord, I don't think she even believes in you."
God smiles, "No matter. I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just enough selfishness."
The angel gasps, "Selfishness?
God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she'll never survive. Yes, there is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a 'spoken word'. She will never consider a 'step' ordinary. When her child says 'Mama' for the first time, she will be present at a miracle and know it! When she describes a tree or a sunset to her blind child, she will see it as few people ever see my creations. I will permit her to see clearly the things I see - ignorance, cruelty, prejudice - and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life."
"And what about her patron saint?" asks the angel.
God smiles. "A mirror will suffice."
I am not a saint, when I look in the mirror I see, Tami, mom, wife, sister, daughter, friend. I am nothing more and nothing less. God put us on this path and it's our job to stick with it until the end and for that I feel honored.
Tomorrow, Spencer will start 6 weeks of daily 1 on 1 therapy for 6 hours a day. I am so thankful for the people in my life who have made it possible to send Spencer to this wonderful place. At therapy they will focus on teaching him to "mand" (think of demand or ask for) his wants and needs. This is a HUGE step he needs to overcome in order to FINALLY be potty trained. (It sure ain't fun cleaning up after an 8 year old and I have been changing diapers for 10 years and I am SOOO ready to be done with that!) So, say a little prayer that God give these wonderful therapists wisdom and strength to teach Spencer what he needs to overcome this obstacle. It will give us all so much more independence!!
On the Biomed front, we are plugging along on the diet, we are sort of at a stand still developmentally. He is half way through his first antibiotic (which tastes horrible, so we are SOOO looking forward to being done with this one...5 more days to go). We will then start the second, Bactrim. It will be a little easier to give him, it's liquid and is grape flavored, so it should be a piece of cake. We do that one for 7 days. Then on to the Diflucan. I can't say I have noticed any difference with the meds. But I know it takes time.
Until next time....peace, love, hope and prayers!
T
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phillipians 4:13
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