Hey everyone! Life has been so busy, and time has flown so quickly, that I was shocked to realize how long it has been since I last posted. :)
But it's good actually. It means life has been busy and it's the fun kind of busy. When I began this blog, a friend told me she was encouraged to see what life beyond autism recovery looks like so I'll try to be better about updating now and then; but no promises. ;)
These children are growing like weeds. Tony is in 8th grade, Grace is in 6th and Kate is in 3rd. When did THAT happen??? We continue to homeschool and are trucking right along. I had to quit the folder system we had going on; it just wasn't working for me at all! I think because we do not use a set curriculum, but rather pick and choose, that system is just not a good fit for us. Now we have a list of what everyone needs to complete each day and they check it off as they finish. It works well for us and it allows them some flexibility over their school schedules.
Tony takes karate now and that's the highlight of his life these days. He started cranial sacral therapy a few months ago. As you read in his recovery story, he was a vacuum assisted delivery. His head has always been slightly egg shaped from this experience, but not horribly so. A practitioner we started working with in recent years mentioned that cranial sacral would help correct that birth trauma so we have been doing it for some time. I don't understand it well enough to really say what has improved but I see the shape of his head becoming more rounded and normal and believe this to be a sign of good things going on inside. Anytime we can help the central nervous system function better, I am for it.
He did experience some regression into hyperactivity in the last year. This is not unexpected as puberty hit and it has been completely manageable. Between the CST and homeopathy, we are helping him achieve balance once again.
He has written another book and is waiting for his very busy mother to finish editing so he can publish. This book has improved so much over his first. His use of language is incredible and it's amazing to see what stories are in his head. :)
Our Youth Group at church recently gave him quite the gift. The boys in the group came to me repeatedly and asked if we would let him join. Now up to that point, the group was characterized as mostly just a large eating machine. lol Every time they asked, I reminded them that he could not be around the food they ate. They all assured me they would give it up if he could join. After much discussion with my Spousal Unit, the leaders and the kids, we decided to give it a try. The group has been amazing. Truly amazing. You cannot imagine what a gift it is to be able to take him each week and know that not only is he safe, but that TEENAGE boys have made it that way. Although one young man has complained more than once that he is not a fan of the new snack foods (apparently fruit it not a big hit with young men who have grown up on chips. haha), the group is adjusting very well to the whole new food choices. My best friend's daughter, who also happens to be my babysitter, joined the group as a helper. She is my other eyes and ears when I am not there. Tony REALLY likes being in youth group and I REALLY like that he can go without me and be safe. This is a very big step in letting him out of my sight and him being responsible for himself. Growing up with allergies to TOUCHING things is sooo hard. Learning how to live in a food-obsessed world safely is a massive challenge to all of us, but with the incredible people around me, he is doing it. :) Our youth group is such an amazing, incredible group of people.
Grace is such a gentle spirit. She is a perfect older sister for Kate and she's quite the peacemaker. Perhaps because she's a middle child? Who knows, but she is a pleasure to be around. She's letting her hair grow VERY long so it can be braided and made into beautiful arrangements. She also has quite the affinity for animals and plants. Just recently a hummingbird has discovered her and likes to hang out around our window looking at her and peeping. She will be taking botany in co-op this year as she loves plants. Her love of all things fairy continues to grow and she changes her fairy gardens out on a regular basis. She likes to save her allowance to buy plants for her garden. Her most recent addition is a beautiful air plant.
Kate is still a fun-loving, impish little squirt. Fun is what she is and does. If there is fun going on, Kate's probably in there somewhere. Her imagination is fantastic and she hums under her breath a lot, which is so precious to hear. She and Grace are quite the pair and can play for hours and hours together. Kate is very good at wheedling her way out of school work or unpleasant chores but she's learning to be more responsible, one day at a time.
They all still struggle with food allergies. No one has needed an epipen this year but we carry them anytime we leave the house anyway. We have discovered some homeopathic remedies that work very well when their reactions start and have been able to keep them from becoming severe. We do still have to be very careful when out in public so it's not all kittens and rainbows in that area but I do believe we are continuing to heal their auto-immune disorder each day as we feed them healing foods and work with knowledgeable practitioners who understand the body as a whole.
So that's that. Hubby and I will be celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary soon. We'll have a small ceremony on the beach and he has promised to DANCE with me. I have been trying to get that man to dance with me for 20 years. He said that he will that day. I can't wait. :)
