Ring out the old, ring in the new!

2012 Here we come!!
This is probably my last post for 2011 and I have been reflecting on all that has happen this past year. This year has had many ups and downs and honestly has been the most difficult of my life. Just this week God has reminded me again that He is in control, and guiding us every step of the way. I have had great news. I received notice that Aidan will be receiving funding for RDI through the regional center, which is a huge financial help. I also have an appointment with one of the top DAN! docs in the country, who has a wellness center just for children with autism. Dr. Jerry Kartzinel authored a book with Jenny McCarthy on autism as well as treated her son Evan. I feel very blessed that we were able to get in with him. I also received Aidan's diagnostic report yesterday and it stated that Aidan's cognitive skills were at 27 months and his receptive and expressive language at 18 and 19 months. Wow! Just 9 months ago he was reported to be at a 3 to 6 month level in these same categories. Look how far we have come in just 9 months! It has taken a lot of hard work, but it paid off. I look forward to seeing this continued improvement in 2012!

I am excited to ring in a new year full of blessings and it will only continue to get better from here. As I conclude, I want to share a few statements I find encouraging.

"Never waste time asking yourself "why me?" Instead ask "why not me?".

"Run away from toxic people. Instead surround yourself with others who support you and want you to succeed".

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trial of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything". James 1:2-4

2012 is going to be a fantastic year!

Poop!

The discussion of poop has been quite common in our household these days. It is a well known fact that children with autism have some major G.I. issues. There has been some scientific studies which prove this. We have dealt with loose bowels most of Aidan's first two years of life, and then we finally got his gut back on track. Out of the blue these last two weeks he has been severely constipated. This is absolutely no fun for any of us, especially him. We have tried, prunes, apple juice, laxatives, etc. We even had to give him several enemas which were incredibly traumatic for him. He had the shakes and sweats, when he was trying to push it out, as well as screaming out in pain. It was incredibly difficult to watch him go through this and to be honest it took away my own appetite for days. We now seem to be out of the woods thanks to depositories and Miralax. Those two combinations have really made a difference.

After these last two weeks of thinking about poop every minute of the day, I am relieved to think of a wonderful Christmas ahead and Aidan can enjoy opening his presents without out feeling like poop. No pun intended.

The Family Bonds

The insensitivity certain family members have shown to Aidan's autism continues to astound me. I feel that the hardening of a person's heart is the only thing that could allow such behavior. Especially to an innocent child such as Aidan, as well as two parents who are suffering through this diagnosis.

I received an incredibly condescending email today from family members regarding Aidan's autism. The beginning of the email lifted themselves up by professing themselves to be loving encouragers these last several months, rather than dismissing my concerns of Aidan even having autism. Yes these are the same individuals who I quote told me "Aidan does not have autism". I have written about these people in my previous blogs and they continue to spew their hurtful venom. Not only are they now making themselves out to be martyrs, but they mock my son's diagnosis. The final blow to this message was the discussion of vaccines. Mind you I have never said I am against vaccines, but I do feel they have played a role in Aidan's autism. I was told in this email, that I do not know the cause for Aidan's autism. How dare they!!!!!!! Who has the right to tell a mother who knows her child better than anyone and has watched his development day by day since the moment of his birth. How dare speak for me, or for the thousands of mother's who feel the same way I do.

Unfortunately the bonds of family can be destroyed by many things and this happens everyday. Infidelity, lies, divorce, betrayal, disease, and in this case autism. It just astounds me that these bonds have been broken by the same people who have once claimed to love Aidan. Aidan will fortunately never know these people because they will never see him again...........except maybe one day when he graduates college and they are lucky enough to get a picture of his face in the mail. I will continue to pray for the hearts of those who have hurt us so badly, and that they may feel remorse for their actions. As this year comes to an end, it is amazing to see the journey I have been on. I know in the depths of my heart that I can hold my head high as a mother. I have put my armor on as a true mommy warrior and nobody will ever take that from me. I WILL win this battle and I WILL honor my son in doing so. He is most important through all this, and that is a BOND that they will never break.

Aidan's Diagnosis

We had Aidan's diagnostic psych evaluation done a couple days ago, and he was diagnosed with autism. I knew this day was coming, but it still felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. This diagnosis is really for the best because it allows us to get lots more funding for Aidan's services as well as gives us more opportunities for better services. The Doctor felt that Aidan was on the milder side of autism, but because these are the exact children who fall through the cracks, she wanted to make sure she diagnosed him with full autism rather than ASD. She definitely noticed all the improvement from the previous evaluation she did last spring. She also encouraged me to feel free to come back when he is five and have this diagnosis reversed, which I fully plan on doing. I have so much hope and will never give up on my son. I have already watched miraculous changes in him since we started this journey, and I know that this diagnosis will allow us even more opportunities to recover Aidan. When I feel the stabbing pain in my heart that autism has caused I also remind myself that my strength and love for my son is more powerful that any disease. Most of all I know that God will empower me to do anything and defeat this for my child. I love you my son and I will never give up.