The post-Thanksgiving wrap up.

Overall, we had a fabulous time this past week.  I just love watching my boys hugging each other and playing together.  I also noticed Spence following Pey around a lot more than ever before.  It was such a a sweet sight to behold.  The weather was amazing, so Spencer got to go in the hot tub or pool almost every day.  That is his favorite activity with his Daddy!  I spent Black Friday sleeping late, putting up the Christmas tree and decorating the house for Christmas.  Pey helped while Daddy worked and Spence entertained himself with bubble wrap.  I've missed those guys so much!  Yesterday, we drove back to PTC.  The weather was horrible, the traffic unbelievable, the child amazingly well behaved.  Only a few weeks to go before we are home for good.  

I have deliberately left off talking about Thanksgiving Day.  In order to appreciate the present, you must revisit the past.  So, this is what Thanksgiving USED to look like:

• It was a chore to get Spencer dressed and leave the house.  He would freak out once we got to my mother's house and it would be another battle before we could get him in the house.  Before we even entered, my husband and I would be spent.  Not knowing why he is getting upset makes it impossible to make him happy.
• Spence would be all over the place, like a one man fragile-item seeking missile. 
• Spencer didn't notice or care who else came to dinner.
• When Spencer was ready to leave, the little dictator would demand that we go.  First he would bring me my purse.  Then, if we didn't get the hint, he would start leading us to the door.  If we still demanded that we stay a little longer, he would go into full blown melt down mode, becoming self-injurious. He would have to be physically restrained and then we would have to go.
• We normally stayed at my mom's for an hour- maybe an hour and a half.

Now, for what it was like this year:

• We told Spence that it was time to go "bye-bye" and he willingly got dressed and went outside. 
• He was calm.  He did venture from room to room and redecorated my mother's living room. But, grandma didn't mind one bit!! He even played the piano in the living room.  SOFTLY, not banging the keys.
• He made eye contact when my aunt, uncle or cousins would say his name.  He even played a little game of keep away with my cousin.
• Spencer didn't want to leave until the other family members left.
• We stayed at my mom's house for four hours!!
• Other family members remarked on the change in Spencer in the past year.  It is nice when others notice the change in your child.

When we got back to the Georgia apartment last night, Spencer got out of the car and cried.  I guess he is ready to be home, too.

"I am thankful for all those who said NO to me.  It's because of them I did it myself."  Einstein

And since it is Monday- GO SAINTS!!!!!  You didn't think I forgot? ;)

In the spirit of Thanksgiving

Thank you to all that read my blog.  My original intention was for the blog to be kind of a personal accounting of our adventures and a way for me to track the process.  I opened it up to some close friends and then- WOW!  Some of them linked their blogs to mine and in a year I got over 5,000 page visits.  Which in the scheme of things is pretty remarkable.  Up until last week, my blog was 'private', meaning that you could not locate it via search engine and it was never listed on blogger as a recommended blog. But, after Brain Balance corporate put a link to my blog on their website, I realized others interested in the program might be interested in what I have to say.  So, now I'm in the 'public' arena.

I must say that the response to my blog has been incredible.  While few people leave comments here, I am touched when people mention to me that they enjoy reading my blog.  Still others post to my Facebook page and/or send me emails.  To be honest, I never thought so many people would be interested.  I must confess that during the early part of the year, I lost a Facebook friend who felt the need to tell me that she was 'unfriending' me because she was tired of hearing about my son with autism.  And it made me wonder if I was boring the heck out of everyone.  That feeling didn't last long, though.  I came to the realization that it was her problem, not mine.

One lesson I have learned from my son is not to give much credence to the opinion of others.  I am me and I will not change to fit into your mold of what you think I should be.  Spencer has also taught me patience.  Lots and lots of patience.  I've really had no choice.  His progress has been directly related to my ability to give him time.  While we will be moving back home in time for Christmas, I will continue to blog.  My last blog contains a video that Spencer's teachers were kind enough to capture for me as an early Thanksgiving present.  By the way, Kelly & Biz, I am expecting a video as my Christmas present. ;)  Hint Hint:  I'd love to hear him say, "Mommy"  (Don't worry, I'm not holding my breath.  Chances are he will call me 'Gigi' like his brother.)

Scotty is out of a job

One of the traits of an autistic child is that they seem to operate in a world all their own.  There is even an accepted form of treatment that assumes that these children WILL NEVER GET BETTER and therefore we must reach them where they are, as opposed to bringing them into our world.  I’m happy to say that my child now resides in my world and HE IS NOT GOING BACK.  Some of you are saying, “if autism could be reversed, it would be all over the news.”  You would think.  The medical community is just now starting to embrace the concept of a functional disconnection in the brain.  (the premise upon which Brain Balance is based.)

When I went to pick up Spencer from school yesterday, his teacher came out 5 minutes early with her phone in her hand.  She said that I had to see what my son did in school.  Uh-oh.  No, it was not an uh-oh; it was an OMIGOSH!!  He saw the Cookie Monster character and said, “cookie”.  They printed out the picture and captured the following on video.

I realize that my blog is full of the words amazing, huge, wonderful, etc. These words don’t even begin to cut it. The truth is, Brain Balance does work and should be all over the news.  My son was functioning at a level of a one year old, in a six year old’s body.  He is now around a 4 year old.  IN LESS THAN A YEAR.  Was it easy? Absolutely not.  We split our family in half.  The program is intense, both at the facility and at home.  Not to mention the financial impact.  Would I do it again? IN A HEARTBEAT.  My little boy has such a sweet and loving personality that we may have never known about. 

I never did give anybody hell.  I just told the truth and they thought it was hell.

                                                                                                                        -Harry S. Truman

Headline News- Gigi style

Last week, we had Special Olympics basketball.  For my son's age/ability range, it is not a game by any sense of the word, it is more of a skills test.  I got there after Spencer arrived.  I watched him from a distance for about 5 minutes.  He was calm and behaving well.  All of that changed when I showed up.  He wanted to leave, then he wanted me to leave, he found the iPad in my purse and became obsessed with it.  I should have stayed home, he would have had a better time.  He refused to do many of the activities, choosing instead to watch the iPad.  Since he is not allowed to watch television, he wanted to watch for as long as he could.  It took both the teacher and myself to get Spencer to the gym floor when it was his turn.  So, imagine my surprise when it came time for ribbons to be distributed.  Spencer went down when they called his name, WITHOUT ANY PROMPTING.  He got so excited to get his ribbon that he ignored the iPad for a while.  Who knew?  (In true Special Olympics fashion, everyone gets a ribbon)  That part was awesome.  I was not pleased with the rest of the day.  The gym was uncomfortably warm, Spencer didn't begin to misbehave until I got there, the 'pal' assigned to Spence didn't speak to him for 2 hours and then expected Spence to go with him.  In the kid's defense, it was suggested that perhaps when parents are present, the 'pals' are somewhat intimidated.  Okay, I can see that.  

That was Wednesday.  On Thursday, I had my last IEP meeting in Georgia.  It was the most positive experience I have had during an IEP.  I did inform them that Spence would be leaving during the Christmas holidays.  I feel bittersweet about this.  Granted, it is time to go home.  I will miss the wonderful people that we have encountered here.  But, I miss my family more.  We (Spence & I) have operated in a bubble, and we need to get back to reality.  I have been so pleased with Spencer's progress thus far.  If you know anyone whose child is affected by autism, ADHD or other neurological disorders, it is worth it to look into the Brain Balance program.  I feel especially grateful to Lori C. who brought this program to my attention.  Our lives have been changed for the better due to this program.  While it was just for Spencer, as a family we have benefitted from it.  

Over the weekend (Thursday afternoon until Sunday morning), my parents came for their last visit to Peachtree City.  Spencer was happy to see them, and we had a wonderful time.  I packed some items so my parents could take them back.  Yep, it is finally sinking in that we are leaving.  As I look around, I see all of the items that need to go home, and all of the items that I need to sell before leaving.  Then I grab the paper bag to breathe into!!  Seriously, it is enough to give me a panic attack.  Trying to do all of that plus continue with everything that I'm already doing and I wonder when my clone is arriving. 

I'm going to finish listening to the Saints - Falcons game.  (Why yes, I do have my priorities straight!!)

I'm baaaack!!

Back to the reason for starting this blog in the first place- SPENCER!  Just got his evaluation from Brain Balance yesterday and his progress continues to amaze me.

There is quite a noticeable change in him overall.  He is calm.  Without medication.  THIS ALONE IS HUGE!!!  He has been off ADHD meds since April and continues to thrive without them.  This change has been noticed by everyone.  We make regular trips to the grocery store, like other people! Two years ago I never would have thought this possible.  If I seem to be rambling, I am.  I am trying to commit everything to the blog before I forget it.  This week will be an especially busy one for both of us.  

Monday- Brain Balance evaluation (I'll get more into that soon, I promise!)

Wednesday- Special Olympics- basketball

Thursday- IEP (morning) My parents arrive for the weekend (afternoon)

I will try to get blogging about the results of the Special Olympics and IEP meeting.  For those of you who unaware, an IEP is an individualized education plan developed between the school and the parent to create goals for the school year.  Recently, Spencer was evaluated by the county psychologist so we are going to discuss those results.  To be honest- I hate all of those checklists they make you fill out.  By the time you are done, your head is spinning and you are unsure of your name.  The one for the psychologist was by far the worst.  It was apparently for all school aged children and included some foolish questions regarding operating a motor vehicle.  Yeah, he's 6, I let him drive all the time.  I thought about answering 'yes' just to see if they were paying attention.  Then I figured that they probably wouldn't appreciate my sick sense of humor and would hold it against the little guy.

Drum roll, please.... Yes, now I will share the results of Spencer's testing.  He is doing some exercises that he was refusing to do at the beginning of the session in September.  He has moved into Brain Balance levels in 4 of the 6 Sensory Motor exercises.  This is great.  Brain Balance level 4 is equal to a 6 year old level and he is operating at BB level 5 in the Balance Beam and BB level 6 in Fine Motor.  He has also increased his core stability (yes, my 6 year old has a 6 pack while Mommy is carrying around a 2 liter!)

Here are the comments:

Sensory Motor Room

Spencer has been making gains with his core and is really giving effort on it.  For his OPK, he places his finger on the computer screen and his eyes are moving.  Frogger has been a wonderful reinforcer in the room, as he really enjoys jumping on the pad.  His cerebellum is gaining strength through both legs moving.  We continue to work on his upper body strength as well as vestibular system, spatial orientation, movement and sense of balance.  Where Spencer used to roll around the mat, he now is staying in one place.  Likewise throughout the room.  Excited to see these gains and look forward to many more!!

Cognitive Room

Spencer has been working so hard for the past month.  Certain activities he avoided in the past, he is beginning to enjoy such as out otolithic work.  He is sitting with me and being engaged during our Felt math song - he replaces the felt pieces on the felt board when asked.  He can put some word cards on pictures although he is not yet consistent in that.  I do stay right with him during our sessions but he is no longer rolling around the room.  I expect to see more positive changes!  Keep working Mom!

We have one more month of Brain Balance here and then we are heading home.  We've been gone since December 27th of last year, so it is time to pack it up here and get on with our life.  But don't think the changes are going to stop.  No way.  He will continue to change and grow.  I will continue to blog as much as I can.  Time for dinner...

Beauty Banter- Product Reviews

Some of you will not be interested in this blog at all. That is okay with me.  In fact, this entry has taken me so long to do, that I am not sure that I will do another one like this for a while.  However, I do know that quite a few of you are in the same boat- looking for non toxic alternatives without the benefit of realistic reviews. Please note, the opinions expressed herein are completely my own and based upon my own unique experiences.  

I have been using myself as a human guinea pig.  After I noticed that I was running out of makeup, I decided to replace my old stuff with something less toxic.  The stuff I was using had a lovely name like Healthy Complexion (it was by Smashbox).  Although EWG did not have my specific base listed, pretty much all of Smashbox’s foundations were in the severe range. (high toxicity) Ugh!  So then I thought I would go back to Bare Minerals.  What is their slogan, “makeup so pure you can sleep in it.” Well, ALL of their mineral powder foundations scored a 7 (out of 10, with 0 being very low risk and 10 being Yikes!)  Interesting enough, their mineral veil without spf was somewhere around a 3, while the one with an spf was at 7.  Strike one.  (or is that 2?) So, that was my mission.  I mean there has to be something decent out there!!

A few days later, the Pure Pantry posted about a completely non-toxic line called Ava Anderson non-toxic.  I looked on the website and thought I would give it a try.  I was a little disappointed that they had only two colors- light and medium and they made NO eye makeup.  But, I bought the foundation, blush and a mascara to try.  While waiting for my order, I was contacted by the consultant that had been assigned to me.  I wanted to LOVE this makeup.  I hated it.  First of all, I looked worse with it on than I do without any makeup on at all.  It didn’t even out my skintone or anything.  The blush only came in one color called pretty pink.  Um, mine was more like shocking fuchsia.  Not attractive.  But the worst part was when my face started itching. All over.  So, I contacted my consultant and let her know what I thought of it.  She has yet to contact me. There was no indication of how to return a product or even what their policy was.  Since it is a consultant operation (like Mary Kay) I think you need to go through the consultant to return, but since they get commissions on sales... **UPDATE: the consultant did send me an email.  To let me know about an upcoming sale.  I’ll get right on that!

Next up, 100% pure cosmetics and skincare.  One plus was that they had eye makeup as well as different formulations of foundation, etc.  Their products are naturally pigmented with the extracts of fruit.  Sounded interesting.  I got smart this time.  First of all, broadcast in large print is their 30 day money back guarantee.  I like that.  I called the company to ask a few questions.  They were incredibly helpful, both with picking out the right color for foundation and the right skincare.  I have been using this for the past two weeks.  I LOVE IT!!  I have since found the skincare (not the cosmetics) available at my local Fresh Market.  I am using the Purity (for acne prone skin), the caffeine eye cream, resveratrol night cream.  With the exception of concealer (they were out of the color I needed), EVERYTHING I put on my face is now from this company.  I waited to see if the ‘honeymoon’ period would wear off and it hasn’t.  Unfortunately, EWG has not done a lot of review on the 100% pure line, but they did review the mascara.  It got a 2.  That is almost unheard of.  Best part, the stuff rocks.  Seriously.  I have horrible lashes and am constantly on the lookout for something.  Here is all the mascara I have bought in the last 3 months.

So glad, I got one thing covered!  

On to hair…

I heard through research of various organic living websites that Aubrey Organics brand was supposed to be really good.  I got the replenishing for dry, frizzy hair.  I was not impressed.  So, back to the drawing board.

I have my hubby doing some product research as well.   If you know of any good products for kids (or adults!) put them in the comments section, as I am still searching for something for my boys.

I'll get back to Spencer updates as soon as I recover from this blog!!