Happy Holiday!

Its hard to believe another Christmas has come and gone. The year goes by way to fast now! Both kids enjoyed Christmas. Santa had a hard time coming up with gifts this year for them. They both have all the electronics, so its getting harder and harder each year to be creative with gifts!

Britney got a few BIG gifts. Santa gave her an early present this month. She went to see Miley Cyrus with Kevin. They had great seats. They sat 3 rows from the stage! Britney was so happy!! She also got a cat. So far Sophie is behaving and has not charged the cat.

Tyler got some DS games, Candy Land game, The Zippity from Leapster. He has been feeling a little under the weather lately, so hopefully he will feel better to play some of these games this week.

I got a beautiful diamond/sapphire ring and my Mr. Coffee Frappe maker. Kevin got a back massager, storage caddy for his phone, keys & wallet. He also got an automatic change machine and last but not least shaving stuff!

The tree and decorations are down till next year already!

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

From our house to yours, we wish you all a Happy and safe Thanksgiving!

Happy 8th Birthday Tyler!!

Its hard to believe that my sweet boy is 8 years old today! Tyler has changed our lives in so many ways. We can't imagine our lives without him. Even though autism has taken so much from us, the one thing it will never take is our love for eachother. We all hope you have a great day baby boy.

We love you!

Momma, Daddy, and Britney x0x0x0

Why Is It So Hard!

So we are still trying to get Tyler potty trained. We just keep missing everytime he needs to go! I have woken up the past 5 mornings and Tyler has had huge messes. I just don't know why its so hard for us and Tyler to get it all done! I have a potty chart on the wall just like at school. He will read all the steps but when it comes to actually "going," he won't do it! Tyler will be 8 in a few weeks and I just can't take this anymore! I want him to be in underwear and be able to go to the bathroom independently. This is yet another example of how autism can affect your child's life and yours. If it would only just click in his head. I wonder what "pieces" of this puzzle he is still not understanding. I pray this is over soon!!!!!

Autism Speaks Video

Here is a video that was posted by Autism Speaks. Be sure to pause my playlist so you can hear the video....

Waves of Grief

For the past few weeks, I have been suffering from waves of grief.

Last Friday was when it all started to hit me again. Tyler's class was having a Halloween celebration/Pizza party at school. I went down to help out and bring some cookies in for the class. As the kids were eating their pizza and starting to decorate cookies, we were told to get ready for the monthly fire drill. We were getting the kids ready to exit the class when all of a sudden, comes the blaring sound of the alarm. Tyler lost it! Screaming, tears, just scared out of his mind! As we were making our way to the parking lot, I asked the paras if he is always like this and they said no. Maybe its because I was there and he was looking for reassurance from me. I don't know. Once we got the all clear to go back inside, he was still freaked out. I calmed him down to an extent and ended up taking him home early.

Monday morning things were fine getting the kids up and ready for school. Once I got Ty to school, the tears began to fall again. He was fine all weekend and I wasn't sure if he was getting sick. I left him and got a call from the teacher that he was still crying and not eating anything. She said he kept looking at the fire alarm box in the class and would cry and "wait" for it to go off again. My poor little man was still freaked out! Maybe he is more sensitive to the sounds around him now.

He was fine today. Every morning when I pull away, we wave goodbye and he waits till I'm out of sight to head to class. He was waving and smiling this morning, so maybe he's forgetting about it--until next month!

This is just another wave of grief that I have been experiencing on my journey with autism. My son has great days, months and then something like this sets him back.

Another thing that is bothering me is how people can just totally ignore the fact that my son exists. People need to realize that my son has feelings too and even though he can't express them, he still feels them. My son is so special to me and it hurts to see people just brush him off like a piece of gum on a shoe.

Its just been a bad few weeks and I want it all to be over!

Update on Us

Tyler is doing great! He is thriving more and more each day with his academics and has done fairly well with his general ed. pull out experience so far. He has been going with 2nd graders. This not only is going to improve his academics, but will also improve his social skills. I am so amazed at my little guy. He continues to surprise me every day!

Britney is riding the bus now to and from school. She's a "big girl" now..LOL! She is getting better academically as well. She is always wanting to write words and make notes and things. She's too funny. She is taking dance classes 2 times a week. Monday nights she has hip hop and on Saturday, she has tap and ballet.

I am still working at Animal Kingdom. Things are really slow. Its most likely due to the economy and the recent ticket price raise. I have been getting 1 day a week basically all summer. I actually have 2 days next week! I just might break the $50 a week paycheck...WHOO HOO!!

Sorry its been so long since i've posted. Things have been crazy with the home improvements and the back to school routines.

Home Improvements Part 2

Home Improvements

Here is part 1 of some home improvement photos that we did over the summer. Part 2 to follow.

Its Been So Long!

It has been so long since I have posted but we have had a busy summer!

Britney finished her summer dance classes last week and she liked it so much that we have signed her up for classes in the fall. I'm glad we found something to keep her occupied for a few hours a week.

Tyler is doing well. He continues to talk more each day, even if most of it is repeating what you have just said to him..LOL! We are still tackling the potty training with him. I cannot wait until I can put this terrible task behind me!

As far as me, I am still working at Disney. I am lucky to get one day a week some times, but I will take what I can get I guess.

We are renovating the house. We just finished ripping out the wall to wall carpet and replaced it with porcelain tile. We got the kids bunk beds and re did their rooms. Our next project will be gutting our master bath and doing that over. That demo will start this Tuesday. It will be nice when its all done.

We have the landscapers coming today to take out all the old bushes and replace with new bushes and flowers. I am not a green thumb by any means, so its nice to admire the work when its done and know I have the easy part which is to water it, or let mother nature do her thing to help with watering as well.

So, sorry its been so long. I will post pictures of our completed projects in the next few weeks!

Slideshow of Disney Cruise

Last Week of School!

We are officially starting our last week of school. I can't believe the year is already over!

Tomorrow, they are doing kindergarten awards at Britney's school. I still don't know if they are supposed to dress up or not. I will find out in the morning and bring a dress for her in the afternoon.

Wednesday, Tyler's class is performing Twinkle Twinkle in the school talent show. Later that afternoon, I will be heading to Britney's school to celebrate her birthday with the class, along with the end of the year class party. One of the other moms is bringing pizzas in.

I still have to find out what to get for the teachers and paras too at some point. That might be Tuesday's mission.

Thursday, Britney will be 6. I am taking her on a 3 day Disney cruise. She is so excited! I ordered a princess bath set to be waiting for her in our room when we arrive. At dinner that night, there will be a birthday cake and singing for her.

Kevin will be staying home w/Tyler doing guy things. They are thinking of going to SeaWorld Aquatica and to the Orlando Magic/LA Lakers playoff game.

I will post pics when I get back.

Meeting Went Well

Yesterday morning, I went to Tyler's IEP meeting.

Tyler has had great progress this year. He has excelled in math and reading and loves both subjects alot!

All of his goals have been met for the year and the teacher even had to come up with a few more to finish out the school year.

I made my own goals that I wanted to implement for next year. All of my goals that I wanted to add, had already been placed by the teachers and therapists, so I was happy.

We will be trying out mainstreaming Tyler for math and reading next year. He will be in 2nd grade, but with his delays, he will be in a regular 1st grade class for those. He might be a little more advanced to begin the school year, but I will take it. He will also be mainstreamed for block activities like music, library, computers as well. Tyler is at the point now where I think he CAN handle these changes. I don't want to hold my buddy back. We will try the mainstreaming and if all works out, we will increase his mainstreaming in other subjects for 3rd grade.

All in all, I think our meeting went well!!

Explorations V Field Trip

Today Britney's class went to the Explorations V Children's Museum for their field trip. The kids made volcanoes from clay and made them erupt. The kids thought it was really cool. They got to keep the volcanoes and we now can make one at home from directions they put on the packages.

The kids had a lot of fun playing with different things throughout the museum. I think the thing the kids enjoyed most was grocery shopping and dancing on the stage.

On the way back to school, most of the kids took naps so it was quiet for a few minutes. The kids got bag lunches that they ate in the classroom once we got back. They were all starving from all the playing!

It was a fun day and I'm glad I got to share it with my girl!

Am I Really Reading This?

I received this link from Tyler's teacher from last year and wanted to share with everyone...

Autism researchers announce breakthrough in identifying gene
Autism researchers at UM and other universities announced a genetic breakthrough that could lead to improved treatment and prevention of the disorder.
BY FRED TASKER
ftasker@MiamiHerald.com
Researchers say they have found the first piece of the genetic puzzle that could lead to greatly improved diagnosis, treatment and even prevention of autism.

A multi-university team, which included the University of Miami School of Medicine, has identified a gene associated with autism, according to a report published Tuesday in the peer-reviewed medical journal Nature.

It may be only one of as many as 50 genes involved, and environmental factors are also involved, but Margaret Pericak-Vance, director of UM's Institute for Human Genomics, says the discovery could lead to practical results within a decade.

''Things are moving so fast, in the next five years or so you can see some of this information being translated maybe into prediction, even therapies,'' she said.

Therapies that would prevent autism are ''farther down the pike,'' she said.

The study is a collaboration of the UM institute, Vanderbilt University, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the University of Washington in Seattle and the University of California, Los Angeles.

In the study, research teams visited a dozen sites around the country and studied more than 10,000 subjects, including individuals with autism spectrum disorder, family members and volunteers without the disorder.

Autism is a serious developmental problem that usually appears before age 3, affecting a child's ability to communicate and interact with others. Experts believe autism affects as many as one in 150 children in the United States, making it one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders.

The apparent culprit is a gene involved in making connections among cells in the developing brain, the study said.

Diagnosing autism is often difficult because it manifests itself in different ways in different children. Treatment and therapies also are in flux. Some focus on reducing problem behaviors, while others set up highly structured educational programs or rely on drugs. Getting a firmer grasp on autism's genetic makeup could make drug therapies much more effective, Pericak-Vance said.

Because individuals with autism vary so widely, many autism researchers had doubted that common genetic factors ever would be found. The breakthrough was possible because of the mapping of the human genome, a 15-year project by hundreds of genetics researchers completed in 2003, which identified and mapped the 25,000 or so genes that control and operate the human body.

It also was assisted by cutting-edge technology -- a lightning-fast, $1 million-plus ''Illumina Platform,'' an ungainly machine that used computer chips to compare, contrast and analyze thousands of genetic-factor samples from the 10,000 test subjects.

Pericak-Vance has been instrumental in gene research, making similar discoveries about the genetic background of Alzheimer's disease in 1993, multiple sclerosis in 2000 and macular degeneration in 2005.

She is one of nearly 50 top researchers recruited from Duke University by UM Medical School dean Pascal Goldschmidt, who in turn was recruited from Duke by UM president Donna Shalala in 2006 as part of Shalala's $1 billion program to create the Institute of Human Genomics to boost UM's reputation as a research institution.

Thomas Lehner, branch chief of the Genomics Research Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health, which was not part of the study, called the finding ``exciting.''

''The more we understand the biology of autism, the more likely we are to find treatments that may lead to prevention,'' he said.

Autism is one of the most genetically complex disorders, Pericak-Vance said.

Unlike breast cancer, which in some cases can be strongly predicted by the existence of a single gene, autism may be caused by up to 50 genes interacting with each other, the prenatal and postnatal environment and lifestyle.

''Now it might be possible to see if different children respond differently to various therapies -- both drug therapies and behavioral therapies -- so you don't have to go through so much trial and error,'' she said.

Pericak-Vance compared the discovery to solving a jigsaw puzzle -- with the first gene identified, others will be easier to place.

``You think you have a 100-piece puzzle, and then it turns out to be a 1,000-piece puzzle, and you throw it on the table and you go crazy because you can't find anything. Then you find a corner piece, and then the outside rim starts falling into place.

``Well, we've got a big corner piece now.''

Happy Easter!!!

I hope everyone had a Happy Easter. I worked until 1 this afternoon, so we had our Easter dinner around 4. It was yummy! We had ham, my homemade mac and cheese and rolls. Tyler had peanut butter toast. He has a real bad cough/cold so he will be staying home tomorrow to recouperate. The kids had fun looking for their hidden eggs and seem to enjoy the gifts the Easter Bunny left for them.

Another weekend behind us and waiting for the new crazy week to begin.

Eye Exam

I took Tyler for an eye exam this afternoon.

When school started this year, the county did check ups on all the kids. I received a blue form in the mail and it stated that Ty had a "possible" vision problem. I hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary at home, but his teacher said that he likes to be on her lap reading books. I went to set up the appointment last week, but needed a few days for Tyler's insurance to get the referral to the doctor's office. When I set the appointment up, I told them that Tyler was autistic and COULD NOT do a standard eye exam. I was told they would have pictures for him to look at. Well, today they try to measure his eyes, dialate them, have him read lines..NO GO! We were able to get some drops in his eyes and the doctor was kind of rude. I told the doctor, again, that Tyler was autistic and that is why he was playing with everything in the exam room. The doctor backed off and did what he needed to do and let Tyler "play" with the eye chart buttons when we were done. Based on what the doctor saw, he said Ty's vision is 20/25! No glasses for Tyler..thank god! I don't know how he would have worn glasses. He hates things on his face/eyes! Tyler will go back in a year for another check up.

Britney is next. I received a blue form for her b/c she has a lazy eye and the county is freaking about it. Makes you wonder how "accurate" the tests at school are. I know she has a lazy eye, and I had one when I was younger too. I just had to do eye exercises. I was without glasses till I was 13, so hopefully my kids can hold off till they are in their teens too!

One down, one to go!

April 2nd, World Autism Awareness Day

Please take the time today to think of Tyler and the other children who are affected by this disability. The cases are growing second to second each day. There is no cure for autism. I just hope with all the research going on, we can hopefully have a cure for autism and have our little boy back.

Giving It Another Try

Today when I got home with the kids, Kevin was on his computer. He called Britney over to talk to her. He was showing her the dancing school that she went to before and dropped out. He was thinking of some things that she could do over the Summer so she won't be bored and to get her to socialize more. At first, she was apprehensive but he convinced her to go down to the school and check it out again.

They just got back and we have paid for her to take 2 classes a week. If she likes it, and dosen't drop out this time, we will see about getting her in classes during school.

The first time she went, she was 3 and was about to start school. Now that she is older and knows some kids, she might enjoy it now.

So, we are going to give it another try and see what happens.

She is like her mother in the dancing aspect. When I was younger, I did the same thing and dropped out. I freaked because I could not do a somersault..LOL! I know Britney will be better than me!

A+

Yesterday while I was looking through the kids backpacks, I found some papers that Tyler had done. He had a math test and he got all the problems right! The teacher even put an A+, 100% and a huge smiley face on the paper. It even looks like he wrote the answers all by himself! Tyler really LOVES math and reading and is good at it. I am hoping we can have him pulled out for those subjects next year. I am constantly amazed at my sons ability of things he CAN do and not so much on his disability. He has come such a long way and I know he has it in him to succeed. Days like this make me so hopeful for his future. We are proudly displaying the perfect test paper on the front of the refrigerator!

Its Been A While

Things have been crazy around here for the past month. I was in a car accident on January 30th. My car is still being fixed. I am seeing a chiropractor for my back and neck that was hurt in the accident. I have a rental until my car is back with me. I am still really nervous driving. I probably will be for a long time!

Sophie had her puppies on Thursday. She needed a c-section. She was a few days overdue and was getting big. Its a good thing we took her for the surgery because when the vet was getting the pups out, he said there was 2 pups stuck in her birth canal and they were losing fluid. We are happy to report that all of the pups made it--10 to be exact! Kevin is getting up with the pups every 3-4 hours throughout the night. During the day, Britney helps out when she is home. It will be a long few weeks before the pups can eat on their own and things can get back to normal a little.

We went away on a 4 day Bahama cruise last week. The kids had a blast in Coco Cay. They went down a 40 ft water slide and had fun climbing on the inflatable climbers in the water. I was sick before, during and a little still now with a bad cold. I wish I could have enjoyed myself a little more, but that's how it is.

Here is a few pics of the kids at Coco Cay...

Busy, Busy, Busy

Its been a busy couple of weeks around our house.

The kids have been off from school since Friday. They were both not feeling well on Friday and then they had yesterday off due to MLK b-day and today was a teacher work day. They will have a short week this week. Its been one LONG weekend!

I have been lucky to get 1 day a week now working, so I am very close to looking elsewhere. I go back this Friday for a 6 hour shift and then NO hours at all next week!

Today we had the carpet in our bedroom ripped out and replaced with porcelain tile. We also re-did our master bath tile to match. Kevin and I are camping out on couches and kids floors for the night. We will be able to sleep in our room again tomorrow night once the floor is grouted tomorrow.

We got a new toilet as well b/c the one we have now has a mind of its own and will keep running sometimes. I am probably gonna look for a new countertop for the bathroom too. I will have a ton of cleaning to do, but once everything is back in its place, things will look nice.

As you can tell, things around here are busy, busy, busy!

Happy New Year!

Just wanted to wish my family and friends a Happy New Year!

2008 was a good year for the kids. Tyler has come such a long way. He is amazing me more and more each day. I am hopeful that 2009 will be just as amazing for him. I can't believe he is already 7 years old. Where has the time gone? Britney is the typical 5 year old. Wants/needs everything! She is a great little sis to Tyler. She has contributed to his successes this year too. She has taught him how to play together and its wonderful to see that he is responding in such a typical way with her.

I hope everyone had a great 2008 and has an even better 2009 too!