new blog??

I'm getting a lot of flack for taking so long to update my blog. Seriously ladies, it hasn't even been a month. I guess what that really means is there hasn't been much to talk about either that or I've been too busy to sit down and do it. We've also had the great pleasure of passing a cold around the house. Madeline started it and then it went full circle and is back to her and I again. I'm going around the house with lysol today to try and kill this bug!



We had Madelines GI appt at Seattle Children's hospital. It went ok. They really didn't do anything, just ordered more tests. They are going to do an xray and an MRI to make sure all of her parts are connected properly. They really think that she's basically not going potty on purpose. Apparently kids can do this to themselves. She gave me some concoctions to try at home but the real answers will come after the test results at the beginning of next month. That same week she'll be having an EEG which is basically a test to make sure she's not have seizures. That should be a really fun week! :( I am looking forward to it though, it's been a long time since I started wondering about these things. It will be great to have a definitive answer. Hopefully these folks at children's will be able to get her to cooperate through the EEG. They have to put all these monitors on her head. Hopefully the room is fun and has a TV or they'll be in big trouble.

We've also been doing some research on dogs and autism. There are many companies out there training dogs for children with autism. They are basically trained to keep and eye on the child. They can get pretty skilled so that they go to school and everything with the child, much like a seeing eye dog but this is not what we'd want. We just want a dog that would be trained to keep an eye on the girls. Especially in places like parks and the beach, etc. Abby is so in love with dogs that she would be the happiest girl ever. We can't do it in this house but maybe in the next one. I just need to find a good local trainer to help us out. I'm looking at golden retriever/poodle mixes. It's called a mini goldendoodle. They are the cutest things ever and they aren't that big. Here is a link http://www.swissridgekennels.com/retrieverpups.html . Here is a link on autism and dogs http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/07/16/heroes.shirk/index.html .

Happy New Year!

So it's a little late. I can't seem to find time to sit down and type.

I've been spending a lot of time, playing in the snow, traveling, doing laundry and getting ready for Kerry's wedding. Now that it is over (it was wonderful) I can get caught up with other things.

We had the monthly update with Madeline's ABA therapists yesterday. She's doing really well. She masters every program they give her in record time. She isn't crying and complaining as much as she used to. That is probably because she doesn't do it as often as she used to. I think that she definitely needs a balance. I think we were focusing way to much on ABA before and she needs a wider variety. They work on things like playing catch, cutting with scissors, learning the days of the week, social questions, matching and so on. She had mastered quite a few of them yesterday and they were coming up with new programs. I love hearing that because a lot of the stuff she learns in ABA you don't notice on a daily basis.

Madeline has learned how to use the computer. Yet another reason why I don't have time to blog! :) She loves it. She just needs help getting to her favorite toddler websites and she can handle it all from there. It's actually very impressive. The only thing is that she ONLY wants to play the computer. When she wakes up in the morning and when she gets home from school that's the first thing she asks for. I had to ask the therapists yesterday what their opinion was. They said as long as she has a balance it's fine. Basically if' she has ABA for 2 hrs in the morning she should be allowed to play the computer for an hour. Then if she's at school for 4 hours she should be allowed computer time when she gets home. Also, in situations when there is a ton of people at the house she should be allowed to play. This way she's not just watching tv, she's actually interacting and participating in a game and she's not bothered by the amount people and noise in the room.

Abby is doing great. She's a little fiesty but still adorable. She loves her cousins Ella and Jack and is actually chanting their names right now. She is waiting...impatiently...for them to come over and play.

I've attached some more recent pics. I hope everyone had a great holiday!

Dec 11

We went down to Vancouver last weekend to visit with family and for the Brunaugh's annual Bunko party. On Friday Madeline had an appt with her Naturopath, Dr Chapman. I think I mentioned earlier that we were concerned that Madeline might have "MSUD, maple syrup urine disease". MSUD is a disorder abnormally affecting the metabolism of amino acids. It basically would have meant that Madeline would have to cut back on protien. So basically she wouldn't be eating anything! Well, we got the results back and she does not have it. Hooray! I guess she's exactly the opposite. Her amino acids are really low so we will supplement now. She is also changing her multi-vitamin and adding in magnesium. Our main concerns right now are her bowels. Maybe too much info for some people but it's VERY common in children on the autism spectrum to have stomach issues. We are going to take her to a GI at UW as soon as the referral goes through. I just want to have some tests run to make sure everything is connected and working properly. We are also going to see a nuerologist. She has picked up a new stim (a repetitive body movement (often done unconsciously) that self-stimulates one or more senses in a regulated manner). This one scares me because it looks like a mini seizure. However, it seems voluntary. She does it a lot when she is excited. So, we'll go get her checked out. I"m really hoping the dr's can run their tests on the same day so that they only have to sedate her once.

We are getting ready for Christmas. We drove up into the hills and picked out our Christmas tree tonight. The house is decorated, thanks to Missy, and the lights are up. Jon and I pictured this neighborhood being crazy with Christmas decor but we are very disappointed by the lack of lights.

On a different note, ever since I started this journey with Madeline I've always said that if any of my friends ever found themselves along a similar path I would do everything in my power to share my knowledge with them. Of course, I always prayed that no one I knew would need me. Last week, one of my dearest friends gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. Shortly after he was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. While the challenges our children face will differ greatly we now share a common bond. My favorite quote, and one that gets me through many hard days is "God only gives you what he knows you can handle." I truly believe this. And I know that my friend will be an amazing mother and that her son is already one step ahead for being born into such a loving family. Another quote I love is "There will be hard times, tears, and lots of fears, but the love and joy will be so intense you will not be able to imagine your life without this child". I will do all I can for her and her family and try to be the best friend possible. I've learned a lot in the last couple years, most importantly who I can and can't count on. I'm very lucky for the great friends and family I have supporting me. I know my friend will have the same.

I also want to share an essay that was shared with me at Madeline's school and it shines a little light on the subject.

Welcome to Holland
by Emily Perl Kingsley

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.
But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

Happy Halloween!

We did it. We actually got both girls to get into their costumes at the same time! (they are a cat and a dog)They went trick-or-treating to about 20 houses and did a great job. Madeline did really well saying "trick or treat" but sometimes before they actually opened the door :) They had a great time and Abby had to be forced to come inside. They celebrated with some Mike n Ike's. I hope everyone had a great Halloween!

Pumpkin Patch

Mostly pictures. We took the kids to the pumpkin patch on Saturday morning with Missy, Travis, Ella and Jack. It was lots of fun. Madeline loves everything about the pumpkin patch. She likes to talk about Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin while she runs around. Abby does not like the tractor ride to get to the field :) Travis loves everything about the pumpkin patch, getting up early, freezing, getting your pictures taken a thousand times. Jon loved all the yuppies trying not to get their coats dirty. hahaha!