Happy Happy Happy

Dylan has been really happy these last few days and I love it!  He randomly runs up to me and wraps his arms around me or grabs my hand and leads me down stairs to a pile of pillows that he has propped up on the couch(fort style) and has me crash into them, or at least that is what I think I am supposed to do!  He looks at me with the cutest little smile and you can just see the excitement in him and I LOVE IT!

We went to Rick and Lori's to pick up the older two on Sunday and had a little gathering.  The day started out with his routine down there and wanted to watch a show in Lori's car, but then he got out and before too long was playing along side several different groups.  He never really played "with" anyone else but the whole day he would go get in the sandbox with whoever was in there at that time and play or he would go get on the tramp with whoever was on at that time and jump.  He seemed to be happy again and I observed him several times observing what was going on around him, not just out there doing his own thing completely!  I loved it!

Then I had to pick him up at school on Monday because the kids had a dentist appointment, Dylan didn't LOVE IT(but no cavities!)  When I went in to his room I was greeted with excitement by the teacher and an aide and they were telling me all about their exciting day.  When Dylan got off the bus, he greeted them by saying, "Hi" plain as day!  They were ecstatic and shrilled with joy!  They said Dylan kind of grinned at them like, "I just did something really cool!"  That day they focused on greetings.  They would have someone behind him and someone in front of him and say, "Bye" and most of the times he would respond by waving!  If not the person behind grabs his hand and holds under his wrist and he flaps his little fingers, so cute!  They were showing me this also while I was there.  They also said that once they get off the bus and start school they show a picture of a bus and explain they got of the bus and now it is time to do(whatever the next thing is.)  This day when they held up the picture of the bus, Dylan responded saying, "Bu" before they even said the word!  Mrs Heelis said that Friday and Monday they had seen changes in him.  She said it is almost as if it has clicked that there is certain sounds to words, rather than just making a sound, if that makes sense.  For instance, when he wants a treat, he tells them "see see", but then when he saw the picture of the bus and responded, "bu".  I Love it!  I also love the excitement that the school staff showed that day!  It again made me realize and be very Thankful that he is where is and that is where he is meant to be.  I can see the love they have for my child and they are cheering him on and celebrating along with us with any improvement he makes!

SO as you can tell, I feel things are going really good right now and absolutely LOVE the direction things are going!  I hope we keep seeing more improvements and that hopefully everything is starting to really connect and we continue moving forward!  Then in a few weeks we go for more stem cells and I hope things really start taking off from there!

Dylan's school picture!  I really thought I would get a picture back with him looking to the side or screaming(not wanting to sit there) or no picture at all.  I must say I was pleasantly surprised when I got the picture.  He may not be smiling, but my oh my he is a handsome little guy!  Plus he is actually looking at the camera!

Mondays

Not a lot has been going on lately, other than getting a note from school saying they think he may have a cavity because he was crying when he had a fruit snack stuck on his back teeth and then when he ate hot food, good thing we have dentist appointments on Monday! Except for that causes stress wondering how in the world will they be able to fix it, because I REALLY don't want to sedate him.  We'll figure something out, right!

I have a hard time letting people take Dylan when they offer to help out because I know how busy he is and the last thing I want to do is pass that responsibilty on to someone else or better yet, have him destroy something of theirs!  Lacy had called me a month or so ago and had asked if they could take him one day a week and pick him up from school!  Knowing how crazy, busy she is plus she has 4 kids too, two of them being 2 years old, And she had had a surgery recently I had a hard time saying yes.  Not because I don't want him to spend time with them and get to know them but just as I mentioned above.  I remembered my Mom had told me that Lacy really wanted to help out and so I put my fears aside and accepted the offer!  Plus my Mom always gets after me because I don't like to accept help and tells me that Grandma Madge always told her that that is denying someone else a blessing when you won't let them help. They have taken him twice now and I can tell he is having a good time when I pick him up!  They tell me all they have done and I will admit it is probably more interaction than we get with him at times!  Not only is it good for Dylan to be with his Aunt and cousins without us around and get to know them better, it is good for them to be around Dylan and learn more about Autism.  It's a learning experience for us all and I am grateful for all the support we are given!  When we got home Brandon asked Dylan if he had fun.  Dylan responded with a very clear, "Yeah!"  That made my day hearing that!

Parent Teacher Conference

I went to Dylan's Parent Teacher Conference tonight and left feeling pretty good! He is doing pretty good but more like a snails pace, but good!  She said that he has matured since last school year and he is adjusting well to all day Preschool!  They are working on basic things such as: raise hand, clap hands, sit down, stand up, come here, matching colors and objects, etc.

 When she talked about "come here" she would get this grin on her face like she was imagining what he does.  She said she is certain he understands what she is asking him to do, but he slowly gets up and kind of pauses in the middle and looks at her as if "am I supposed to come now or wait for the push?"  By push she is talking about being "prompted" which they have done up until now, just give him a little nudge to help teach what they are working on.  They give them a reward, in Dylan's case FOOD, when they complete a task.  So she said it is as if he is saying, " I know I need to come to you to get that treat but am waiting for my cue!"  He is getting it though!

I was pleasantly surprised that most the things she was showing me had "mastered" written by it! All though they are super simple things, to us that is, they are BIG things for him.  This is things like eye contact, he has that mastered for 1 second so now they are moving on to 2 seconds.  Raise hand, with visual from teacher, so now rhey are trying without the teacher doing and just saying.  He has been matching objects and colors but by matching the teacher places one object on the table and gives him the exact same object and tells him "match same."  He has that down so they are moving on to placing two different objects on the table and then give him one that matches one of the objects and having him place it by the correct one.

So as you can see these and a few other things like this, are all simple but he is doing them and learning!  Slow and steady wins the race, right?  I can tell they enjoy him and love their job and I expressed my appreciation to them as well! We can not do this without them and Iam very Thankful for them!

On another note: Dyaln has been saying Mamamamama a lot lately and so I justtell him "yes I'm Mom. Thanks for saying Mom!" If that is actually what he is saying I am not sure, but I sure do love it!  His teacher was saying they are hearing him say different words(but couldn't think off the bat which words.  She said he says "seesee" for treat and she thinks he said "my turn" the other day), so I told her about the "Mom" thing.  Last year I gave them pictures of each of our family so they could work on identifying us all, so I figured they have been working on that.  She told me they haven't been working on it and she isn't sure if they have the pictures anymore, but wants me to get some more.  That ade me feel even better that he may be calling me by name and it is all on his own!

Sent Home from School

Dylan has had a few rough mornings lately and has been kind of sad.  I really didn't think much of it yesterday because I woke up around 4:00 and could hear him partying playing in his room.  I heard him until at least 4:30 but then I dozed off.  When he woke up the next morning and was a little cranky, I just figured he may be a little tired.  When he came home from school and the bus door opened he let out a little squeal of excitement.  The bus driver and his aide kind of laughed and said, "someone is excited to be home!"  I told them it was his brothers birthday and maybe he remembered there were presents in there to open(he had been trying all week) and today was the day.

When I looked in his backpack there was a note from the teacher saying he had had a rough day and was a little moody.  She wondered if he was getting sick?  I hadn't noticed anything to make me think that, but have been wondering if I should have him checked out from his fall off the monkey bars.  His thigh never swelled up or bruised even, but sometimes when I watch him walk it looks as if he is avoiding the left side a little bit.  So this made me wonder if he is cranky due to pain?

I sent him to school today because he seemed fine.  He didn't eat breakfast but did drink his apple juice.  Some days he just doesn't eat, so nothing out of the ordinary.  I got a call just before 11 and it was his teacher saying that she didn't think he was feeling well.  He was being moody again and just wasn't having any of it.  She said normally when they do things treats will get Dylan's attention REAL QUICK, but today and yesterday he just continued to cry.  As she was talking to me she said he was laying down on a little couch in the room.  I told her Boston got out of school at 11:25 so if it would be alright that I pick Dyl up after that, which she was fine with.  When I got there I could see through the window one of the teachers standing over a kid that was laying on the ground.  I kind of laughed thinking, "ok, he is giving them problems."  But then realized it wasn't my child and made me feel better, ha ha.

I walked into the room and Dylan jumped right off the couch, where he had stayed since I talked to his teacher almost and hour prior, and was ready to go.  He walked right over to me with a little smile and was heading out the door.  I talked to his teacher for a minute and brought up my concern about maybe needing to get him checked out from the fall, but am conflicted because there is no obvious signs of trauma, and she mentioned he has been a little more clumsy lately, so I still don't know what to do there.  Maybe he is a little sore, so I think I will watch it for a few more days?

Boston had wanted pizza and I needed to go to Costco so we headed over there.  Dylan seemed absolutely fine and I was starting to think that he has already mastered the skill of faking sick to get out of school.  He was fine all day and then around 5:30 he just turned really moody.  I wasn't able to do anything or figure out exactly what he wanted.  This went on for an hour and then it was time to take Boston to soccer, so Brandon took Dylan for a ride.  I didn't get home until he was in bed, so I am not sure how the rest of the night went.  I am not sure if I should send him to school tomorrow, or if I should keep him home.  I hate when they call me because he "might" be getting sick.  I can't keep him home everyday he "might" be sick because that could be a lot of days since he can't express himself.  Obviously, I would keep him home if he were sick and I knew it, but now I feel like I have to keep him home just so I don't get called tomorrow.  I guess we'll see how it is in the morning.  And who doesn't have those days where you just don't want to do anything, which is only intensified in these kids, right?

On another note:  On the Facebook group another parent mentioned (who's sons name is, ironically, Dylan) has had a rough couple of days where he is crying, yelling, frustrated and sad.  He just had the stem cells in the last month or two so we are further out.  But other than the yelling, this is a lot of what has been going on with Dylan.  I am wondering if we are reaching another push of the cells doing their work?  People have said it is like a roller coaster ride and you might think it is done and then all of a sudden something happens.  So just food for thought, we will see what the next little bit brings!  Maybe he is just getting sick like the teacher said, but maybe we have some activity going on in there!

To The Moon and Back

Brandon and I have really liked Luke Bryan's music since I was pregnant with Desi and so Brandon had his eye out for when he came to Utah.  Lucky for us he just came here and so we went and it was amazing!  Brandon is more obsessed with him than I am and is constantly looking him up on the internet and that is no lie, ha ha.

Any way, he came out with this new album and as I was listening to it the song "To the Moon and Back" came on and for some reason made me think of Dylan, of all people.  I think the words, Tears-Smiles, Clear- Muddy, Good- Ugly, Blue-Black, Crazy &Different- More of the same, Coast is Clear-Hurricane, etc and then I'll Be Right Beside You and To the ends of the Earth To the Moon and Back really stuck out.  As hard as this life is there is no way I could ever give up on my Dy-Dy!  

I have had several people say to me that they know someone with Autism and now that they are older you can't really tell!  I think "Great that gives me so much hope for his future!"  But then I also think, "I don't want him to be "normal" when he is older because he is a child and he deserves a good childhood, what about that?"  I remember reading(probably someones comment in the facebook group) that someone that has had that experience and was disappointed in the childhood they had because of this disability.  I don't want Dylan to look back on his life and one day look at me and tell me that he had a sad childhood.  That would literally kill me on the inside.

I think back to my childhood and the memories I have with my brothers and cousins!  I want Dylan to have that with his siblings and cousins!  The truth to this is I don't really have much of a relationship anymore with one of my brothers, so what if this happens to my children and Dylan never gets to look back and remember the fun times.  I want him to know that we are doing what we can to help fulfill that great childhood wish I have for him! We may not succeed but at least I can say I tried!

Playground Troubles!

Do you have one child, more than the others, that you would love to wrap up in a million miles of bubble wrap so that nothing happened to them(in my case, no head bonks)?  Dylan is my child and I am pretty sure I was probably my parents child because of my seizures, but I would love to never have to worry about Dylan hitting his head again.  I am not saying I don't care about my other children but if they bonk their head I just expect them to get up and shake it off and be on their way, no real concern(unless of course I could tell it was really serious then I would treat it as such).

Those exact thoughts ran through my mind tonight: "Why is Dylan the one falling off the monkey bars?  PLEASE do not land on your head?  Why couldn't it be one of the others?"  This may be sad to admit, but as I turned to see Dylan grab hold of the monkey bars, while I was on the opposite side of the playground asking Brielle to keep an eye on Desi because Dylan was on the other side and I needed to go over by him,  and took off because I knew it would not end well.  As I started bolting over he fell.  Those were my thoughts and boy was I thankful when he landed on his thigh and NOT his head.  He fell and landed awkwardly but most of the pressure had to be on his thigh and then he used his arm too and once that was over he face planted it! His head had been saved and that helped my anxiety more than anything.

I quickly picked him up and walked over to Brielle to have her grab Desi so we could go.  Brandon called to say Boston's game was over and so I told him what had happened.  Dylan just kept crying and seemed a little confused about what had happened, but I hadn't really assessed him to see what was going on.  By the time we got to Brandon and Boston, I put him down for a minute and he was able to stand but didn't really want to.  I gave him some water because his tongue was white and I think his body was in shock.  So we put him in the car and headed home.  Once we got home we started checking him over.  I noticed he kept grabbing the middle of his left forearm and really did not want to use it.  For the next 45 minutes we watched and pulled and twisted his arm and checked his legs and hips to see what we should do.  He kept crying out occasionally and seemed to be in pain.  That is what makes this so hard, because he can not tell us where he hurts or if he hurts or anything, so we have to play the guessing game.  There was no swelling but the fact that he kept crying and holding his arm we thought we should have him checked.

By now it was a little after 7 and the Instacare in Payson closed at 8 so we headed over there.  Brandon gave him the binky to calm him down and we were on our way.  I asked Brielle to kind of grab his arm and see how he acted and at first he didn't want her to touch it, but then all of a sudden he started using it and by the time we got to the Instacare he seemed ok.  We sat outside playing with his arm and shaking it and twisting it and he seemed alright, so we decided to hold off on the Dr visit.  We think he is a pretty tough boy and so for him to cry like he was is what concerned me, but then the binky is his source of comfort so he may have just been so worked up and the fall could have been so traumatic for him that he was scared, but having the binky eased his fear.  That or the binky blocked out his pain!  We will see how he is in the morning and go from there, but once we got home he was running around and seemed to be himself again.

Dylan is definitely my child that I need a million miles of bubble wrap for though!!! If he could go the rest of his life never getting hurt, I would not complain!  I know he is a little boy and he was just doing something someone his age should but still I would much rather this not happen.  Or if he would at least wait until I was there to help him.

Home Depot EMERGENCY!

A few weeks ago Dylan figured out how to open a window in the basement and the screen isn't in there very tight, so he pushed right through it and loves to keep doing it.  I have been a nervous wreck for the time he figures out the one in his bedroom, but luckily it was a little harder to open.  Until last night!

I went to a Kindergarten Literacy Night thing for Boston's class and came back home around 7.  Brandon greeted me by saying he has some good news, some bad news and some terrible news and which did I want to hear first.  I went straight for the Terrible news, of course.  That terrible news was that Dylan had figured out how to open his window.  I immediately said  to load up the kids so we could go get some sort of window locks, because knowing how Dylan is he would be out that window in no time once we put him in his room for the night.  I already checked his window 10 times every night(maybe not that many but I keep looking to make sure he is in his room) so I would be a nervous wreck if we put him in there knowing he had figured out the window.  In case you are wondering the good news was the kids were bathed and the bad news, I don't remember because the terrible news was on my mind ha ha.

We loaded the kids up and went to Home Depot and laughed as we walked in because if there was a "People of Home Depot" page like the Walmart page, we would have been on it.  The kids in their pajamas and their hair in their face from washing and brushing the hair.  We looked like we fit right in at the store, ha ha.  Or we stuck out like a sore thumb is more like it!  We asked a worker where to find such device and he guided us down the aisle.  Another worker was there and made some type of comment and Brandon mentioned we had a small emergency.  I quickly turned around and explained our emergency and he laughed but also understood the importance of why we were there and helped us find what we were looking for!

We got home and put it right on and we had a peaceful night!  However, I still get nervous and checked at least 3 times to make sure the window was in tact!  I always check on him before I go to bed and make sure he is safe inside his room and that he is in a comfortable position!  Hopefully this last a while and he doesn't figure it out any time soon!