Let's get crafty!

T loves her crafts, and with t being sick, this is something REALLY simple to keep her busy and having fun. enjoy FUN PAPER DOLLS

t is sicky poo

t started vomiting 2 days ago...came out of nowhere, no fever, nada. SOOOO, we come to find out that he had a dairy/milk exposure...definite no no in his tummy that's for sure. He is doing much better today, but, yesterday, not so much. He didn't even eat ANY Thanksgiving, at all. Hoping the next few days it will clear out of his system and he will be back to his boyish, crazy self.

UPDATE...almost all clear, he still isn't wanting much food, but, he hasn't puked since late last night. I am hoping this means that he is on the mend.

The Little White Turkey Lie

My daughter is such an animal activist...so much so, that she decided that she will no longer be eating anything that "sounds" like it might be an animal product until she investigates it further...*sigh*. She said, "They kill the animals mom...it's not fair." After a night of tears just at the thought of how they "kill" the turkey for Thanksgiving, she banned it all together. Ham is ok, since, it doesn't sound like PIG and is in turn not easily associated with the death of an unsuspecting animal. So, in a shameless attempt to save Thanksgiving, we told her that her Grandpa found the turkey from a farmer, he was an old turkey that lived a really good long life...he died of natural causes, and since it isn't good to waste, he will be our Thanksgiving Turkey. She agreed that "he" could enter our house on a platter, but, that she would still have no part of it....alas, my daughter has become....me.

Working Girl

It's happening. I have become a working mom. When Shannon was laid off in July, he worked painstakingly at sending resumes, interviews and leads in an attempt to find SOMETHING...anything that would help. I sat and watched as he worried about finances, applied for unemployment, and got rejected for being "overqualified" for jobs he interviewed for. I decided to step up to the proverbial plate and start providing the best way I know how for this family...and for him. I worked on advertising my photography, getting new business cards, networking, offering specials until...tada...it paid off. We have been doing really well with just my photography, and Shannon is now staying home with the kiddos. This is our dream, I get to do something that I LOVE...and he gets to spend time with people he loves. Everything really does happen for a reason.

Where are the people?

With the explosion of the WWW and email, people stopped writing "real" letters and instead just sent mass emails, I will admit, I am to blame for this too. Next on the agenda, blogs. People starting blogging in leiu of calling family for updates, and now, if it's even possible, applications like facebook, twitter and myspace have even pulled us away from our blogging! I too have been lacking in keeping this stinkin' thing updated, it just seems so much easier to post a "status update" but, alas, I vow to do better. Today is the day I blog a bit more.

Absent Minded Blogger

I have been MIA for a while here...promise to keep you all updated better really soon...but, quickly, my reason for being so absent minded is this head of mine...boy, is it causing me some real problems. Headaches suck. There is no other statement that better explains it than that. This is how I feel,

hopefully, we will see a rainbow. I will post more fun things soon, for now, have a happy halloween!

I wish I had birthday pictures to post.

Trinity celebrated her 6th birthday on Saturday! It was so.much.fun. She had 5 friends (girls only this time) and they just did girly stuff. We had the parents drop the kiddos off, and they jumped on the couch, read books in her room, played with her toys, decorated cupcakes, painted their nails, played "pin the crown on Trinity" and more. It was by far, my favorite party yet.

I took SO MANY good pictures, she had the best time. We bought her a cruiser for her birthday, and in themorning, took her out to "debut" it for the first time, I brought with me my trusty beloved camera, my work camera, and captured some amazing shots. We went over to the park, played in the sand and tehterball...during this time, I had set my camera down on the bench...only to forget it later. I didn't remember that I had "forgotten" it until many hours afterwards, and by then, it was gone. More than anything, I just want the memory card back, they can keep the camera, if they need it that bad....just give me back those memories.

So, I wish that I had pictures to post for you, for Trinity, but, I don't...hopefully, in a few days, or weeks...even months, someone will have returned it, and I will be showing you the look on her face when she jumped on the couch, or the smile that she wore when we painted her nails..but for now, we just hold on to the faith that all people are good in nature, and someone will return to us what is ours.

More allergies, and some answers too

You may recall a few months back when we started testing on Tristan to determine what he is allergic to and to what severity. We also performed a Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis Test to help us get a better grasp on what nasty little bugs are causing all of little t's tummy troubles. His tests came back, and boy...there are some interesting answers.

First off, lets talk about his allergies. He is ABSOLUTELY, 100% allergic, very severly I might add, to Wheat, Dairy, and now, EGG! He is sensitive to a bevvy of other foods, to include cranberries, but none as bad as the 3 previously stated culprits. So, starting today, he is GF/CF/EF and then soy in moderation. Can you stay, styrofoam dinner?

On to the more interesting part. They found high levels of yeast, specifically, candida albicans in his stool/gut. There is evidence that this form of yeast, may cause autism and may exacerbate many behavior and health problems in autistic individuals, especially those with late-onset autism. INTERESTING. The microbiology returned that t has high levels of BAD bacteria and NO PRESENT levels of good bacteria. Basically, his tummy has been a breeding ground for bacteria and yeast...no wonder the boy has never had a solid stool in his life.

Tomorrow we start the anti-fungal medication Diflucan. This is a blessing, and a curse. Because, with this med, comes the "die-off period"....a timeframe usually 7-14 days (sometimes longer) where all the yeast dies in his body, and is excreted. Some parents report constant screaming, hyperactivity, anger, sleepless nights...and the light at the end of the tunnel you ask? It's huge...many people state that once their children complete a full cycle of the medication, that they have increased eye contant, increased usage of words/language, decreased negative behaviours such as biting, teeth grinding, stimming etc., some parents report that their kiddos RECOVER. WOW. Though we don't expect a recovery, we welcome any positive change. I will just be happy when his tummy doesn't hurt anymore, when his ear infections go away, and when he can sleep without wakingup screaming in pain.

Here's to a new day, a new chapter and new beginnings! I will keep you posted on our progress.

Crazy Hair Day

Today, was Crazy Hair Day at Trinity's school...I know, totally crazy :)

She wanted it half purple and half pink...she said that she looked like "A rocker girl"....so, we dressed to fit the part. Tomorrow is PJ Day...can't wait!!!!

Bear Bear

Tristan has a lovey. His name is Bear Bear. Tristan knows how to say "Bear Bear", and he named him this. Each night before bed, when he goes to say goodnight to everyone, he makes sure to say "Bear Bear?" and climbs into bed to get him. It is the sweetest thing ever....he kisses him, takes him to the potty, hugs and loves him so much. This is a huge thing, because to have a "Bear Bear" means that he is understanding abstract thoughts, he is thinking outside of himself, and he is using his imagination...baby steps....thanks Bear Bear, you are helping us breakthrough, even if little by little.

best.day.EVER.

You know how Tristan is in absolute LOVE with Yo Gabba Gabba? His ultimate dream came true on Saturday when we took him to the Kids Fair to meet D.J. Lance Rock and Brobee. It was fabulous. I tell you, the most amazing thing to see your child in complete and utter awe of something....he was in heaven. The best part, it was THE D.J. Lance...the REAL one from the show. He rocked...majorly. There was a moment, when they were playing the "Family" song, he comes down from the stage, and Shannon runs Tristan up to the front to get a closer view...Shannon got teary eyed, it was the first time that he had a moment with Tristan, doing something that he REALLY enjoyed..they experienced it together, and it was really heartwarming to watch.

After the concert, which, by the way...was AWESOME, he got to actually meet with and take pictures with D.J. Lance and Brobee. He was so cool, he was soft and gentle with Tristan, trying not to scare him, Trinity told him that he had Autism, and he didn't bat an eye, he gave him a high five, wrapped his arms around him and Shannon, and had a picture together. It was a great family bonding experience, and it set the tone for the entire day.

I was so happy that we could do something just for him that he really loved. Something that tapped into his world, and for a moment, we were let in, to enjoy, to share, and to be a "normal" family....it was the best.day.ever.

Radial Head Subluxation...SAY WHAT????

Yeah, I know...what the? It happened to Trinity yesterday. In lamens, or "dummy" terms, she dislocated her radius bone in her forearm *cringe*. The doctor took x-rays and determined there was no fracture *thank you GOD!* but wasn't sure what it was....then he decided "I think I am going to try one more manipulation", and this is when Trinity responds "What does manipulation mean???" We had to hold her down while the doctor proceeds to pop her bone back into line *double cringe*....you should have seen her eyes. Imagine when you are watching one of those action packed shows where the leading star dislocates his shoulder, then someone has to force it back into the socket, theres a really loud POP, TONS of pain and screaming, and then, as if nothing happened, all is good.

So, I suppose you are wondering how this all happened? I beat her. RIGHT...like that would happen. She was standing on the cart at Walmart, back where the handle is, and had her arm lodged in between the handle and the area where the child sits. She saw a toy and jumped down, but failed to move her left arm out of the lodged position, and it hyperextended thus popping the bone out of place *YUM!*. I am happy to report, that she is doing lovely.

Take this as a lesson, no lodging of extremeties in carts, it's just not worth the pain!

I love Kindergarten

It seriously rocks. Trinity is excelling in and LOVING school. She is reading her sight words with no problem, and is according to her teacher, "amazing". I love seeing how proud she is after a days work. She brings her folder home, goes over all her assignments with us, and gets started on any new homework she has. She finishes everything before beginning to play. We read 2-4 books with her everynight, and it is paying off big time.

Shannon and I are Parent Classroom Volunteers on Tuesdays, and it is so much fun. Not only do we get to see our Trinity, but we get to see how they are learning first hand. This week we did preliminary tests on the kiddos, and holy cow, they are smart. Counting to 100+, graphs, AAB patterns, number recognition, prepositions, and more. I am so happy that we are here, this school district is amazing, and Trin's teacher is a dream come true. Keep up all the good work kiddo, we are so proud of you!

Pee Pee on the Potty!!! YAY :)

We have been working with Tristan to go on his little potty before bath time for about a month now...he has been going about 50% of the time which is awesome. But, I have some fun and exciting new news to report! He has woke up dry for a solid week now, and immediately goes pee when we place him on the potty. He is also going after nap and before bath!!!! I am so happy for him that he is grasping this concept. Once we get his gut healed we can begin the process of working on #2.
He does his best reading there....
And thinking....

Even sneeks in a little time for kisses with Bear Bear.

Yay Tristan, we are SOOO proud of you buddy!

If you like Bloody Mary's...

...you will LOVE this new mix that I found. I usually just make my own mix, I like it really thick and horseradishy...so, on the hunt, and many misses, I have declared Whiskey Willy's to be my ALL TIME favorite. It is made with all fresh ingredients, has just the right amount of horseradish/spice and kick to it...I actually made a ceviche with it too! So, if you are in the mood for a slighty chunky, super flavor packed and spicy Bloody Mary, you HAVE to try this mix.