No time for a long blog post today... But I wanted to share a bit of Waylon's recent amazing progress with you all.
Last night he came up to me and said, "Come on, pizza."
Of course he wanted me to get him a piece of leftover pizza from the fridge.
He is surprising us with new words all of the time lately; I promise an update soon to fill you all in!
Friday, December 30, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
School pictures
Waylon's school pictures are here, and they're amazing, so I thought I would share:
Man I would have loved to be a fly on the wall on preschool picture day. I am picturing five preschool teachers dancing and making crazy faces, one holding him down, and I'm sure he's not wearing shoes or socks. Maybe not even pants.
I'm calling the school office this week to order more!
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| Amazing, right? |
Man I would have loved to be a fly on the wall on preschool picture day. I am picturing five preschool teachers dancing and making crazy faces, one holding him down, and I'm sure he's not wearing shoes or socks. Maybe not even pants.
I'm calling the school office this week to order more!
Monday, October 10, 2011
PROgression!
Usually about once a year, Waylon goes through a spurt of regression, when he starts to slide backward a bit and struggles a little more.
I am pretty sure we have now entered a spurt of PROgression!
Last week Travis and I observed at Autism Concepts, and he did amazing. His tutor was so excited to show us all that they are working on. He is mastering more and more skills each week!
Friday night was a family wedding rehearsal- and the dinner afterwards happened to be at the Cafe.
The Cafe where I'm pretty sure we walk in and they say, "Oh, crap, it's the Katzer's..."
(So, he ran behind the bar and pulled the tab once and beer free-flowed everywhere. No big deal, right?)
Anyways, we prepared for the worst, got in strategic positions, and geared up for tag-teaming.
We waited for a sneak-attack, for him to scale up the arcade games, or steal a chicken strip from a paying customer's plate (yes, he's done that too.)
But he was great. He was just like any other kid there. He actually INITIATED ring around the rosy with another little boy we didn't even know. He chased them and played just like any energetic little four year old! It was wonderful.
Sure, by the end of the night he was sneaking ring-pops from behind the bar, but I'm not about to blame autism for him being ornery. He gets that from his Dad.
Apparently a tote of trains were accidentally delivered to the wedding reception amongst the totes of decorations Saturday. (God granting us mercy in disguise?) And again, we sat and ate our meal in peace, while Waylon was entirely engrossed in train track assembly. A little tag-teaming got us through the first few songs of the dance, and we actually escaped the reception around 8:30 without a single whimper from anyone!
It's hard to describe, but what I'm really impressed with lately is how alert he is. He seems to understand when he has hurt someone (he can give a kiss and say 'sorry' with prompting), and he is making excellent eye contact when he is trying to communicate with us. He stands aside and watches Rose and Caden interact so intently, and I just feel like his little brain is 'taking notes.'
Tonight while Travis and the kids were reading a book, I overheard Waylon count five pictures. Six months ago he wouldn't have even sat on our lap long enough to read a page, let alone become engaged and count along.
Such amazing progress!
I am pretty sure we have now entered a spurt of PROgression!
Last week Travis and I observed at Autism Concepts, and he did amazing. His tutor was so excited to show us all that they are working on. He is mastering more and more skills each week!
Friday night was a family wedding rehearsal- and the dinner afterwards happened to be at the Cafe.
The Cafe where I'm pretty sure we walk in and they say, "Oh, crap, it's the Katzer's..."
(So, he ran behind the bar and pulled the tab once and beer free-flowed everywhere. No big deal, right?)
Anyways, we prepared for the worst, got in strategic positions, and geared up for tag-teaming.
We waited for a sneak-attack, for him to scale up the arcade games, or steal a chicken strip from a paying customer's plate (yes, he's done that too.)
But he was great. He was just like any other kid there. He actually INITIATED ring around the rosy with another little boy we didn't even know. He chased them and played just like any energetic little four year old! It was wonderful.
Sure, by the end of the night he was sneaking ring-pops from behind the bar, but I'm not about to blame autism for him being ornery. He gets that from his Dad.
Apparently a tote of trains were accidentally delivered to the wedding reception amongst the totes of decorations Saturday. (God granting us mercy in disguise?) And again, we sat and ate our meal in peace, while Waylon was entirely engrossed in train track assembly. A little tag-teaming got us through the first few songs of the dance, and we actually escaped the reception around 8:30 without a single whimper from anyone!
It's hard to describe, but what I'm really impressed with lately is how alert he is. He seems to understand when he has hurt someone (he can give a kiss and say 'sorry' with prompting), and he is making excellent eye contact when he is trying to communicate with us. He stands aside and watches Rose and Caden interact so intently, and I just feel like his little brain is 'taking notes.'
Tonight while Travis and the kids were reading a book, I overheard Waylon count five pictures. Six months ago he wouldn't have even sat on our lap long enough to read a page, let alone become engaged and count along.
Such amazing progress!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Such an awesome kid...
Waylon is such a cool kid. Actually we have three totally cool kids.
Rose's goofy cuteness makes people in the grocery store checkout line giggle and say, "She's so cute!"
And Caden makes us so proud when brings home perfect report cards and acts like a little man.
But for the untrained eye, it might be a little trickier to spot Waylon's awesomeness.
I can feel the stares of those who just don't understand, when Waylon sits under our table in the restaurant and screams. Or when he races away from us in the video store, laughing uncontrollably. I know he appears to be a terrible kid, but he's not. He's awesome.
Underneath all of the confusion, sensory overload, language barriers, and instability of his world, he has this beautiful personality. He is funny, really funny. He likes to make people happy and he loves to hear laughter.
When he brings home a daily note that says Waylon was a 'rockstar' today, it's an A+ in our mind. And when his bus driver stops us at the church bazaar to tell us how much fun and well behaved Waylon is on the school bus, we beam with pride.
When a teacher or tutor moves on in their career, or we move on to a different program, we have to say good-bye to people who have worked with and really cared for Waylon. And every time, we hear how much fun it was to work with Waylon, how special he is, and how much they'll miss working with him.
(Maybe I'm a bit bias, but I don't think they miss every kid as much as they miss Waylon.) =)
Usually past teachers become Facebook friends, so they can keep up with Waylon's progress, and we know that we have friends we can trust if we ever need advice or help from an autism professional.
Three great tutors just moved on to further their careers, and we will miss them very much! We are so proud that Waylon was able to make a positive impression on their lives.
Facebook message from a past teacher this week:
Ahhh... That makes me so proud.
Rose's goofy cuteness makes people in the grocery store checkout line giggle and say, "She's so cute!"
And Caden makes us so proud when brings home perfect report cards and acts like a little man.
But for the untrained eye, it might be a little trickier to spot Waylon's awesomeness.
I can feel the stares of those who just don't understand, when Waylon sits under our table in the restaurant and screams. Or when he races away from us in the video store, laughing uncontrollably. I know he appears to be a terrible kid, but he's not. He's awesome.
Underneath all of the confusion, sensory overload, language barriers, and instability of his world, he has this beautiful personality. He is funny, really funny. He likes to make people happy and he loves to hear laughter.
When he brings home a daily note that says Waylon was a 'rockstar' today, it's an A+ in our mind. And when his bus driver stops us at the church bazaar to tell us how much fun and well behaved Waylon is on the school bus, we beam with pride.
When a teacher or tutor moves on in their career, or we move on to a different program, we have to say good-bye to people who have worked with and really cared for Waylon. And every time, we hear how much fun it was to work with Waylon, how special he is, and how much they'll miss working with him.
(Maybe I'm a bit bias, but I don't think they miss every kid as much as they miss Waylon.) =)
Usually past teachers become Facebook friends, so they can keep up with Waylon's progress, and we know that we have friends we can trust if we ever need advice or help from an autism professional.
Three great tutors just moved on to further their careers, and we will miss them very much! We are so proud that Waylon was able to make a positive impression on their lives.
Facebook message from a past teacher this week:
Hi Lindy! I thought I would friend you to see how my little guy is doing. I miss him SO much - he literally made my day every day and I miss his big smile and energetic personality! Hope all is well with you and the rest of your wonderful family!
Ahhh... That makes me so proud.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Summertime Catch-Up
Wowzers. It's been nearly six months since I blogged last. Can't believe it! I guess time flies, especially during the summer time.
Well we started out the summer with t-ball, which actually went much better than expected. He wouldn't get out of the car at the first game, and by the last game he was running the bases! Ok, so he was screaming while Travis or I was dragging him around the bases... but it was progress!
No t-ball pics this year, he was way out of sorts on picture night, and there was no way I was going to get him to stand still for 30 seconds fully clothed. Oh well.
Mid-summer we had another appointment with Dr. Hoffman (the developmental pediatrician). We got a great report. He was very pleased with Waylon's progress, and with the diet and therapy changes we had made since our last visit. He encouraged us to try a vitamin D3 supplement, and beef up his other vitamins a bit. So we did.
Waylon started a powdered vitamin supplement shortly after our appointment with Dr. Hoffman. Apparently there are testimonials out there of how well it has worked for people with many different health issues, including autism. You are supposed to give it four times a day, so it's kind of a pain. He doesn't really like it, and we have to mix it in chocolate pudding. Plus instant pudding is not on his diet, so I have to make cook and serve pudding. Combine that with his schedule, and I was sending this souped-up vitamin pudding to daycare, preschool, therapy, and then trying to get it in him before bedtime, and it was a pain in the butt.
And then he got constipated. And it was a literal pain in the butt.
I don't know if the vitamin mixture was causing the constipation, but we stopped it about a week or so ago to see if it would help. It's pretty difficult to teach a kid to poop regularly when he can't talk. To save you all from being grossed out, I'll just say that we cleaned him out rather thoroughly and we're trying to keep him from getting that clogged up again.
And, it was a pain in the butt. (Did I mention that?)
This summer we did a research trial with the Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training. We collected Waylon's saliva on a few different occasions and went to Lawrence two different Saturdays for developmental testing. They mailed us the results, which were as always, a little depressing. (His receptive/expressive language skills and visual reception skills were the equivalent of a two-year-old's, and his vocabulary testing was in the 8th percentile.) But hopefully the results from this study helps other families affected by autism!
And, now that fall has started, we are back on our school-year schedule. Preschool in the AM and Autism Concepts in the PM. I am so hopeful that this is the year that he takes off! This is our last hoo-rah before kindergarten! Wish us luck!
And ps- I will try to update a little sooner next time!
Well we started out the summer with t-ball, which actually went much better than expected. He wouldn't get out of the car at the first game, and by the last game he was running the bases! Ok, so he was screaming while Travis or I was dragging him around the bases... but it was progress!
No t-ball pics this year, he was way out of sorts on picture night, and there was no way I was going to get him to stand still for 30 seconds fully clothed. Oh well.
Mid-summer we had another appointment with Dr. Hoffman (the developmental pediatrician). We got a great report. He was very pleased with Waylon's progress, and with the diet and therapy changes we had made since our last visit. He encouraged us to try a vitamin D3 supplement, and beef up his other vitamins a bit. So we did.
Waylon started a powdered vitamin supplement shortly after our appointment with Dr. Hoffman. Apparently there are testimonials out there of how well it has worked for people with many different health issues, including autism. You are supposed to give it four times a day, so it's kind of a pain. He doesn't really like it, and we have to mix it in chocolate pudding. Plus instant pudding is not on his diet, so I have to make cook and serve pudding. Combine that with his schedule, and I was sending this souped-up vitamin pudding to daycare, preschool, therapy, and then trying to get it in him before bedtime, and it was a pain in the butt.
And then he got constipated. And it was a literal pain in the butt.
I don't know if the vitamin mixture was causing the constipation, but we stopped it about a week or so ago to see if it would help. It's pretty difficult to teach a kid to poop regularly when he can't talk. To save you all from being grossed out, I'll just say that we cleaned him out rather thoroughly and we're trying to keep him from getting that clogged up again.
And, it was a pain in the butt. (Did I mention that?)
This summer we did a research trial with the Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training. We collected Waylon's saliva on a few different occasions and went to Lawrence two different Saturdays for developmental testing. They mailed us the results, which were as always, a little depressing. (His receptive/expressive language skills and visual reception skills were the equivalent of a two-year-old's, and his vocabulary testing was in the 8th percentile.) But hopefully the results from this study helps other families affected by autism!
And, now that fall has started, we are back on our school-year schedule. Preschool in the AM and Autism Concepts in the PM. I am so hopeful that this is the year that he takes off! This is our last hoo-rah before kindergarten! Wish us luck!
And ps- I will try to update a little sooner next time!
Saturday, April 16, 2011
The Battle of the Sweatshirt
Bear with me here... it's been a rough afternoon.
Waylon left the house in full winter attire this afternoon to throw rocks in the dog's water. (His favorite sunny day past time.) It's a pretty deep water container, and he can throw gravel in it for hours without moving more than 5 feet. I kept a super-close eye on him from the window where I was folding laundry. Of course, I should know that no afternoon with Waylon can ever be that simple. I remembered that when I glanced out the window to find him naked. Joey, our crazy bird dog, was happily dragging his favorite sweatshirt through the mud.
When I say favorite, I mean it is the sweatshirt that he changes into every day when we get home. He flips when it needs put in the wash. He rips the laundry sorter routinely digging for it. He will climb onto the washer and put it on wet if I haven't gotten it dried yet.
Yes- it is the holy grail of sweatshirts.
Thankfully, Waylon hadn't noticed because he was too busy getting his wet pants off.
I ran out and got the shirt from Joey before Waylon noticed. And because it was pretty chilly, I drug naked Waylon inside screaming bloody murder (he wasn't done throwing rocks yet) to get some different clothes on.
I picked out the heaviest sweatshirt I could find that was clean to replace his fave. And when I got him cleaned up and dressed, I decided it might be easier to put in a movie than to let him outside to get filthy again.
Turns out that was wrong. First mistake.
I hadn't got the washing machine lid closed. Second mistake.
I hear a scream, run to the laundry room. Waylon is on the floor, sitting in an inch of water. The laundry hamper is torn to shreds. Not just ripped a little. It's annihilated. The wall next to the washing machine is wet 3/4 of the way to the ceiling. And the contents of the washing machine are covering the room.
Apparently, the replacement sweatshirt was not ok. Third mistake.
This is when I flipped.
The poor little guy just wanted his favorite sweatshirt. He doesn't know how to ask for it, and he knows it is either in the hamper or the washing machine. And when he can't find it, he flips out. Obviously.
But in the heat of the moment, he caught me by surprise-
When I was yelling at him, he covered his butt.
I know- how bizarre, that accomplishments come in such strange packages. A year ago, I could yell at him and his facial expression would remain flat. He would have no clue that he was in trouble, or that his behavior was unacceptable. But today, he knew!
After cleaning up the laundry room, I really wanted to call and interrupt Trav's afternoon of peace at the lake to let loose with the events of the past hour. But I decided that it wouldn't be nice to lay it on him on his afternoon off. Then I thought the facebook world might get a chuckle out of the painfully exhausting afternoon I've had, but I remembered I gave it up for lent. Then I thought- if people out there in the blogosphere really want to know what "a day in the life of autism" is like, they might enjoy this story. Only, the real truth of it is- that was only an hour in the life of autism. And it was exhausting.
Waylon left the house in full winter attire this afternoon to throw rocks in the dog's water. (His favorite sunny day past time.) It's a pretty deep water container, and he can throw gravel in it for hours without moving more than 5 feet. I kept a super-close eye on him from the window where I was folding laundry. Of course, I should know that no afternoon with Waylon can ever be that simple. I remembered that when I glanced out the window to find him naked. Joey, our crazy bird dog, was happily dragging his favorite sweatshirt through the mud.
When I say favorite, I mean it is the sweatshirt that he changes into every day when we get home. He flips when it needs put in the wash. He rips the laundry sorter routinely digging for it. He will climb onto the washer and put it on wet if I haven't gotten it dried yet.
Yes- it is the holy grail of sweatshirts.
Thankfully, Waylon hadn't noticed because he was too busy getting his wet pants off.
I ran out and got the shirt from Joey before Waylon noticed. And because it was pretty chilly, I drug naked Waylon inside screaming bloody murder (he wasn't done throwing rocks yet) to get some different clothes on.
I picked out the heaviest sweatshirt I could find that was clean to replace his fave. And when I got him cleaned up and dressed, I decided it might be easier to put in a movie than to let him outside to get filthy again.
Turns out that was wrong. First mistake.
I hadn't got the washing machine lid closed. Second mistake.
I hear a scream, run to the laundry room. Waylon is on the floor, sitting in an inch of water. The laundry hamper is torn to shreds. Not just ripped a little. It's annihilated. The wall next to the washing machine is wet 3/4 of the way to the ceiling. And the contents of the washing machine are covering the room.
Apparently, the replacement sweatshirt was not ok. Third mistake.
This is when I flipped.
The poor little guy just wanted his favorite sweatshirt. He doesn't know how to ask for it, and he knows it is either in the hamper or the washing machine. And when he can't find it, he flips out. Obviously.
But in the heat of the moment, he caught me by surprise-
When I was yelling at him, he covered his butt.
Here's the part where I should say- I'm sorry if you don't spank your children, but we do. We don't spank them all the time, or for trivial things. It's usually rare that they need one. But if they are in serious trouble, they know there will be a spanking coming.AND WAYLON KNEW HE WAS IN TROUBLE! WOO HOO!!!
I know- how bizarre, that accomplishments come in such strange packages. A year ago, I could yell at him and his facial expression would remain flat. He would have no clue that he was in trouble, or that his behavior was unacceptable. But today, he knew!
After cleaning up the laundry room, I really wanted to call and interrupt Trav's afternoon of peace at the lake to let loose with the events of the past hour. But I decided that it wouldn't be nice to lay it on him on his afternoon off. Then I thought the facebook world might get a chuckle out of the painfully exhausting afternoon I've had, but I remembered I gave it up for lent. Then I thought- if people out there in the blogosphere really want to know what "a day in the life of autism" is like, they might enjoy this story. Only, the real truth of it is- that was only an hour in the life of autism. And it was exhausting.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Waylon's New Room
I mentioned a while back we have been working on getting Waylon's room a little more "therapy friendly." Of course, I was making huge progress over Christmas break but that has come to an abrupt halt now that school is in full swing. We did get his room painted blue, Trav got his swing hung from the ceiling, and we cleared a little room for his mini trampoline. We are in the process of painting a book shelf for all of his therapy materials, and we're planning on moving in a bigger bed soon in hopes he is able to sleep through the night a little better. He got a new weighted Toy Story blanket for his birthday, big enough for a new bed. Unfortunately, the life-size Buzz Lightyear and Woody wall stickers didn't last long. I found them in a pile on the floor. =(
Since it's still a work-in-progress, I only have a couple pics, but here they are- as promised!
Since it's still a work-in-progress, I only have a couple pics, but here they are- as promised!
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| Waylon in his new swing. |
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| Waylon's new bright blue. |
Monday, April 11, 2011
FRENCH FRIES
Ok, ok, so I haven't been so timely with my updates lately. Forgive me!
Although our lives are more hectic than ever, it's paying off big time. You wouldn't believe the progress Waylon is making! He has officially moved on from the picture exchange system to WORDS.
Yes you heard me right- he is coming up with WORDS. On his own!
He is getting SO good at answering the question- "What do you want?" He can almost always come up with a one-word answer to help us understand what he wants/needs. And a lot of times, the results will surprise us. Last week, he was in his carseat whining, and I assumed he wanted the McDonald's cup in my cupholder from our lunch that day. Still, though, even if we think we know what he wants, we ask him "What do you want?" to encourage him to form a word. I was expecting him to sign and say "drink" but instead out came... "FRENCH FRIES."
Seriously! Turns out he wanted the left over fries from lunch!
What I find truly amazing is that "french fry" is not a word he is getting drilled into his head at school, unlike "drink" or "help." This is a word he has heard us saying and he stored it inside his little head until the time was right to use it.
Truly amazing.
Within just a few weeks (maybe even less) he has learned his colors (red, orange, blue, yellow, green, and purple so far) and he is occasionally wandering around the house counting to three.
At school they are working on getting him to say two words at a time now- and last week he said "on bubbles" to request that his teacher turn the bubble machine on.
So, from my post a month or so ago, he was repeating lines from Dora, which was music to our ears.
Now, he is coming up with single words, and sometimes two, completely on his own, and we are ecstatic.
Although our lives are more hectic than ever, it's paying off big time. You wouldn't believe the progress Waylon is making! He has officially moved on from the picture exchange system to WORDS.
Yes you heard me right- he is coming up with WORDS. On his own!
He is getting SO good at answering the question- "What do you want?" He can almost always come up with a one-word answer to help us understand what he wants/needs. And a lot of times, the results will surprise us. Last week, he was in his carseat whining, and I assumed he wanted the McDonald's cup in my cupholder from our lunch that day. Still, though, even if we think we know what he wants, we ask him "What do you want?" to encourage him to form a word. I was expecting him to sign and say "drink" but instead out came... "FRENCH FRIES."
Seriously! Turns out he wanted the left over fries from lunch!
What I find truly amazing is that "french fry" is not a word he is getting drilled into his head at school, unlike "drink" or "help." This is a word he has heard us saying and he stored it inside his little head until the time was right to use it.
Truly amazing.
Within just a few weeks (maybe even less) he has learned his colors (red, orange, blue, yellow, green, and purple so far) and he is occasionally wandering around the house counting to three.
At school they are working on getting him to say two words at a time now- and last week he said "on bubbles" to request that his teacher turn the bubble machine on.
So, from my post a month or so ago, he was repeating lines from Dora, which was music to our ears.
Now, he is coming up with single words, and sometimes two, completely on his own, and we are ecstatic.
Wonder what next month will bring?
Thursday, March 31, 2011
April 2nd is almost here!
Of course, helping others become aware of Autism is part of our everyday lives, but it's good to know the powers that be think autism is worthy of a "day." (Cancer, Tuberculosis, Malaria, Diabetes, COPD, AIDS, and Autism are the only disorders that the United Nations has officially proclaimed a "day' for.)
Some wear blue on April 2nd for autism, some use it as a day to raise money for research, and many attend special events to raise awareness. The Kansas City Chiefs defensive backs have a program called "We've got your back" as a support for people with autism, and every year they partner with Autism Speaks for a rally and balloon launch.
Check out this video from last years World Autism Awareness Day at Arrowhead. Zach went along with me to help with the kids, and you can find him, Caden, and Waylon all in the video with the Chiefs.
http://www.kcchiefs.com/media-lounge/videos/Chiefs-Celebrate-World-Autism-Day/56aed618-0cba-4b09-bba0-0857595f3b21
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Well hello again...
So we are all still alive and well in the Katzer house. I know it's been a while since I've blogged, so here's a quick catch-up on our lives the past month.
After our visit with Dr. Hoffman last month, we decided to make some serious changes in Waylon's therapy. Travis started a new job with long hours, and my classes kicked up a notch, so getting him to and from ABCnD Autism Center was no small feat. We decided to try a different ABA program for Waylon 5 mornings a week, and having him go to afternoon preschool every day.
After just two weeks at Autism Concepts, Waylon is doing awesome. We had an IEP meeting this week with his teachers at preschool, who said if he worked as hard as he did last week for the rest of the year, he will make huge progress.
We did a week trial off of the artificial colors diet, and decided it was worth it to go back on. His teachers feel like he is more focused and works harder when he is off artificial colors.
The other night the kids were watching Dora and Waylon repeated every word Dora said. It was music to our ears!
So thanks to about 50 people who are helping us by watching the kids, hauling them to and from school and daycare when I am at school, and working with Waylon, we are trucking right along.
In the meantime, we have been working on finish Waylon's room and turning it into a "therapy room" for him to work with his speech teacher. Pictures to come!
After our visit with Dr. Hoffman last month, we decided to make some serious changes in Waylon's therapy. Travis started a new job with long hours, and my classes kicked up a notch, so getting him to and from ABCnD Autism Center was no small feat. We decided to try a different ABA program for Waylon 5 mornings a week, and having him go to afternoon preschool every day.
After just two weeks at Autism Concepts, Waylon is doing awesome. We had an IEP meeting this week with his teachers at preschool, who said if he worked as hard as he did last week for the rest of the year, he will make huge progress.
We did a week trial off of the artificial colors diet, and decided it was worth it to go back on. His teachers feel like he is more focused and works harder when he is off artificial colors.
The other night the kids were watching Dora and Waylon repeated every word Dora said. It was music to our ears!
So thanks to about 50 people who are helping us by watching the kids, hauling them to and from school and daycare when I am at school, and working with Waylon, we are trucking right along.
In the meantime, we have been working on finish Waylon's room and turning it into a "therapy room" for him to work with his speech teacher. Pictures to come!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
An Artifical Coloring Free Birthday
Well, so far we've survived the holidays, the start of no artificial colors, Waylon's birthday, and back to school for everyone. Although it sort of feels like I'm doggy paddling with my head barely above the water, we are still afloat!
Of course, in usual Lindy-style, I piled way too much into the day of Waylon's birthday, which left Travis home with the kids to clean house while I was getting groceries and a hair cut. By the time I rushed through the frosting isle at Price Chopper I realized there is artificial coloring in every single brand and color of frosting (even white!). So I made a phone call to Mom for the homemade frosting recipe on the way to the ice cream isle, where after a hunt of most of the freezer section I found three flavors of ice cream without artificial flavors for his party. Do you really think they need to add caramel color to the ice cream? No. I don't think so.
Anyways, of course Waylon was asleep by the time I got home, (but Trav did get the house pretty clean!) and he was in no mood to wake up. When we got out the presents, he had absolutely no interest in finding out what he got, so after a couple tries we decided to wait until after cake and ice cream.
Mom helped me whip together the frosting real quick and we threw together a pretty cute little birthday cake. Of course Waylon wouldn't open his eyes to look at it.
We sang Happy Birthday and tried for about 5 minutes to get him to blow out his candles, but finally gave up and decided to try again the next day.
The next morning we got up and headed to Monkey Bizness. He LOVED it. He just went crazy with all of the sensory input there; man did he go to town! We saw one of his friends from ABCnD Autism Center there with his parents, and he was in sensory overload with all of the kids and noise and was not interested in playing at all. Monkey Bizness was definitely a good choice for Waylon though!
When we got home, we sang Happy Birthday and he blew out the candle like a champ! He ripped open the rest of his presents and played with the ones he (actually I) opened the day before. It was like a whole different kid!
Waylon found a bag of Doritos after the Chiefs game Sunday, and had an artificial coloring fix. But other than that, he has done really well. I've talked with his teachers, and the schools are on-board with it, but I sent extra snacks just in case the rest of the kids are having a snack with artificial colors. I've called the bus barn to let them know of our new schedule (because of nursing school.) Talked with both daycares, and got the extra days lined out there. Thanks to my awesome sister Amy, we are still going to be able to get him to ABCnD while I am in nursing school crunch time. Mom's helping out with Caden after school, and Travis is pulling a huge extra load of picking up all the kids when he gets off work. (They're in three different places!) We have also restarted the fish oil and beefed up the gummy vites, and I'll be searching health food stores this week for the other few vitamins that aren't in his gummies. And I've found some great therapy ideas online that I am excited to try at home in the evenings. I'm hoping they'll be fun for all of us to do together. I'll let you know!
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Here's to a stressful, but fun, successful, and happy, artificial coloring-free 2011!
Of course, in usual Lindy-style, I piled way too much into the day of Waylon's birthday, which left Travis home with the kids to clean house while I was getting groceries and a hair cut. By the time I rushed through the frosting isle at Price Chopper I realized there is artificial coloring in every single brand and color of frosting (even white!). So I made a phone call to Mom for the homemade frosting recipe on the way to the ice cream isle, where after a hunt of most of the freezer section I found three flavors of ice cream without artificial flavors for his party. Do you really think they need to add caramel color to the ice cream? No. I don't think so.
Anyways, of course Waylon was asleep by the time I got home, (but Trav did get the house pretty clean!) and he was in no mood to wake up. When we got out the presents, he had absolutely no interest in finding out what he got, so after a couple tries we decided to wait until after cake and ice cream.
Mom helped me whip together the frosting real quick and we threw together a pretty cute little birthday cake. Of course Waylon wouldn't open his eyes to look at it.
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| Trying to get Waylon to blow out his candles |
The next morning we got up and headed to Monkey Bizness. He LOVED it. He just went crazy with all of the sensory input there; man did he go to town! We saw one of his friends from ABCnD Autism Center there with his parents, and he was in sensory overload with all of the kids and noise and was not interested in playing at all. Monkey Bizness was definitely a good choice for Waylon though!
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| Waylon climbing high at Monkey Bizness |
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| Waylon's birthday party, Take 2 |
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Here's to a stressful, but fun, successful, and happy, artificial coloring-free 2011!
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