Presenting food to the Autistic Kid.....PART 2

It has been a couple days since since my last blog. Things get crazy when you've got a million and one art projects going, plus family is in town, and you are planning for school, and a vacation before school starts. Such is life.

Anyway, the last time I blogged, I blogged about feeding the picky child. Today I'm going to be blogging about the way food looks to my son and what makes him eat it and what makes him say, "No, No want this."

Trying to coax our son to eat on most days is like trying to get the new cat the showed up in your backyard to come to you as you hold your hand full of food out toward them. Does it always work...no. And sometimes all you really do is get them to turn and run. It's isn't easy and there are days when I sit back and wonder how good a parent am I, when my already slim son doesn't want to eat? How can I make it more presentable to eat? What about the food it turning him off? 

Let me start by saying when we first saw the picky eater in our son it was at 2 years old. He would eat anything you put in front of him up until that point. Then when his communication and preferences became apparent it was hit or miss on trying to get him to eat what we made. I'll be honest it is still hit or miss sometimes. And it can be the most frustrating part of the day, especially if they are purposely making a mess with their food to get the point across that they're not going to eat it. 

We've spent many a day recalling how much our boy has eaten just to make sure he has eaten enough. And through all the food boot camp our son has put us through we picked up a couple of DON'Ts along the way. Here is the guideline for food prep in our house that works more often than not. Though, we still are trying to perfect it. We realize that until our boy can specify these things our DON'T list is what we go by. 

The DON"TS....

1. Don't cook the vegetables.

Unless the vegetables need some cooking due to taste and texture, we don't cook them. All vegetable are made into sticks and set out on the table for him to eat. And yes we call them his sticks so that he will be interested in eating them. 

2. Don't mix the food together.

If your going to cook vegetables with rice, cut the vegetables into sticks sticks and present the rice separately. Another example would be spaghetti with vegetables. Again sticks and spaghetti are separate. Same goes for some sauces. Leave them off unless directed otherwise.

3.  Don't present it if you can't even make out what it is.

If it isn't recognizable he won't eat it. Even if he tries it 9 times out of 10 he'll humor us with a couple of bites and he's done.  New fad foods and the way they are made are a huge no-no in this house. 

4. Don't present the same thing for weeks on end.

This is something not every family with a kid on the spectrum, can do. In our house if we present the same thing over and over and over again, after a short while, he won't eat it. Peanut butter sandwiches were all the rage for two days,  the third day hit and it got denied. Tried a couple days latter and was still denied. Repetition in our family, with food, does not exist

5. Don't hit up the fast food chains or hugely processed foods as snacks or meals.

Fast food chains and processed snacks are addictive. They can easily hook a kid on the spectrum. The foods are usually packed with sugar, salt, smell good, and are recognizable. Everything are son loves. Especially when they pre-organize it in the box for him. UGH. Can be hell to break this habit but worth it for the sake of less tantrums, over all health, and getting your kid to eat what you make them later. 

Anyway, I hope this helps. It has helped us. Are these rules set in stone? No. That's why they're called guidelines. Sometimes our little guy surprises us by eating foods that we never think to give him, they then get added to the list of things he will eat. Those moments are great. Just remember to watch your kid's cues. You are the expert on your kid. 

As always thanks for reading.

With Love and tons of Gratitude,

Amber Jones

P.S. Stay tuned for tomorrows post that will complete this blog trilogy on food and autistic kids. 

Deciding not to move our Autistic Child.......

 SO, last year we had decided we were going to move. Going back to school was the goal. And as we started the process of moving we started to question more and more why we were leaving such a great community. Our goal had been to move to B.C. to study Traditional Chinese Medicine and become Dr.s of TCM. As we started to move towards the goal we started to see our children off in the distance and immediately the plans got changed. Our children are the most important things in our lives as well as one another, we wont let anything act as a wedge in between any of us. So, we got organized and asked ourselves. "What do we really want?" And here's what we came up with...

I couldn't have put it better myself. We want freedom. Freedom from debt, freedom to travel, freedom to just pick up and go when we want to. So, we got organized and changed the goal. I'm already an artist and make some during the year. Will works as an IT. Not to shabby at all. And instead of accumulating $70,000 of school debt alone. We we'll only accumulate around $4,500. Much more manageable. We intend on taking the Multimedia Communications Program here at the college to become Web Designers, something that will allow us more freedom to travel. After that certificate program I will continue on to the Computer Support Technician Program so that I can work as on-call computer support when needed. All of this from the comfort of the place we are in now. 

Although the above mentioned things are important to us there is something else that stands above the rest. Two somethings to be exact.  The number one reason, without a doubt, the most important advantage in staying is that our son has all the support he needs, right here and both our kids will have the advantage from being in such a great community. 

Our son is so connected with the staff at the Child Development Centre and I'd hate to see him have to adjust to new staff and be away from us the majority of the day due to our schooling. 

And our baby girl is still so young. I want her to experience everything the Great North has to offer. 

Up here both kids can learn to hunt, bead, do traditional dancing with the Dance group we have up here, and glean from their heritage everything that is healing and good. Down south they would be further away from all of that. 

Do we feel bad giving up on our dream?

He was our first dream, and his sister was our second, and I couldn't imagine being away from them for more than 3 hours a day. They are our number 1. Any dream that would take that away or push it off into the distance is more like a nightmare. 

So, we're staying and I'm happy. Now the goal will be, to be at least one month down south during the winter to recharge the batteries. -40 with little sunlight can get a bit old after awhile, but the midnight sun on June 21st makes up for it. 

As always thanks for reading!

Love and Gratitude,

Amber Jones

What do I do if my autistic kid gets lost?

This is something we haven't dealt with yet, and pray we never do. I am so paranoid about him wondering off that if I don't have someone with me when I have both kids out and about he goes into our stroller that has a little bench I can strap him too.

I'm pretty sure he would know he is lost but I never want to find out if he knows or not. Ugh. Makes my stomach turn just thinking about it. But as much as I take precaution it doesn't hurt to take precautions for finding him if he does wander off. People have medical tags and I like those but in my house if it's small enough to get lost....well...it does.  Plus getting him to wear it might not be such an easy task.

So, what can you do? While networking on the infamous twitter I found a family that has a great solution for if your child wanders off.  It's called the QR Code ID. This is so cool. They are from the "If i Need Help" Non-for-Profit Organization out of Santa Clara, California. Here's what it is....

So, how this works is you sign up for free on the page. Enter information that is pertinent if your child wonders off, post a picture of your kid and add additional content in the additional content area of things like, medical needs, other relatives that can be called in case of emergencies, etc. etc. etc. Once your finished you can view what the information will look like once your code has been scanned.

QR Codes can be read quickly by any smartphone. QR reader Apps can be downloaded for free from App stores. 

Anyway, if the child gets lost and they have one of these patches on their clothing, the patch is then scanned by the person that found them. The information will appear on their phone or whatever device they are using, and bam parents are contacted, kid is reunited with them, and everyone recovers from their heart attacks. 

So awesome! Mine is in the mail and I can't wait to get it! 

Anyway for more info on this cool product click the link:

https://www.qrcodeid.org/

Go check it out. 

As always thanks for reading. 

With Gratitude and Love,

Amber Jones

Mother's 10 lessons for her autistic son......

There are some days when you sit back as a parent and sigh that heavy sigh. That heavy sigh is filled with the need to protect your little bundle of light from all the big grey clouds of this world. 

Many days I sit back and wonder how do I protect him from his first heartbreak, his first realization of what kind of world we're living in, the first "no" he hears from outside sources that tell him he "can't do it." How do I keep him safe and in my pocket so that nothing can taint of hurt my perfect little angel. I go through this lots. Especially with him. 

I remember first hearing a child tell him he was annoying. I remember feeling the heartbreak for him as I watched him smile and try to continue to play with the child. I teared up in the car away from his questioning eyes. I know kids will be kids but that doesn't make it any less difficult, especially when the reason the kid said he was annoying was because of the way he processes his environment. 

But what can you do, other than play as if no one else is in the room with you and your amazingly wonderful thinker. 

My husband is pro at that. Making their play seem like they found a candy hive at Disneyland. I know I can't protect him forever and that one day he might have to explain his reasoning to others who aren't in the know about such things. But for right now I'm his safety net 

I think that in this world, it really is an art to be different, and in the case of my son, he doesn't have to try. Which I admire about him. 

Every mother has things they wish to teach their kids. Here are 10 of mine that I hope I can instill into my little guy before he embraces an ever changing world of faces, structures, and textures. 

1. You weren't born to be like them. Don't think like them. Their ways don't always work or make sense. 

2. Autism is not a disorder or anything really other than a new way of processing a world that needs to slow down. 

3. Take the time to smell the flowers, feel the wind, taste the sweetness of life, observe nature, and listen to the birds. These things will always ground you. 

4. Don't let circumstances outside of yourself be the driving force behind your intention. You can do, and be anything you want to be. Nothing will ever stop you, as long as you believe in yourself. 

5. Don't let other's (including us) "should" on you. You know what is best for you.

6. When things get a bit dark remember these words. "I am in charge of how bright I shine."

7. Your sensory preferences are here for a reason. Not everyone has a built in self-regulating system. You are lucky to have it. Use it to your benefit when the world looks upside down and backwards.

8. It is always ok for you to come to us for anything, anytime of the night or day. You are our son and we love you more than we can possibly express. We are your parents and that is what being a parent means. We took this role with great pleasure and excitement and love and pledge to be that person for you. The person that teaches you, the person, that cares for you, the person, that no matter what you do will love you unconditionally until forever. We have your back and will always be a foundation for you to come back to. 

9. Always be grateful for who you are and what you have. If you can think of three things your grateful for each day you are golden. And yes we are more than grateful for you.

10. The answer to your happiness is not in any book, person, wallet, or possession. The answer to your happiness is yours alone, locked inside of you for you to know. No one can take that from you. And if there is one things I ever suggest to you it is this, If you decide to share your happiness with another always love unconditionally with an open heart and understanding mind and you will give a love that is more powerful than anything you can possibly imagine. And know that that is how we love you.

Well, everyone's asleep except me...again...lol. I gotta make sleep a habit.

As always thanks for reading.

With Love and Gratitude,

Amber Jones

Is Autism Awareness a good thing?

As a mother with a child on the spectrum I tend to really dislike labels. Everything has been given a name due to the human's need to define everything. Why can't it just be part of who we are and how we act instead of it being some force outside of us, or something that is happening to us?

Anyway, we put a name to everything. And when kids started processing the world differently, after awhile of discussion, they lumped it under autism. Ok, I can accept that. The problem is when people take the title and assume what it means. That's when labels become an issue for me.

The real trouble begins when people assume that they are experts on autism and that they know, before even meeting the child, what the child will be like.

On the other hand if they know that they don't know everything, and are willing to learn, they open their mind to be educated, and can be great word of mouth mini advocates that, spread the word on autism, and infect the masses with the intelligence to be open minded about something they may not know to much about.

So, is Autism Awareness a good thing? Yes, in the sense that it will boost other peoples understanding of something that people are looking at as a stigma rather than a new way of processing. With this awareness my hope would be that people would improve education equality, understand that not all autistic children think the same, and that it's OK to think and be different. It may also put out the signals to other parents with kids on the spectrum that they are not alone. Awareness is almost, in a sense, a way of building a community.

When people come together to speak about breast cancer awareness, say at an event, a beautiful thing happens. A community forms, to love one another, support one another, to share stories, to connect on a real level, to almost subconsciously admit that we are all one and see the beauty in each and every person attending the event. People see that life is precious and rejoice in the beauty of women everywhere, and mourn the ones we have lost. Shouldn't we always do this regardless of what it is?

I can imagine that that bond is just as strong at an autism event, in a different way but still very strong. People gather, share stories, find comfort in one another, support one another, reach out to say "Yup we've been there and this is what we did...", and celebrate their children and their accomplishments. Something in the community is happening inside of the little bundle of miracles we have created, and it is helping bring everyone closer together. Why in the world is that a bad thing? Maybe this is the push to create a new paradigm of understanding, patience and, yes I'll say it, love. Maybe what we've been told is the problem is actually the answer to fixing every nations problem and maybe it all starts with awareness. Awareness of someone else. That is what we're lacking. And that is why awareness for anything is important. And to act with love is quite possibly the answer we have been looking for.

As always thanks for reading!

Much love and gratitude to you and yours,
Amber Jones

Taking autistic kids to the carnival...10 tips......

There came a point in the assessment process that made me feel , for lack of a better word, bummed. And that was the whole not knowing whether or not our son would enjoy some of the simple pleasures in life that we as kids enjoyed. I think that's one of the most difficult things as a parent is not knowing whether your kid is going to enjoy what kids typically enjoy. I remember last Christmas being at a loss as to what to get for him. Do we get him the transformer he has never seen before or something sensory that we know he'll play with repetitiously for hours on end? Obviously the latter was by far the better choice but in some weird sense it bummed me out a little. But, on Christmas day when he opened his sensory geared gifts it was as if he had discovered magic. And that little grey cloud left my vision. 

 When we saw the little carnival pull into town I was super excited. And I was hoping that our boy would be too. Sure enough, he saw the rides and immediately was asking to, "play" while pointing at the kid rides. I was beyond thrilled. Now, I know that the carnival was a hit last year but every year he's shown us something new in his preferences and you just never know what will be a hit tomorrow and an absolute no-no the day after. Well folks....

It was a hit! Of course he remembered things I was hoping he'd forget, like the cotton candy, but it was all something that I had always hoped for and that was and is that my kids will always have fun regardless of sensory preferences. And he did.

Of course I realized, sometimes, when doing the great carnival experience, things don't always go as planned. Here are ten tips (from professional carnival goers) for taking a kid with ASD to the carnival that will make the trip more pleasant.

1. Employ some sort of waggon or stroller to accompany you to the fair and already have them in it when you hit the gates. In between rides put them in it. When getting off rides put them in it. Worked wonders for us.

2. Eat before you go to avoid meltdowns and bring plenty of water with you and a small snack and maybe even a picnic depending on how long you're staying. 

3. Expect anything. If your kids wants to just watch the rides. Let them. It's no biggie if they don't take advantage of what we think is fun. Let them just watch happily if that's what they want to do. 

4. Take other family with you. It's always better to take the understanding people with you that way they can sit with the kidlets when you wanna ride the rides. Or agree to trade off on the riding of rides with your partner. It's OK to go on alone. Sometimes you need the thrill to put things into perspective. lol

5. Bring one of their vices. If they like a certain video on your phone let them hang out with that while they process everything around them. Let them stim, hand flap whatever they need to do to feel comfortable that's appropriate. Forget about the stares. Whatever people think about you or your little one is non of your business. Just as mush as it is non of their business, but always be flexible to answer the genuine questions about why it's happening, in the most it's "no biggie" voice you can muster.My son had a vast treasure of receipts he would flap to process the ever changing environment of society. We encouraged him so he would get used to it. Now he doesn't need them but back then it was a must or tantrums would ensue.

6. I would suggest, for first timers trying this, to stay an hour tops. You know your kid best and what they will and won't handle so plan accordingly. We have a pretty small carnival that comes through so 35 minutes is how long we stayed and it was enough.

7. I know this might be crappy advertisement but don't play the games. My kid loves repetitive movement and games. If I were to let him play the games we would have been there for hours on end and 100's of dollars less. Don't do it unless you think your kid can part with the activity.

8. Rules on riding the rides. If you have a kid that can go to the bathroom by himself and not get hurt or into anything then I would say they can ride the rides alone as long as they are tall enough and know what's going on. If you have a kid that's a runner, will not sit still, doesn't like being harnessed, I would say use a lot of parental discretion in deciding whether it's a good idea or not. Again you know your kid.

9. Be prepared to spend money on tickets for rides. I let my son know how much money we had and that once the tickets were gone that was it. He understood for the most part and decided he wanted to ride the kid rides all night long. Well, that's what we did. Watched him on the rides the majority of the time. I enjoy that. Many people don't.  It's refreshing for me after having a long hard day of tantrums to see the wonder and hear the laughter of my son. 

10. Don't over do it. If you see the eyes droop and hear the slurred speech of a child that needs to rest the senses, leave. Call it a day. An overwhelmed kid with ASD can, sometimes, be easily overwhelmed so the second you see it call it a day. Again you know your kid and how much they can handle.

or yeah I guess there are 11 tips.

11. Take photos regardless of who enjoys it, you have every right to enjoy it. This is your family moment. It is what you make it. Don't let a tantrum and crabby people mess it up regardless if its the child or the partner or anybody. Enjoy it this is your family moment and make sure you record it as something great to look back on. 

Anyway, those are my tips for families who are willing to try it. I can't state this enough. You know your kid and what they do and do not process well. If you think it might not be a good idea but still want to go, find a sitter and take your partner or friend and hit the carnival like your 16 all over again. Do things that scare you, make you laugh till you cry. That is what life is worth living for...happiness. 

As always thanks for reading.

With Gratitude,

Amber Jones

Changing an autistic kid's room....lesson learned.

May look random but it was perfectly placed by a 3 year old and with reason. :-) Photographed by Keltanys.

Well, I learned something new about my Keltanys yesterday. He doesn't deal well with change. I guess that shouldn't surprise me really. Most kids on the spectrum don't deal with it so well. I also should have known, he is my kid and I don't deal with change well either.

I remember when we started to set up the bedroom for bringing Keltanys home from the hospital. I felt a bit of grief and just icky about the way things were changing so fast. It bummed me out. Kinda the same way I feel when someone springs a surprise visit on me or when plans change to quickly. It takes me a minute to adjust.

My son deals with it on a bigger emotional level. So, the story starts with stepping on a smurf. I was less than happy about the state of his room. He likes to make pockets of nests everywhere and often times if you move something in them while he's looking, he gets upset and puts it back. So, after stepping on jokey smurf I decided that it was time to clean his room and make it so that if he wanted his toys he needed to ask us for them. Mistake number one.

Regular toys that he has made friends with.....you don't take away.

So, we cleaned his room and got rid of some stuff that we know he doesn't play with anymore and put everything away. Unfortunately, where we had originally placed his toy ottoman was in a blind spot so he couldn't even see the thing. All the while he was at his Aunties not able to be part of the transition. Mistake number two. For me if something's changing I like to be able to see it happen or be the cause of the change, or be the organizer of it. I don't know what I was thinking not making him apart of it.

Anyway, we brought him home and he seemed ok that night but when the next day came we saw a vast change in behavior. He was super sensitive. Would cry if you looked at him funny and all the while would be in his room making a nest of the few items available to him.

And today has been even worse. When a change happens my son feels like he's lost some control since he doesn't process change very well yet. And I think he knows that in some small way. He'll sit there and be super upset if things change to fast that he just wants the person with him to be still as possible unchanging, unmoving, quiet and without will. Well, he's been mad at me for everything today. And when we were at therapy appointments today for him he let them know how upset he was. I cried a little with him knowing how hard it must be to be so little and feel like the world is falling apart. My heart kept breaking every time he wanted to see people be still and quiet. And it dawned on my quickly that if we are to make changes to his world we have to do 2 things

1. Have him help.
2. Keep something as a constant. Something that will always remain in his foundation so that when something changes he still has something to hang onto in the roller coaster of change.

So, lesson learned. We've given the toy ottoman back with the stipulation that he picks everything up when he's done. So far so good.

My heart still breaks thinking about it but I know for next time right. This has made me question some things regarding my going back to school. I think it might be OK for two years, but, a whole seven years with the intensity of the last five will be over the limit of time I'm willing to spend sporadically away from him. So, much needs to be thought of when it comes to getting him ready for this world. I'd rather spend my days getting to know every aspect of my Keltanys than go further into debt, and the other stresses that we create for ourselves.

Anyway, plans are under review and I have learned that change isn't easy for my boy. Better now than never!

Thanks for reading.

Always with Gratitude,
Amber Jones

Milk and the Autistic Child...

Milk is an absolute no no in our house. My Husband is lactose intolerant, and my son is lactose intolerant...and as many papers have said, it sends our autistic child through the obstacle course of cognitive difficulties.

What we have found is something quiet interesting. If my son has any dairy at all, he experiences all that would be associated with lactose intolerance and then the added effect of tantrums, less verbal communication, chronic bowl issues, loss of appetite, and insomnia. It sucks to be quiet honest. Not because I have to give up milk, but because it's in e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.  

We first realized this last year when he was having explosive accidents all the time. Call me a little blind but everyone I had talked to said it was normal until one Mom said, "No way! Something is wrong." I don't know that being lactose intolerant is all that bad considering the works of "The China Study." Awesome book! Go read it. It does make it difficult to buy anything processed since they use it as an ingredient all the time. It was fortunate for us that my husband is already lactose intolerant, so, we never had milk in the house to begin with.

Things, however, like butter and cheese got the ax quickly. And finding alternative solutions to those ingredients came, thankfully, to the lovely cook book "Forks Over Knives."

For dairy alternatives check the link below.
http://www.peta.org/living/food/dairy-replacements/
Also get the cook book "Forks Over Knives" mentioned above. Super awesome recipes!

I'm not sure what the connection is between having an upset stomach and cognitive function difficulties but I did discover something interesting about my boy and head injuries. Whenever my son has had, a not horrible, but decent, bump to the head his chronic bowl issue takes off as if he's eaten some ice cream. It is the most interesting thing. I know that some concussions may produce similar effect but his falls have been super minor and he reacts as if he's eaten a ton of yogurt. It definitely tells me that whatever the connection is, it is an intense and super sensitive one. So, it would make sense that when his stomach is upset from say eating ice cream or yogurt, he becomes more repetitive, more rebellious, agitated, prone to tantrums, less verbal, and an insomniac. He feels his tummy ache on a totally different level. And the link while sometimes unfortunate is pretty fascinating. Said the future Doc of Traditional Chinese Medicine. he he.

Anyway, this is what we've discovered with Keltanys. If anything it's worth a try. Just remember to read the labels. Things won't say they have milk but then list thing like casein which means milk. Here is a link with a list of things that mean "milk", "may mean milk" and "should be safe", to help you if you decide to try the Milk/Dairy Free theory....

http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/resourcespre.php?id=37

One more interesting thing to consider. In Traditional Chinese Medicine when it comes to diet the first thing the Doc will tell you to cease with autistic children is the consumption of Dairy and Gluten. I will tackle the Gluten argument another day.

As always, you are the expert on your kid, as well as the nurse, the doc, the teacher, and sometimes the scientist. And hey if something works why not adopt it into practice.

As always thanks for reading.

With Gratitude,
Amber Jones

One is fun, two is chaos!

I love both my children. I would give anything for them. They are awesome, great, and keep me in line. There are days when I wonder about my sanity though after having two children  I'm talking serious Mom brain.  Those are the days when I realize, it's the 3 year old that gets the banana not the 3 month old, or when after changing poop-tastrophies and showering kids down that you have missed three appointments in a row, or mistaking random people you know as being related to people that you know that they totally are not related to. And then there's the over correcting the Mom brain. This is worse because then you second guess what you actually remember and screw it up by claiming you don't remember cause of Mom brain. This happens when you claim that you don't know the person or don't remember their name because of Mom brain and then realize you had it right all along. And then even worse is when you go and try to correct it all. Oh ya the variables add up quickly once you have two kids. It gets real, very quickly.

And then there's the whole picking you battles thing. Let's just call it what it really is, negotiating. Sometimes you win and most of the time you half win. Yes raising two kids is the easiest and hardest thing I've ever done.

When it's your first born it's baby boot camp until they're one, or three if you have a kid with sensory needs and a speech impairment. And with the second one you basically have all the coordinates figured out with the changing, feeding, and burping cycle. But there's something I didn't expect with the second one, ya know due to Mom Brain and all. I went through this recently when getting her immunizations. "Holy crap I have a kid that's going to develop differently from my 3 year old. What do I do? What do I look for? What happens next?"

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever explore a world where I would have two kids one on the asd spectrum and one that wasn't. Not that I'm complaining, it's just that life becomes a little more challenging when you're figuring out both developmental charts. You have to become the master puzzler, the master illusionist, mirco manager of micro managers, the pioneers of time bending, and a complete rebel.

How do I keep this all up? The two kids, the artwork, the blog, the vlog, or living life the way I want to live it. Well, let's just say the dishes are always making a habitat out of the sink, The laundry sometimes looks like Jaba the Hut eyeing my with contempt. from the corner, and the floors need more than just a good wax on wax off of a mop. But in comparison if I valued a clean house over everything else I would have no life to share with my family. That's just the way I run and always have.

Everything must be done with gusto and meaning or it's all a lie. So, when I forget my own name, I just remember that this is the life I choose, kids, Mom Brain, sleep deprivation and the undying need for more chocolate.

Anyway to complete this blog I am going to tell you a story about a dad brained moment my dear hubby had and 1 tip to help you remember everything,

Our story starts with my husband in the supermarket being asked by a fellow family member if they could give my husband a ride home.

Family Member: You need a ride home.
Husband: Yup. (Forgetting that he has the car in the parking lot.) Oh wait I have a car now.
Family Member: Oh is it here?
Husband Yup. (Family member kisses Husband on the head and say, "I love you cousin.")

HA!!

That's my husbands story for the week. Now we want to hear from you. Mom's who have Mom Brain moments. Go ahead and share them and laugh with the rest of us. And kudos for being such a great Mom!

Now here is my number one tip for remembering everything. Ready here it is....

WRITE IT DOWN. he he he

Anyway, I wanna dedicate this blog to the Mom and Pops of this time who are taking care of their kids without hesitation,. for Moms who are dealing with one kid on the spectrum and one that's not and  for those parents that put their crazy crap aside so that they can see the bigger picture and raise sensible adults. This one is for you.

Well, there's that sandman again throwing his sand all over the place.

Must go to sleeeep. Thanks for reading. See ya in a post.

With Gratitude,
Amber Walker

Brushes, and pressure and potty trainging...Oh my!

During a therapy visit not to long ago we were given a tool that helps with hitting the feelers. This lovely device is called the Therapressure brush. It is, Ill admit, pretty cool.

This brush contains very fine, and soft to the touch, bristles that are great for kids who have sensory needs. He likes it and it keeps him calm before the process of bed or nap time.

We received this brush as part of a sensory diet package my boy is supposed to be on. When he uses the brush you can see something amazing happen. He smiles, is real gentle with it, and really takes in everything he is experiencing. It's great. If you apply a little bit of pressure it feels like a great soft and gentle massage. He absolutely loves it.

That being said there are only certain times of the day when he wants it and that's right before nap and bed. Now, my son is supposed to be on a sensory diet and sometimes the diet works and we manage to say on top of it and then other days life happens and he gets a good dose of his sensory toys later in the day. I will say it's great in calming him but it is not something that will replace his other sensory needs. Like flapping. He loves flags and seeing things flap, but, for him,  his Therapressure brush won't sate that need. So, if you are thinking of adding it to the routine just know that in my experience it does not replace the other sensory needs. It will help, but doesn't take away those other important sensory needs.  

Links for sensory brushes posted in the post script area of this blog. :-)

Anyway, I find that if my son isn't convinced it's something worth trying he won't, but because good old Mom tried it he was able to and I must say it was relaxing for me to try it with him and walk him through how to use it. Now he is an old pro and will seek out his brush himself.

Another sensory need of my little man's is pressure. I say this, but I should specify that he likes pressure only on his hands and feet and only when falling asleep, If you have a child like this good news...I think I have come up with and awesome pillow that can help. More details and a pattern to come later in June.

Pressure is something that kinda makes me nervous and a little paranoid. How much pressure can I apply to my kids hands and feet? What about things that are weighted...etc. etc. etc. Well we tried the weighted blanket and he asked for that thing to be removed quicker than you can say it, and once it was removed he said, "No. No blanket. No blanket baby." Then spent the rest of that hour repeating those words. It certainly was not a favorite. This has become ritual, applying pressure to his hands and feet happens every night. He will not go to sleep with out that pressure. If he doesn't get that pressure to his hands and feet he has a super hard time calming, never mind sleeping. Anyway, like I said, I have a wicked cool idea for a pillow that can apply that kind of pressure...hopefully it works...stay tuned for more details on that.

And last but not least we come to the dreaded potty training bit of the blog. Lets just say we are still in the beginning phases of potty training and they are not easy. My son has the added bonus of gluten intolerance as well as being lactose intolerant. It makes for some interesting days. We don't have to many accidents but when they happen they happen big. So, I've had to get a little bit more creative when it comes to the being prepared. Here are three tips to keep you ahead of the accidents....

1. Belts. I don't know about you but when my son has an accidents it is usually because the little general has come out to play. If you're kid will wear a belt go ahead and try it. Putting a belt on them will ensure that they don't mess around and pull stuff out that they're not supposed to.

2. Don't ask...INSIST. I try not to ask my son if a potty break is necessary before we leave to go somewhere...I INSIST. Meaning that I take the time to fight him to get him to go to the bathroom because I know giving him the option means he'going to say "No, no potty baby."

3. Always check them regularly, and change accordingly.

Now, this list is for those whose kids are still in the trainers mode. But if you follow these rules along with you're potty training rules you won't have too much of a messy golden/brown experience.  Take it from the Queens of preventing accidents.

Anyway as I write this I can feel the sandman throwing bricks of sand at me saying, "What the hell I worked hard to get those kids of your's to sleep so that you could sleep. Don't waste my sand."

So, I better hit the hay quickly before a kid wakes and sleep deprivation kicks in. As always thanks for reading. Don't forget to follow us on Facebook at, https://www.facebook.com/FindingK and twitter at, https://twitter.com/FindingK2010 .

With Gratitude,
Amber Jones

P.S. Links to where you can find the Therapressure Brush and a less expensive sensory brush. Enjoy!!

http://www.amazon.ca/s?ie=UTF8&field-keywords=Therapressure&index=kitchen&search-type=ss

http://www.nationalautismresources.com/sensory-brush.html

Would I change my kid if I could?

Would I change my kid if I could?

No.

Here's why....

In the three years he's been here I've come to know this great little firecracker who can put a smile on anyone's face. He is my life of the party kinda kid. Loving, funny, caring, and has great dimples. And in the midst of getting to know this kid, he stopped smiling as much, went silent and would only utter the word "Ta." Didn't want to be kissed, hugged, smiled at, etc, etc.

When we started to see this we were more curious about what was going on. I wasn't scared or devastated in the least. I have a couple people very close to my heart who have Aspergers. I just needed to know how to teach him. That's when all the intervention happened, when we knew he wasn't progressing the way society says "you should progress." Research began and a whole host of people that think the way we do, stepped in to help us figure out how Keltanys figures it out.

Now, we have a kid that is learning communication, is back to smiling, making eye contact, giving hugs (only when asked), loves rough housing, being outside, and hesitantly trying new things.

But if I were to take something away or "cure it" what would change. What would take it's place. There's nothing wrong with my kid. What happens when you fix something that doesn't need fixing. Well, sometimes you screw it up. Take it from me. I'm an artist and a perfectionist, I know these things.

I love my kid, speech impairment and all.

That's not to say that when I'm getting pegged in the head by toys, or when the chaos of tantrums unfold that I sit and go "Oh I just love these moments. Don't you sweet heart when the sun is out, people are smiling, and heavy objects are raining down from the hurricane our offspring is creating." No, I have a list of things to keep myself from losing my cool. Are there days when I feel like karma has turned it's eyes towards me. In those heated moments, yes. But everyone in their life feels that way at least once about something.

Life is how we perceive it. When Keltanys is happy, I'm happy, and when he's not I try to show him that no matter how crappy your day is you can still change it.

Distraction is key. "Hey, it's OK that Mommy accidentally screwed up you perfectly situated toys. Lets listen to your favorite song," is something you'll hear often in our house.

Now, I'll admit I've read stories of kids that are vastly different from Keltanys with a whole set of different and more challenging things they are experiencing. In all seriousness all I can say is namaste.

I know what I know. And I wouldn't change my kid for the world. My visually sensory seeking, Anime loving, music loving, swing loving, noodle eating, dancing, smiling, kid with an astonishing memory is here to stay and I wouldn't  have it any other way.

Well, I better get to the 6 month old's vaccine appointments. Ugh we will go over that argument a different day. Obviously you already now my stance on it. Right now cereal and coffee are needed.

With Gratitude,
Amber

The first of 4,323 Pictures

Keltanys with the camera phone. The first of 4,323 pictures.

Went into my camera phone the other day to retrieve  some photos for our blog and found 4,323 pictures of my son. The picture you see above is the only one where he is not checking out the entirety of his face.

I was amazed I know that when I handed him the phone he was playing with the camera but wasn't certain what he found so interesting about it. Well, I found it. I should have clued in I guess. If there is something that can reflect his image back to him he finds it very fascinating. He'll dance to watch himself dance, smile to watch himself smile, do silly faces, run, stomp, act like a robot, he does it all to watch his reflection. He loves it. And then finally something sunk in as we were in the park today. My kid's majority sensory need is anything that is visually stimulating. When he's in the swing he likes to throw his head back and forth and then will crack up. He loves the visual effects it causes. He also loves running really fast while blinking like crazy. When he's tumbling things in his hands he likes to blink really fast. I for a long time thought that it was the feeling he got from it. Nope it's the visual effect that sates that sense. Then things just started to click, the glow in the dark board he can write on, the light up board he has, the way he cracks up when he sees people stop and go and stop and go when doing the robot, the tumbling, the running, the stomping with his eyes half closed or blinking like crazy, his making random shapes with random objects, his need to see things in complete chaos, watching things spin, running in circles with his eyes set in the corners of his eyes, spinning in circles and doing the same thing...almost .e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g he does repetitively is for the visual stimuli. Finally a direction I can work with artistically. A tool by which I can teach him. 

Took me long enough. 

Anyway, I will not cease the playing with of the camera phone as I believe it is a great way for him to learn more about himself and take great photo's, especially when I have such a hard time in keeping him still for one. Look guys two birds one stone. 

Hence my creating of the light box. The tutorial on how to put it together will be up this weekend. In the meantime if you're are interested in this project here is a list of things you will need for this project. 

Things you will need to make a light box...
1. A see through plastic bin
2. LED Battery operated lights ( make sure you get the batteries)
3. Parchment paper
4. Tin foil
5. Tape (scotch)
6. Scissors 
7. Coffee. 

And on a side note......

On the 19th of next month we will be having a give away. Stay tuned. Details for the giveaway will be posted on the 31st of May. Until then grab the things you will need to make the light box! 

See ya later!

Always with Gratitude,

Amber Jones

Is it the terrible three's or the diagnosis?

AHHHHHH!!! He's on the lose. My three year old has this thing called run Mom into the ground, give her a five minute break, then start all over again. Everything I do or say there is a protest, or a nice little rebellion with a charming smile. This has become a daily concurrence. I think he's got it down to a science and I'm playing the fool trying to catch up. "Yes," "No," "No say that," "all done," "not all done," "give me that," things I dreaded hearing when he was two he has just started to figure out.  While I'm grateful for the progress the time's where I can't tell if it's personal preferences or sensory issues is when it becomes the most difficult.  Especially when it's a mixture of both. How to I discipline a kids that is over stimulated and tired? Of course I do the "We don't act like that" song and dance followed closely by the time out. Does it stop the behavior even when we're consistent?. No. And then I see the whole, "I was spanked. And what was good for me is good for my kids," argument that I just can't wrap my head around. I'll be the first to say that when my son see's someone doing something to hurt others or hurt for the purpose of correcting he's the type of kid to practice on others. If anything it would teach him he needs to hit to get what he wants or correct what he thinks is inappropriate behavior from us.

Most often I find myself on time out, in the bathroom with the water running. Trying to clear my head for round 2. It sucks. And behavioral therapists will tell you consistency and repetition. Which is true but still not easy. Especially with my son. He learns something a certain way. It has to be done that way for a long, long, long time. And if you are introducing a knew way you got to be a salesman with a Charisma of 30 (you D&D'ers get what I mean. lol). If you aren't happy, appealing and sweet any approach will tick him off and you're dodging random pokemon, in the hall way. It's hard. What do you do? You know you're not caving and then suddenly you've got a raging mad kid all over the house. Now this doesn't occur everyday in my house but who has a kid that doesn't do this in some form or another. My Mom tells me I didn't but I know I made up for it in my teenage years. I guess I should say better know than never. And as the great Cosby once said, "Better to get them mad now than have them mad at you later for not getting them mad in the first place." He he.

Anyway, I know that many things play into Keltanys little freaks he has here and there. Like his diet, sensory issues and tiny OCD's he has. And I'm sure I could deal with them better but I'll admit that on occasion my strategy is to turn the music up loud and dance like a crazy fool to see if that boy will crack a smile. Anything to change the mood of the house. And yes there are times when my voice reaches a certain pitch that says "WARNING,WARNING, WARNING, WARNING." That is called being human. Because well that's what I'm here as.  But I remember every time that while I'm being tested, or am experiencing the frustration of this little ball of energy that's being overwhelmed., that I have no freaking idea what it's like to be frustrated for the reasons he's frustrated, and I can relate to him in that way, if only in that way. I've been mad and no one got why I was mad. It can feel very isolating and for a little kid can be terrifying. I always remember this no matter how mad I get, no matter how fast I reach my limit, I keep in mind that on the opposing force is a little boy angry and quite possibly scared and most definitely overwhelmed by the flashy craziness of this world. The other huge reminder is that I'm the adult, his foundation, and If I don't keep it together for him who will.

Temper tantrums from kids who have ASD are extremely different than any other types I've experienced, because it could be anything that's setting them off. And if they are non-verbal or have significant speech impairments, you become the master de-puzzler trying to figure out what it is that's bothering them.

I have figured out a plan though for in those times of tantrum chaos. And again it isn't a daily occurrence anymore but man when they happen it sure feels that way. Listed below are somethings I do to keep my cool during those high intensity moments...

1. Forget counting to 10. Instead try counting backwards from 100. It just feels better.
2. Make a quick note of how angry you are. Doing this quick check will let you know if a bathroom break is needed.
3. Smile. Not directly at your kid. Just to yourself. And listen intently to your breathing even if you have to heave to hear it over your kid. This helps distract you from that high place of anger.
4. Walk slowly and move slowly (only if you and the kid are safe of course) . Moving slowly helps remind you that you need to remain calm and at peace if you want to bring your kid into a realm of quite and peace.
5. Talk quietly to your kid reminding them of how they feel. Bring your voice volume way down.. Sometimes this distracts them and reinforces your zen.
6. Get into something sensory like washing your hands, having a drink of water, something you would normally do at any given "peaceful" time of the day. Good emotional distraction and gives you enough time to think and not react on instinct. Which we're prone to doing while angry.
7. Have visual cues around the house that remind you to stay as calm as possible when in the intensity of a tantrum. For example, we have the words love and gratitude on our vision board above our futon. Helps lots.
 8. Try to empathize. I know way easier said than done. But if you can get into their frame of mind and think how much it must suck to be that upset it may help you in helping them. It doesn't matter if you don't now what they're mad about just remember a time when you were at your breaking point and then think what it must be like for someone so tiny who doesn't have the skills yet of mastering emotions, to be that frustrated and not know what to do other than what they're doing.. They are small and still need guidance and when they are angry we are their first responders. If you can empathize you'll calm more quickly.
9. Ok, here is a little sweet secret. When I am blinded with anger and on the verge of letting everyone now, I ninja my way to the fridge or cupboard grab a small (portions people) piece of chocolate or candy and down the hatch it goes. I will only do this once more and if it doesn't work I go to number 10.
10.  Make sure the kid/kids are in a safe place and go to the washroom. Turn on the faucet or fan as a quieter of the outside noise, get a splash of water on your face, wash your hand, actually go to the bathroom, hum "Happy" by Pharrell Williams and dance like an idiot, imagine your boss dancing like an idiot, do a dance from the 80's, anything to bring yourself down quickly so you can tend to your kid. And when I say dance people, I mean dance hard. You are alone, no one is watching. Do it! Don't be afraid to laugh at yourself cause we all know laughter heals everything. It was employed in my house when I was a teenager and it would take us from high intensity to laughter and tears in 30 seconds or less. So make a fool of yourself and laugh. You'll feel better. :-)

I must say I can't tell you how to discipline your kid. That's something I don't enjoy hearing unless it's close family like my Mummy-in-law or my Mom, who have raised my husband and me. And since I'm raising a mini version of my husband and me it helps to hear their advice. Discipline is a very personal decision that sets the tone for the house. All I can say is try some of the things on the list above to help calm you so that you can make rational decisions about discipline.

Anyway, I hope this helps. Latter I will recommend things to do to keep your little one calm.Thanks for reading. If anyone has anymore tips to share about how to stay zen when your kid isn't, just leave them in the comments section. Don't forget to follow our blog!! More great things are coming!! Even a giveaway. Stay tuned...

Love and Gratitude,
Amber

Ink, paper, and some charit......

At the beginning of this month and what inspired the name of this blog, I as Amber Walker, had an art exhibition  called "Finding the Letter K."

"Finding the Letter K" is a tribute show dedicated to parents of children with autism, their journey in finding their child a midst the sensory preferences and repetition, and trusting themselves as being the experts of their own children. In this show I combined these themes into a fairy tale where three insects set out on a journey to find the letter K, K being representative of my son, Keltanys, and other children on the spectrum. 

Something I don't think I've seen done but was super excited to try was a raffle. So each piece had it's own raffle. Raffle tickets were $20 a pop and 100% of the proceeds went to the Child Development Center here in the Yukon for all their dedication and support of my little guy, and pep talks they gave us during and after the assessment of autism. Thank you CDC!!

When opening night hit a lot of people came into the gallery showing support, love, stories of families they know with kids on the spectrum, and almost everyone that came through bought a raffle ticket. It was amazing to discover that so many people are aware of the spectrum or know someone on the spectrum and how many people see it as something more as an evolution of being instead of a disorder. It was refreshing, and a great comfort to know that we are not alone. 

We were able to raise $500 for the Child Development Center. And I am more than excited to announce that there will be many other raffle style shows and silent auctions like this one where all of the proceeds will go to a local charity or globally known charities that are doing amazing work for kids with autism and whatever other charities you as my readers suggest. Next time I do this style of show ya'll will be the first to know and have first access to raffle privileges and silent auction privileges. 

Anyway, below are some pictures of the pieces that were the core of the show. Have a boo and enjoy! And thank you to all who have shown your support.

And as always...

Love and Gratitude,

Amber Walker

P.S. If you have any questions or want to know more about the artwork shown here, leave them in the comments section. Don't forget to follow us to keep updated on what awesome projects we have going on. Our next project is a light box. How cool is that! See ya soon.

"Finding the Letter K"
© 2014 by Amber Walker All Rights Reserved

"The Hunt Continues"
© 2014 by Amber Walker All Rights Reserved

"The Extra Pieces"
© 2014 by Amber Walker All Rights Reserved

"Environmental Toxins"
© 2014 by Amber Walker All Rights Reserved

"Inner K"
© 2014 by Amber Walker All Rights Reserved

"Tumbled"
© 2014 by Amber Walker All Rights Reserved

It's the little things....

So, as my dear Husband was cooking today I heard a little voice from the kitchen ask, "Oh, that's Quinoa in there? Is cooking." I just about passed out. And here's why... On a sunny day about a year ago I sat in the same kitchen with a speech pathologist named Rachel. She came out from the local Child Development Center to do a word count on my boy. I was eager to invite her in, unleash on her the last year of development milestones we didn't see and brag about how many words my son knew. As the hour passed, she sat smiling nodding asking questions, going over lists of words I had provided her that I knew my son knew, and all the while hoping to hear her say, "Mrs. Jones, you're not crazy, something is happening inside of Keltanys and lets figure it out together." Sure enough as the hour came to a close she looked at me smiled and said, "I'm going to put the referral forward for an assessment for autism." I was relieved and said, "Great, when can we get started?" Suddenly her sentences became longer and time stopped almost completely as she said, "It won't be till next year due to our staff and the needs of kids in the Yukon." I just about fell over. Here I was with a son who wouldn't look at me when I entered the room, hated being touched, only knew about 50 words and could not form sentences, would move from an area he was playing in if I joined him, would not need me for hours and hours on end, and had a hard time understanding emotions. I felt completely helpless at first, and the only thing that ran through me and my husbands mind during that time was, "I can't lose my son even more between now and his assessment." We already felt like he had pulled away from the world at 18 months and here she was telling us we had to wait another year. Now, I don't blame the facility at all. They are so amazing that everyone wants their services and who can blame them. They are the best and have helped us tremendously. That being said I started doing crazy amounts of research on autism, the spectrum, similarities of my kid to other kids that have asd, the myths, etc. etc. etc. I went through so much overwhelming data that I decided half way through the confusion to focus on two sources, those that have asd, and the parents of children who have asd, because lets face it people, they are the real experts. Here's what I found that worked for me and my son, anything that had to do with the senses, and it all started with play dough and numbers. What went from a 50 words child went to 100 and now even more. My kid had an obsession with numbers and anytime we played with play dough, as long as he would mimic my words, which I knew he could, he could have the play dough shaped as his favorite numbers. We used to play for 3 hours every morning. And soon enough he understood what the words meant and could give me directions on what to do next. My husband and I took advantage of every single repetitive behavior he had, he wanted to flap things we'd have a stash of receipts waiting to be flapped. We bought him tiny flags as well to carry around with him. He wanted to run for hours on end we'd let him. He wanted to line things up we'd help him by providing the space to do so. And soon he started making eye contact again, would smile when we told him he was cute instead of hitting and not understanding. I not only attribute this to the wonderful staff at the CDC, our patience and dedication to unlearn and re-learn, but the the sensory toys we've introduced because without them our means for motivating him to communicate might not have existed. I tear up thinking about how far we've come. My Son is much more happy with experience and sensory toys that force interaction than with any mutant turtle or transformer. And he loves to communicate. It maybe difficult at times and yes frustrating to the point where we're both crying, but he strives forward past every obstacle determined to be heard and understood, and I am so proud of him...

Well now that I've sapped myself up and am smiling goofy style here is a project for all those kids (and maybe even adults as we had fun looking at them before we gave them to the kids..he he.) who have visual stimulation sensory needs. The Sensory Bottle. Pictures of what you'll need and the finished project are listed below, as well as a link to our you tube channel for instructions on how to put it together. Enjoy!!!

Always with love and Gratitude,
Amber Jones

Because every project should start off right.

Things that you think would visual stimulate your kid. Here's some of our kids favorites.

Any water bottle or bottle with a large opening. Voss water bottle was perfect for this project.  You'll also need crazy glue to glue the cap on, and the infamous duct tape just as extra precaution to keep the lid on it.

We took the letter beads and spelled out our kids names. Now, we put them in unstrung, but you can definitely string them together and then put them in the bottle if ya want to. 

TA DA!!! Really cool sensory bottle for on the road, I spy games, and working their muscles by shaking it up.

Follow the link below for video instructions on how to make your own sensory bottle!!

 http://youtu.be/SMmgDoH8rSA

What is the formula?

At 4:46 ....A.M. I woke slowly to a little voice. "Mama lie down? Mama lie down?" Somewhere in Mom brain I realized I have approximately 30 seconds to lie down with him to keep him asleep. For some reason I never listen to this voice. This voice tries to save me precious sleep and I always try to ignore it thinking that I can get creative with my bundle of cuddle. Telling him to "go lie down" or "Mommy will be there in a second." It always fails no matter what I say to the extreme of bribing he doesn't go back to sleep by himself and sure enough that 30 seconds passes and I am awake with the 3 year old. The trick to Keltanys going back to sleep is pressure on his hands and feet. It doesn't have to be continual it just has to happen in his stages of grogginess, and he's out like a light, and the world makes sense again. If only it were that easy some days. The trick to even getting Keltanys to sleep is a combination of melatonin and pressure on his hand and feet and no where else. At first I had some really big reservations about using something that would aid him to be groggy. "What kind of Mother would do that to their kid?" Well I can tell you a little story that propelled me to even think about opening the bottle.

For about 6 months after he turned three we experienced what some would describe as child induced insomnia. My son like clock work would wake at 10 A.M. Go down for a small nap at 1 P.M. and then be up till 2 or 3 in the morning. Then back up again at 9 A.M., 10 A.M, .or even 8 A.M. the next morning. It was less than ideal. Part of him staying up was his under sensitivity to movement that I will discuss another time. Anyway, our melatonin runs well so we were exhausted by 11 P.M. plus we were both working not to mention I was pregnant with our second. In a sleep deprived state we walked into the library one day and Will found an amazing book called, "Healing our Autistic Children." Now as a side note, when I first read the title I was not impressed and to be honest still am not a fan of the tittle. I think Autism is not something that needs to be completely healed. I don't mind my kids repetitive behavior, or his sensory preferences, because they are important to him and I think are there for a reason. What I do care about fixing or "healing" are his tummy and sleep issues.  In that book Julie Buckley, M.D. talks about melatonin usage. My husband was really gong ho about all the information. I on the other hand was skeptical to say the least of anything that could help heal my autistic son. But one thing overruled all of my senses and that was sleep deprivation, that was making me cranky and eating copious amounts of chocolate. So, I said why not. I wasn't getting any nicer and my waist line couldn't handle the pressure.

We got home from the local Wal-Mart and waited for 8 P.M. to hit before we opened that bottle. I was nervous honestly,  always second guessing our decision. Wondering if we were good parents for giving something to our child as a sleep aid. I know I had read over and over how melatonin works and that it is not dangerous even for kids, but second guessing doesn't discriminate between good information from the crap you drum up in your head. 8 P.M. came and we halved a 3 mg for our little man. In 30 minutes we saw Keltanys go from high intense running all over the place to, sitting and doing all the bedtime procedures, to asking for "Momma to lie down", to asleep. I was so nervous that I stayed up most of the night checking him ( he slept in our bed that night) to make sure he was alright because it had been many a night that he was up and I just wasn't used to seeing him with his eyes closed.  In the end he was fine and so were we.

He still get's the 3 mgs at night around 7:30 P.M. There is one thing, however, that the melatonin did not help and that was the need for "Momma lie down?" Like clock work every morning my little man at around 4 A.M. will wander over to our bed, rub his eyes and reach for my hand to drag me back to his bed so that I am there to give his little hands a feet the loving pressure he needs to get back to sleep, and I don't think I would have it any other way. There was a time when touching him was a big no go. But that is another story for another time. I'm just so grateful for the wake up call that tells me my differently wired Son still needs me. And I wouldn't trade that for the world. See ya in a post.....

With Gratitude,
Amber