The Fun Continues!

He put a hole in the wall by pulling back the gliding chair and letting it go.

So after the other days fun at McDonalds, things just continued on the same path the following day.  We woke up, but I slept through my alarm and it seems if I am not up and ready before the kids wake up, the day does not go well.  So I got up and got them breakfast, luckily Brielle and Boston have alarm clocks or we would have been in trouble, and got Brielle's lunch ready for the day.  I figured I was good to run and get dressed and ready in between running back and making sure things were going ok.  After a few minutes, Brielle comes in and tells me that Dylan made a big mess and I immediately knew what that mess was going to be, spilled sugar(powder sugar.)  When I had went to check on them I didn't see Dylan but figured he had gone downstairs and knew he was in the house somewhere because we bought latch hooks and have installed them on all the outside leading doors and I knew that I had locked them.  I remember noticing the pantry door was closed and I hadn't locked it with the latch but figured it was fine.  Anyway, that is what mess I walked out too because another thing Dylan likes to do is go in there and close the door behind him, which he must have done.  Powder sugar was everywhere along with a trail from where he had walked.

I was trying to decide if I had time to sweep it up before we headed to take Brielle and Boston to school or if I would just wait and start the clean up when we got home.  Meanwhile, I am yelling at Brielle and Boston to get dressed because it was time to go.  Boston is slow sometimes and I had to tell him over and over and then finally he was dressed and time to go.  They ran out, got on their bikes and I followed behind with the younger two in the stroller.  As we got to school I realized I never did Boston's hair, but luckily I had just cut it so it was short enough that it didn't really matter and you can't necessarily tell that I am a horrible Mom ha ha.

My little helper

We got back and I started "Operation Clean Up" which took me from 9 to a little after 10:30 and I had to mop the floor a couple times since it was so sticky.  We still had about 45 minutes until it was time to get Boston so I got the kids to go downstairs.  Before I knew it Dylan had gone back upstairs and within me cleaning up the first mess and now had been a good 10 minutes.  I all of a sudden heard something spilling on the floor upstairs and took off to find what mess I had waiting for me now.  Their was an entire bag of chocolate chips spilled on the carpet and Dylan had another bag he was just getting opened.  I had a few, ok A LOT, of choice words that came out of my mouth as I grabbed the other bag from him.  Out of anger I slammed it down on to the table, only to have it rip open and another entire bag of chocolate chips now all over the kitchen as well.  I wish I could be one of those Mom's that keeps her cool when it comes to this but I AM NOT.  I really am surprised my children do not have a potty mouth because of me!  I was so mad, mainly because I had just spent all morning cleaning one mess and now there was one more, but it was about time to go get Boston.

I figured this mess could wait until we got back and it was time to go so I could bawl and cool down at the same time!  Desi saw me crying and said, "Dy Dy sad."  I think she knew Dylan made me sad and then she went and told him, "NO Dy Dy!"  We walked to the school and waited for little Bos to come out.  As he walked out to me, he was pulling at his pants like they were about to fall off.  So I made a mental note to tighten them up when we got home!  However, when he got to me I started laughing and realized: The horrible Mom that had sent him to school without doing his hair had also let him go to school with his pants on backwards!  I had been so consumed with the big mess, that I never realized they were on wrong.  I am sure his teacher was wondering what was going on, ha ha.

On the way home I had told Bos about the mess waiting for us, he was so excited to see it.  He of coursed wanted to help by eating the chocolate chips!  He also helped me vacuum some of them up!  By this time, I am completely exhausted and burnt out and ready for the day to be OVER!  Luckily for me, Brandon and I had plans for later on that night to go to the Luke Bryan concert!  That could not have came on a better day/week because it was a very testing week for me.  We loved the concert and it was a nice break from reality!

Then today I went to work to help out and I get this picture from Brandon and it instantly melted my heart!  This is the best picture I have seen of Dylan in a long time and I could see my little boy in it!  I see him coming out of this fog and that I am going to have him back, still being the little shit he has always been but by choice and not because he doesn't understand what he is doing.  This picture gives me hope, which I have been losing a bit lately.  I just need to keep pushing and know that he is just as confused and frustrated as we are and he needs me to be there for him.  I LOVE MY BUBBER BOO!

On a positive note:  I do feel that he is starting to comprehend even more.  When he is climbing on something and you tell him to get down 8 out of 10 times he listens.  When he gets something and runs off, I tell him to bring it to me and I will open it.  He usually comes over to me.  If I am busy and he brings me something, I tell him to take it to Brandon, he does!  He has started to play with the kids in the evening more!  Him and Brielle have a little game where they jump from the slide to the tramp and he holds his hand out for Brielle.  She takes it and he jumps.  He will even wait for her sometimes if she is not right there.  We went to the mall today and let them play on the playground.  I watched him slide down this little bridge thing and then went to climb back up, but there were already kids waiting to slide down.  He got down, walked around and waited patiently in line until it was his turn.  So with all this negative, I am seeing positive and hopefully we will see more and more.

Dylan did decide to cuddle with me for a bit, that is VERY RARE

We have also scheduled Round 2 of Stem Cells for the first week of November!  We are really hoping to see more with this round because of others experiences.  A lot of people think the healing is happening on the inside first and so there could be some major things happening but we don't know.  I also need to learn to make us all eat healthy, myself included, because that seems to be the people that are seeing the biggest gains.  Wish me luck!!!! That is not an easy task for me!!

My biggest nightmare!

Since Dylan likes to take his diaper and clothes off, I have always been very nervous of taking him to kid play areas like McDonalds.  I am always afraid he will poop and decide to strip down when he is somewhere I can't immediately get to.  Well lets just say that happened today plus some!

Boston had his first day of Kindergarten today and we all had the stomach flu the two days prior so I decided to be a spontaneous, fun Mom(the Mom I like to think I was pre-autism) and take the three younger kids to McDonalds.  It started out a little rough and as I was standing in line to order, Dylan kept throwing himself down and throwing fits.  I couldn't let him go play because he has been known to go eat off random peoples trays when he is hungry and I knew he was hungry, so I had to keep him by me.  Desi has gotten to the point that if she has a binky and Dylan is throwing a fit or being "sad" she will just give him the binky.  She knows it comforts him and she is such a nice sister!  When I got up to the cashier, she mentioned how that was so cute of her to give him the binky! I just laughed ha ha.

We get our food and everything goes well, other than every 30 seconds or so I have to tell Dylan to get off the back of the seat or out of between the window and the seat, and sit down to eat.  He did actually sitand do as I said everytime, so there is the positive of this story!  Boston went and played with a new school/church friend that happened to be there and then Desi went off and started playing.  Dylan stayed by me and then started throwing everything away, so I took that as he was ready to go, but then he decided to play too.  Boston's friend left and I told him we would go in a few minutes also.

As I was watching them play, a lady turns around and asks how I am doing and tells me my kids are so cute.  She is talking to me like. I should know who she is, but it wasn't until she mentioned the name Brett, Brandon's friend, that it clicks who she is.  It was Brett's sister Rachelle, who was a couple years or so younger than me, so. I knew who she was right then.  We talk for a bit and. I mention that Dylan is Autistic and so I am always nervous about him taking off and have to keep a good eye on him.

  Not 5 minutes later I look up at the top and can see Dylan going for his pants!  I begin freaking out and yelling for Boston, because then he is going for his diaper and who knows what is in that diaper! I run towards the stairs and think about climbing up, but then knowing my almost 2 year old is down at the bottom and I can't just leave her.  I look over at Rachelle and say, "This is my biggest fear(nightmare)! I keep yelling for Boston and look up to find him by Dylan!  I tell Bos to get Dylan's diaper and pull his pants back up.  I keep yelling to pull his pants up, because who knows who is going to turn me in for my childs "indecent exposure."  I could tell(although not see what was going on) that Boston was up there really working and trying to figure out how to handle the situation.  Finally Boston starts to pull Dylan's pants up and Dylan helps and goes on his way.  I am fearing what mess I am going to find!

Boston comes down with the diaper but no Dylan.  He hands it to me and I immediately see a diaper full of poop and close it before anyone else saw and had more eyes staring at me.  It wasn't diarreah but it wasn't hard formed poop either, so I was nervous of what was waiting up there.  I tell Boston to get Dylan and get him down because we need to go.  Rachelle's friend offers to have her son help, but he wasn't much bigger than Boston so I told her Dylan is a strong kid and I didn't want him to get hurt, but Thanks.  She asks me about Dylan and so I fill her in super quick!  Then. I seen Dylan and grab him.

Luckily he came down clean! Nothing on his clothes minus what was under his pants that didn't get wiped off his butt and nothing on his hands!  I knew we had a clean diaper removal and asked Boston who told me only poop was in the diaper.  Seriously without Boston and the way he handled this, it could have been HORRIBLE! I am super proud and impressed with. Boston! So  I pick up Desi(facing outward) and have my usual death grip on Dylan and we head to get desi's shoes.  As I bend down to grab her shoes she throws up everywhere!  More eyes staring at me, but honestly I was so wrapped up in the moment I didn't care what people were thinking!  I think I was holding Desi to tight and squishing her belly and that made her throw up, but she still had diarreah from the flu so maybe I just exposed the rest of. McDonalds with the second round of stomach flu(she has yet to throw up again so. I think it was my tight hold). Rachelle and her friend say they can watch my kids while I grab something to clean up, so I hand Dylan's hand to her and tell her to just hold him tight and run and grab napkins and let the workers know.  As I am heading back to clean some lady is leaving with her grandchildren and says, "Today is not your day!"  Probably extremely disgusted with me too!

I clean up most of the throw up and then the McDonalds workers are right there and start to clean up the rest.  I thank Rachelle and her friend and am on my way.  Without them and Boston's help this could have been bad, very very bad!  I would not have handled it close to the way I was able to handle it today and I probably will not be going to McDonalds for a very long time.  Not that I am embarrassed because. I don't really give a shit about what happened, but it was NOt a fun experience and. I would rather avoid it at all costs!  We will just stick with somewhere where Dylan can play within an arms reach at all times!

Restore Update

So I have been giving Dylan the supplement Restore for  2-3 weeks, something like that, and I do have to say he has very soft skin now!!!  I know that doesn't sound like a lot but if you have been around Dylan and know how his skin has been in the past, you know this is a BIG DEAL!  His belly has felt like he was a lizard or something along those lines.  He always felt dry and scaley and was constantly itching.  I just want to keep hugging him and feeling his soft silky smooth skin because it is that soft.  Hopefully Restore is helping clean out all the junk in his body and helping it move along and out like it is supposed to.  He has seemed a little more responsive lately too and I feel he is trying to talk but nothing new there yet.  But I can't say how much this soft smooth Dylan means to me!

crawling

Over the past week or so I have noticed Dylan randomly crawling around and then get up and walk, no big deal right!  He has done it so much that Brielle  even mentioned it one day and she wasn't sure  why he kept crawling,  so it has happened enough for her to pick up on it.  According to  families on the Facebook group this could be a good thing!  Crawling is good for the brain! Why? Because it requires both side of the brain to work together and so as he crawls it stimulates both the left and right brain! I  have gotten over him and crawled with him to force him to crawl longer in hopes this is true and to help build that brain!

New Obsessions

Lately Dylan's new obsessions revolve around the bathroom.  He is constantly going in there and climbing on the sink to get a drink and leaving his little hand prints all over the mirrors.  If you know me well, my Mom taught us kids growing up, DO NOT TOUCH THE WINDOWS ha ha.  I have carried that on but have been a bit relaxed lately because there is nothing I can do about it.  On Brandon and mine first road trip he learned that about me real quick because he decided to wipe the fog from the windows and I put a stop to that really quick ha ha. Thanks Mom for passing this on to me!!

Anyway, I have had to just get used to the dirty mirrors and windows for now because I can't be right behind Dylan constantly!  He also has an obsession with the toilet paper and unrolls it and puts it in the toilet or strings it around the bathroom.  So if you are ever at our house and there is no toilet paper, I am sorry!  He also tends to chew on the toilet paper at times, which I do not like and keep telling him we do not eat toilet paper.

The third obsession is toothpaste.  I have found toothpaste in big globs on the carpet, bed, bed frame, doors, walls.  He likes to go into our room and lock himself in there and by the time I get in to check on him(usually within 10 minutes) I have a fun mess to clean up.  I just hope he is not eating as much as I am finding around the house because that is not good for him.  As I was cleaning it up the other day, I was thinking at least this isn't poop, but then Brandon made the same comment, but thinking the poop is easier to clean up.  He may be right but it is disgusting so I will stick with the toothpaste for now ha ha.  I have put the toothpaste up in the closet so we will see how long it takes him to figure out where it is or to find a new item to make a mess with!

And how could I forget this obsession of taking the stuffing out of the cushions.  That is when the toothpaste obsession started, once I decided to sew the zippers to the cushions so he could not get into this any more, ha ha.

Then there was this one time he dumped the whole pancake bag on the floor!

Salem Pond and Cuddles

It is now 11 PM and 2 hours ago, while Brandon and I were watching HIS guilty pleasure(seriously I watch it to have a show we watch together ha ha) "The Batchelor in Paradise" I heard Dylan crying in his room. He rarely cries out when he is in there so I can't ignore it when he does, so I went in and he tried to run out. I assumed he wanted the Ipad to watch a show, so I grabbed him and forced him to lay by me. After a few minutes I could see it was going nowhere so I told him "Good night" and left the room.  I could still hear him crying after a few minutes so I decided to go get him and let him come down with Brandon and I.  I had it in my mind that would only last a few minutes because he would be wild and run all over, well he proved me WRONG!

I am seriously amazed, surprised, excited, happy, shocked, all sorts of emotions right now.  He actually just sat on my lap, made himself comfy, and spread out his blanket for a good half hour or so! After about 10 minutes Brandon got the Ipad from yhe older two in their room so we let him watch Paw Patrol.  At one point, I swear he yelled out "Rubble"(one of the puppies names).  He jibbered a bit but actually sat there very content and allowed me to really get the cuddle time that every Mother enjoys at times!

After about a half an hour or so, which was when our show was over so I was ready to head upstairs any way, he got up and headed up stairs.  Again I thought he was going to run around or head to the fridge.  Instead he layed down on the couch upstairs and covered him with his blanket.  I decided to pick him up and take him to bed because it was now about 10.  I thought he would be mad/sad but he just let me lay him in bed and cover him up without a peep! I shut his door and that was that.  I think he needed that time together as much as I did, so I am so glad I didn't pass it up, because after the day we had with him earler I could have easily chose to ignore his cries!

We went to Salem Pond with Cody and Lacy and my parents earlier this evening and we'll just say it wasn't Dylan's best behaved time.  We had fun and the kids had fun playing together, but Dylan did not enjoy it, so it's hard for us to enjoy it. We got there a few minutes before everyone and had brought pizza from Costco so we sat at a table to eat.  Dylan just wanted to go by the water and Desi was being just as bad, so that didn't go well.  Brandon took the pizza to the van and brought the stroller and saw Cody and Lacy then, so we headed to the pond area to feed the ducks.  The kids loved that and then we went to play at the park.  That went pretty good for a bit and Brandon kept busy chasing Dylan towards the pond a bit here and there.   Then I took over and Dyl kept heading towards other peoples food and would throw fits when he realized I wasn't going to quit following him and he wasn't getting food or getting in the water.  I'm sure people was watching and wondering what was going on ha ha.  I found the water fountain and got him a drink, then walked toward the pond with my dad and Dylan only to have him throw a few more fits.  I realized he was just dripping in sweat and that he must be hot and uncomfortable, so when Brandon came over we decided it was time to go.  So to have this moment tonight was amazing and gives me so much hope for the future!

Lagoon and Baptism

We took the kids to Lagoon for Brandon's work party this weekend and had a great time! We wasn't sure hiw Dylan would handle it but he did great! We were even able to let him ride some rides! I was a  Nervous wreck the whole time, fearing at any moment he may jump out, but not once did he try!  Last year Brielle and Boston's favorite ride was this Dinosaur Egg Drop ride that takes you up and drops down. We knew we had to do that one and I decided to take Dylan!  I kind of laughed at myself, because up until then he had been doing the normal kid rides and this just may freak him out a bit, but "oh well" ha ha.  We got on it and we went up, up, and up. I told Dylan we were going to go down soon.  As we went down I looked at Dyl and he looked a little nervous and confused and I could tell he had the weird butterfly in your tummy feeling.  After a few times going down and seeing that nervous look as we went up, I heard a little giggle! When it was time to get off, he through his first fit of the day and that was because I wouldn't let him sit back on the ride! I knew he loved it then!  I think he enjoyed it as much as the rest of us.

We decided to go to Lagoon A Beach to cool off and enjoy the water.  I remember not being impressed when I was younger and left thinking the same.  The kids had fun though! It was a lot of work on our part because they all wanted to go in different directions.  Brandon's main complaint was the rough floors.  I think the idea is to be a rocky ocean floor and so you are walking on a pretend rocky ocean floor in the water and it doesn't feel good on your feet.

We headed home to get ready for my neice and nephews baptism. During the baptism Brandon followed Dylan around the Church because he sat down for a whole minute, if that.  After the baptism part I went and found them and said I would hold Dylan.  That lasted another minute, so I followed him around the rest of the time.  We decided for the dinner part to put him in his stroller, which was the best decision ever!  Brandon said Dylan was interacting with Jake by grabbing his hand and putting it on his leg where Jake had squeezed him, apparently he liked that!  He ate and we got to eat instead of chasing him around! Win-Win for all of us!

Restore

On the Facebook group I am a part of several parents have been talking about this product they have started using called, Restore, and how awesome it is.  I decided to buy some and try it because someone mentioned it brought on speech and we all know that I would LOVE to hear Dylan's little voice again!  I also bought some for my Mom because everything it talked about being able to heal reminded me of so many things that have been happening to my Mom.   It is supposed to help by reintroducing 20,000 to 30,000 of the good bacteria to your gut, that our foods and toxins today take away and destroy our gut lining.  They say most illnesses start in the gut and if you can repair that then good things will come! When I ordered it, I decided to order the smallest bottle to test out, but when I opened it they had sent me the next size up so I accepted their generosity, ha ha.  Maybe dishonest or maybe it was intentional, but I appreciated it!

I have been giving it to Dylan for  a week or so but I am not really sure how much I should give him.  The bottle says 1 Tbsp, split up in 3 - 1 tsp doses throughout the day, but Dylan is only 3.5 so I don't want to give him too much.  People on the group have said to start slow because it can bring on detox symptoms or even cause constipation, which is not what we are looking for.  I started at 1/4 tsp, 3 times a day but have now been giving him 1/2 to 3/4 tsp - 2 or 3 times a day.

(Sorry for the next part, but I have learned that poop and what it looks like is common talk in Autism Parent World)  He has had very loose, but not diarrhea poop, so that is good from what I read.  My only concern is that this is going to cause problems that the feeling hits and it is the type that "I need to go to the bathroom and  I need to go now." Since he is still in diapers, it is not a big deal, but in the future, I need to read up on this and learn more.  I hope that once the gut is in good shape it is not that type.  I have started giving it to Boston as well because that kid has major constipation issues and it seems to be helping him.  That is where my concern comes because he will be going to Kindergarten and I don't want him having accidents because of this, but I am happy this may help him in that area!

On a different note, I think we are seeing changes!  I have noticed the past couple of days, he seems to be attempting to speak more.  There is a lot of the drawn out, "EEEE" but that is when you can tell he is trying to get something out and he is trying hard!  Brandon was trying to get him to repeat what he said last night and kept saying, "Momma" and he is pretty sure Dylan said it a couple of times.  Tonight Brandon thought he heard, "Daddy."  Yesterday,  there was a couple of times that in his gibberish and after the fact it hit me, he may have just said, "cottage cheese."  There was one other thing like that but I can't remember what it was.  My experiences was pure gibberish but if you were really trying to listen to him, I swear there was words in that gibberish!

He has seemed to be extremely Happy lately too!  That is always nice!  He is always running around laughing and has even ran from us when we try to tickle him!  He has a new obsession of taking the stuffing out of the couch cushions and when I came down and saw that today, he looked up at me and laughed and ran off.  He knew what he did and knew that he shouldn't have, little stinker!  We have got him to play "ring around the rosie" a few times and (now this does not sound big, but is VERY big because he will not do this normally) he even holds Desi's hand!  Usually he refuses to hold her hand, almost as if it is gross to touch her, ha ha.  Desi isn't giving up and is determined they will be best friends some day, whether he wants to or not, ha ha.

On the downside, today I noticed him throwing a few fits and banging his head on the floor, couch and even window.  I am hoping this does not last long and isn't something new, because so far we have been lucky not to have to witness those kinds of tantrums.  We will continue this supplement and hope for the best, but so far I am liking what I see!

All hope is lost(not in Dylan but for Dylan)

The other night Dylan figured out how to break off the child proof door knob thingy and was pretty proud of himself! He came running out of his room and when he saw me, he ran right into our room and locked himself in there, knowing we can't get to him and he wouldn't have to go to bed!  Luckily, I am a master at unlocking the door with the unlocking tool ha ha.  I duct taped it for the night and we were good to go!

Yesterday I went and bought a new door knob that locks and put it on backwards!  Come bed time, everything went as normal and Brandon put Dylan in bed.  Once the door was shut, it only took him seconds to realize the child proof door thing was gone.  I heard him run right over to the door and grab hold of the door knob...only to find out he was now locked in there.  Poor kid cried for an hour and it was a cry that he had lost all hope in ever being able to sneak out again.  I hate that we have to do this but we have things that need to get done once the kids are in bed(last night that was putting towel racks up in the down stairs bathroom, which is another story in itself ha ha)and we need our time to relax and unwind too.  More importantly I need my sleep for my sake and my kids sake so I can't be worrying that he will get out at night and run off somewhere.

Hopefully, one day we will be able to get him out of this "prison" situation and that he will be able to have a normal room, but for now this will have to do!

Lately

We haven't really experienced a lot of changes, for the good or worse, in Dylan lately but he has been saying one word quite frequently! That word being Beebee which means Binky ha ha. We have tried getting him off of it several times but until we take it away from Desi, he will not give it up.  He has hawk eyes for those things and can spot it a mile away!  Back before the regression he called them "neenee's" so he is getting closer!

I went to my Mom's the other day and when we were leaving, I told Dylan to tell Grandma Bye.  He reached out and flapped his arm a bit as if he was waving. I had him do it twice and he did the same thing both times.  One time, I swear he attempted to mouth the word even!

Also the other day he was outside playing in our pool, completely naked of course, and he came running in and into Desi's room.  A few seconds later, he came running out with his swimming suit in hand.  Brandon put it on and out he went! It lasted a minute before he took it off, but that is progress!

Last week I had 2 dreams about Dylan.  The first night, I dream that Dylan said a two word sentence. I don't remember much about it but I think Boston was crying and so Dylan said, "Boston crying."  The second night I dream that Dylan was pointing, not using his whole hand but the correct way to point, at things he wanted.  As small as these dreams sound, I will be beyond ecstatic when he does either one!  They are HUGE in his world!

We have had a lot of Dylan wandering around lately, getting in the fridge, emptying toilet paper rolls, throwing huge tamptrums(only to lay on the ground kicking and screaming and hurting his hands or feet or head from slamming them down so hard) so Brandon and I have been worn out.  Oh how could I forget, he has ruined the cd player in the van by putting at least 4 coins in it! We were able to go to Cherry Hill with my Aunt Angie and Grandma Red and all the family and enjoyed ourselves all day.  Dylan loves swimming so that was the perfect get away! But at home, it has not been the funnest lately.  Brandon suggested the other day that if he could send him some where for a year that would guarantee results he would do it! I suggested we send him to this John guy that is taking his son, Anthony, for the same treatments.  They are seeing amazing results and John somehow manages to remain very positive throughout everything.  I don't know how he does it but I admire him!  Deep down, you know we could never ship Dylan off, because we would miss him like crazy, but I can keep dreaming that one day we will see more results or one day we can look back and be thankful that we have at least survived this stage!