Busy, Busy, Busy...

One out of office auto reply and and a 'while I am away' statement to write and I am officially on vacation until next Wednesday. So, if I don't reply to your email it's because I don't plan to log in again for at least a few days. I will see your email on my phone though!!

I am looking forward to this break from work, school and our hectic regular routine. It will be nice to wake up early to make a big breakfast tomorrow for our friend Ekwensi who is coming to see us in the morning. It will be great to see Dyan for lunch and even making some exchanges sounds nice...just the boys and me.

There is still wrapping to do and cards to be mailed, but I am looking forward to relaxing while I complete these 'to do' items!

After my last blog update I received a phone call from Theresa Pauca, she is Victor's mom. Victor also has Pitt Hopkins Syndrome (PTHS). It was really wonderful to speak with her and to visit about our sweet boys. I am just blown away by thier similarities. They look alike, the like the same things, they have similar sleep patterns, it is just wild. If you want to read more about it, go to http://www.pitthopkins.org/ and if you go to the bottom left of the screen you can click on Victor's run, from there you can find Victor's blog. Note the shirt Victor is wearing...I just bought that same shirt for Eli! Even the PTHS mother's think alike!

Here is the next excerpt from my May 2007 message:
By 15 months Eli could sit up by himself. Eli’s hearing improved dramatically once tubes were inserted in both ears at about 18 months. By 2 Eli was weight bearing on his legs and could take steps with support. By 2 ½ he started crawling on all fours. He got his first pair of glasses when he was nearly 3 and had surgery in November 2006 to correct his ability to focus with both eyes equally. By 3 1/2 Eli could crawl everywhere, he walked with support and started making verbalizations. Eli is now 4 1/2. He can take over 30 independent steps. His communication skills have increased. He is more aware of his environment and wants to be engaged with our family and his friends. We had a milestone day last month. For the first time ever, Eli and I walked down our long gravel driveway to get the mail. A total thrill!

12-21-10: He can now walk around without support. His receptive language is significantly improved. He communicates with us through gestures (hands me his cup if he wants more to drink), claps for more, laughs a lot, gives unsolicited hugs, blows kisses and often will wave good bye.

In late April, 2005, I was to the breaking point in trying to work full time, take care of my family and do the extras for Eli that would allow me to sleep at night. Balance became a primary objective for me. In June, 2005 I started taking advantage of FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) on an intermittent basis. I reduced my work week and consequently my pay at an equal percentage, but by having Thursdays off to interact with Eli’s therapists and teachers, and to take him to the other therapies, I became much better able to support his continued development and give him every opportunity at our disposal.

In September 2009, the FMLA policy at Sprint changed. I had to go back to working full time or use my vacation time vs. time without pay. Since I don’t consider doing therapy with my son vacation, nor do I want to miss family vacations, I went back to work full time at Sprint. I still go to Eli’s school each week during his PT/OT or Speech Therapy sessions and it has worked out well. Plus, it was nice to go back to my full salary. Eli is in all day Kindergarten now and doesn’t need mom quite as much as he once did. God’s perfect timing, again!

Eli has transitioned beautifully from the Douglas County program to the Baldwin City Preschool program offered by our school district. He is essentially getting 12 hours of therapy a week at school plus the work we do at daycare, at home, through Hippo Therapy, Interactive Metronome Therapy and Mom facilitated Aqua Therapy. Oh, and we are part of an Augmentative Speech devise research program through the Life Span Institute at KU.

12-21-10: Now that Eli is in school full time he is now getting essentially 30 hours of therapy each week at school plus the work we do at home.

Since April 2005 I have been writing down the lessons the Lord has taught me. Tonight, I am going to share them with you. I believe that the Lord has me here to communicate what I have learned through this experience with all of you. I can honestly tell you that I know God has placed me exactly where He wants me. He gave me the husband he wanted me to have, he personally selected my children for me, and He moved us to the wonderful town onto our little piece of heaven on earth. Our lives are far from perfect from the world’s view, but I know that God’s plan is perfect.

Until next time...may God hold you in the palm of his hand!

At the end of this new day...

In 7.5 years we have not known why Eli is the way he is. We have seen specialist after specialist, changed his diet, filled him with supplements, B12 shots and chelation therapy, but it was all part of a guessing game. This diagnosis is a really big deal. Today is only day 1...I really have no idea what it really means to our family, but I know it is big.

So far today I have decided a two things:

1) This genetic test confirmed that I did nothing wrong...even though I know I didn't and that I did everything right that was within my control, this genetic diagnosis takes it completely out of my hands. It is also confirmation that God created Eli exactly how he was supposed to be and that it is a privilege to have been chosen to be Eli's mother. Not that I didn't already think this...but now I have confirmation.

2) I am grateful to have learned a few years ago that "you can only absorb the information when you can absorb the information". So I don't have to go through the guilt of beating myself up for not having done the genetic test sooner. In fact, I am so glad we didn't. I wouldn't have learned all I have learned over these years. I wouldn't have met the people I have met or become the person I have become.

It's a whole new day!

Last night as I was brushing my teeth before heading to Blake's vocal music program, I received a call from Dr. Hughes.

...Let's back up...a few months ago my mom told me to be sure to watch the episode of Extreme Makeover Home Edition. I was busy and didn't even get the message until it was over. Mom and her friend Diane really wanted me to watch it specifically because of the little boy who was in the family. He had Prader-Willi Syndrome. The next day Scott sent me a link about the syndrome and we both agreed it wasn't Eli. However, it did prompt me to search a bit further. I found a hypotonia center in Maryland at John's Hopkins. I sent that to Scott. It noted that there are over 400 syndromes where hypotonia is a characteristic. Scott read many of the syndrome descriptions and found one that sounded like Eli. 22Q13 was the name. I crafted an email to send to Dr. Hughes and Dr. Brown to ask them to find out more and specifically to direct us regarding the specific tests required to determine if Eli in fact has this syndrome. After a few weeks and a visit to Dr. Hughes (I think this was just after school started in August), we received a call from the genetics department at Children's Mercy. A week or so later we received an official order for a blood draw. The Friday after Thanksgiving we went to Children's Mercy South to have Eli's blood drawn for these tests. Now we are back to last night...

Dr. Hughes told me that the test results were in. They showed that Eli doesn't have 22Q13, but that he has Pitt Hopkins Syndrome. I had to leave after the phone call to get to the music program so though I wanted to head directly to my computer, I didn't. However, while waiting for the program to begin, I looked it up on my phone. There are many sites that talk about the definition of the syndrome, but the one I have found most comprehensive is http://www.pitthopkins.org/ This is a website started by 2 moms of boys with PTHS. It is a family network. I have submitted a membership application and was approved.

I think I will start at today and each time I post I will also write about something I have learned while on this journey. I am pasting in an excerpt from the message I delivered to the ladies of our church in May 2007. I will post a bit each time...no one wants to read my whole 'book' in one blog post.

Lighthouse Baptist Church Mother/Daughter banquet May 2007
In keeping with the theme, I will first confess that I am not an athlete. I do admire those who participate in team sports and exercise regularly with great joy, but I am not part of that group. I can’t tell you, beyond the obvious, what is required to win a race. I don’t know how to break down the elements of a training program to even run a race. However, I can tell you about endurance, strength and victory through Jesus Christ.

-I inserted some updates throughout to bring this to present day -Just before my 40th birthday on July 30, 2010, I started walking more consistently. It is December now and I get up 3 X per week to work out at 6AM. I can now run over 1 mile!!! This is a huge accomplishment for me. Per the above, 3 years ago I knew nothing about running a race. Now I am training for one. My goal is to run 3.25 miles in less than 30 minutes. I am doing what I never even imagined I would want to do and I love it. If I didn’t I would NEVER get up at 6AM to go do it.

My name is Amy Adamson and I am 37 years old (now 40 years old). I am your typical first born, type A personality. I have always set goals and achieved most of them. I graduated high school, went to Kansas State University, graduated in four years, got my first position with Sprint before I graduated, moved to KC, bought a car, bought a house, got married, had a child, built a house in the country, had another child…life was working out just as I had planned! Of course there were some bumps along the way; there were jobs I applied for and didn’t get, my husbands career changed from roofing contractor to computer genius (which was accompanied by a student loan and some serious anxiety), your basic dose of ‘marriage is not quite as easy as I thought it would be’ and oh…my second child has an undiagnosed developmental delay that has changed my world!

I have been married to my husband, Scott, for 11 (14) years. Scott and I both come from middle class Christian homes and we have known each other since high school. We are Missouri kids from Jefferson City. We have two children, Blake, who is 9 (12) and Eli is 4 (7). I have worked for Sprint for nearly 16 (19) years.

Scott and I were married in November of 1996 and in April of 1998 we found out that we were going to have our first child. Although I was a bit nervous, I had an overwhelming since of gratitude. I prayed for my unborn child and thanked God over and over for giving us the opportunity to raise one of His children. I feel compelled to mention that having Blake molded me into a more calm and patient person than I ever imagined possible. He brought a joy to my life that could never have been explained to me in words. All the moms in the room…you know what I mean. My heart grew so much that it often seemed it was beating outside my chest.

Many things transpired over the next few years, including our move to Baldwin City in May 2002 to our new home in the woods. Remember, we are Missouri kids living in Kansas…we NEEDED trees!! A dream had been fulfilled.

In addition to wanting to get out of the city, another motivator for the move was to have more space to bring another child into our home. On June 27th, 2003, Elijah James was born. Aside from the challenges that all new and growing families go through, we knew we were very blessed.

It was at Blake’s 5th birthday party in December 2003 that we realized things weren’t quite right with Eli. He was 6 months old and still wasn’t sitting up on his own. After a few more visits to our family doctor we were referred to two different neurologists, one at KU Med and the other at Children’s Mercy. We saw them both. Ultimately, there only conclusion was that Eli is hypotonic, which means he has low muscle tone.

I had never even heard of Hypotonia. Hypotonia involves decreased muscle tone. Infants with hypotonia seem floppy and feel like a "rag doll". Hypotonic infants rest with their elbows and knees loosely extended, while infants with normal tone tend to have flexed elbows and knees. Head control may be poor or absent in the floppy infant with the head falling to the side, backward, or forward. Infants with normal tone can be lifted with the parent's hands placed under the armpits, while hypotonic infants tend to slip between the hands as the infant's arms rise unresistingly upward.

The doctors couldn’t tell us why Eli was hypotonic or give any diagnosis. I am sure you can understand how news of this nature would impact a parent. There is something wrong with my child, no one can tell me what caused it or what we can expect. They said, “The possibility exists that he will grow out of it, so just keep doing what you are doing.” In addition to enrolling Eli in the Douglas County Infant/Toddler services which allowed us to work with a Physical Therapist, an Occupational Therapist, a Speech Therapist, a dietitian and an Early Childhood development teacher, I think I held my breath for the next 16 months. After much prayer and begging the Lord for a miracle, I decided I had better quit holding my breath. I realized that God did not just choose me to be Eli’s mom, but He chose Eli to be MY son. I realized that there were probably some lessons I should be learning through this experience.


More later...was going to load some pictures...but couldn't get it to work...will try again later

Our Mother's Day weekend...one week early

Today was a REALLY great day! We are celebrating our traditional "Slave labor Mother's Day project" (as Scott jokingly calls it) this weekend rather than next because Scott's rugby team made the playoffs (for the first time since 2001 I might proudly add) and he will be in Austin, TX all of next weekend.

I got up late (hallelujah) around 7:54 AM. I know this cause I set my alarm to go off at 7:55 AM. I didn't want to forget to make the corn for a funeral dinner at our church...I am part of the meal ministry and this was my first assignment! Corn for 25, delivered before 10AM!

Eli was up, of course, but he was in the kitchen knocking on the table...this was odd. He always comes directly to our room (or at least after playing for a few minutes in his room after waking). When I got up and went to the kitchen I knew why...Spooky was sleeping in our doorway. Poor kid...he knows the dog doesn't like him...so he was trying to get our attention. OM GOODNESS...Please Lord, let Eli talk!! I will quickly teach him to say, "Spooky, move!"

So, I got all the cans of corn. Blake was up now and he agreed to open all the cans for me. After last weekend's trip to Home Depot to get pavers, bricks and wall blocks (with Blake) my wrist is giving me trouble. Anyway, got the corn on (BTW...we don't eat canned corn...but this is for the masses, not my children!), took Eli to the potty (and he went), changed his clothes, brushed teeth, washed hands and got him a drink then sent him to his dad! Showered quickly and took the corn to the church. I stopped at the Baldwin City Market for some produce, then to the Arrowhead Hardware store for mulch. I just couldn't do it...almost $5 per bag for cypress mulch...that was over $2 per bag more than Home Depot...I needed at least 12 bags...$24 was too much more! So, I went back home.

Scott was already outside in his camo pants...he was getting ready for a full day of "Slave Labor"! He told me on my way in that he fed Eli, but not Blake. Blake fixed scrambled eggs for the two of us (he is really great at making scrambled eggs) and we enjoyed a quick breakfast together. Next...we got dressed for yard work and we all headed out to join dad!

We all worked together (which is the gift!!!) and made a lot of progress. Heather joined us around 1:00 PM...she pulled all the weeds from the strawberry patch...even after finding a snake! Around 4:00 Scott and I headed to Lawrence for more supplies. It was the first time since January that we have gone anywhere together...just the two of us. Even though it was just to Home Depot...it was really great to just be alone together away from home.

We completed the day with grilled chicken, sauteed broccoli, grilled apples and Amazing Caves, the IMAX movie via WiFi Netflix! The boys went to bed, Heather went home, Scott went to work (he has a big project to work...deadline May 19) and I have enjoyed reading all the facebook and email updates of the day! Going to bed now. Tomorrow...church then more slave labor!!! I highly recommend this as a Mother's Day tradition!

Good night.

Thursday...it has been a long week

Yesterday was such a crazy day I had to take 4 hours of vacation time to get it all taken care of!

Started work early (I read my emails on my phone before even getting out of bed...it helps me to feel like I am beating the alarm when really I already hit snooze once). All was well. So I got up, got dressed, did all the normal morning routine things, checked email again and headed out to take the kids to school. It was a normal day.

When I got back home Scott said, "we have to do something about this dog." I said, I can make an appointment to take him to the vet for tomorrow, but I just can't do it today. I went on to my 'office' and started working again. I looked up the number for the vet and made an appointment for Thursday afternoon at 4:30. I then started listening...I kept hearing a whine. After listening for a minute, I went into the living room to see if it was Spooky. It was. Scott said that he had been whining all night. So, I called the vet's office again and asked if we they had any openings for today. She said, "Can you be here at 9?" I said, "yes." It was 8:40 at this point. So, I sent a message to my manager and my backup that I needed to take a few hours off. You see, in addition to the vet visit, I already had scheduled a visit at Eli's school, Scott had spoken with Heather and she needed her car 'fixed' before she had to leave for work at 3:00 and my Praying Wives Club was scheduled to meet during lunch. All this and work. Thankfully my work load was looking to be light for the day, so it was nice to just take 4 hours off and do what I needed to do.

So...we headed to see Dr. Tim Jones. He is really great. He remembered all of us and that I was friends with John Muir...and informed me that he had passed away. I didn't know this and was a bit shocked by the news. John and I worked together when he started at Sprint many many years ago. Scott and I used to house sit for him before we had children. John was a very nice man. I will follow up with some Sprint folks and the KC Star for additional details and will send a note to his wife.

Back to the vet...
He had me walk Spooky away from him then back and could see that he was dragging his paws. He agreed that my theory could be accurate...a stroke. He also agreed that it could be that he has diabetes. We discuss that we didn't want to spend thousands, but that if there were some things that we could do to determine the issue and help him feel better, we would like to take that path. Spooky's heart sounded good and all of his blood work came back good, so Dr. Jones narrowed it to a pinched or cracked something in his neck. He gave him a steroid shot, a B12 shot and sent us home with 3 weeks of steroid pills. As of today, Spooky is doing much better. He still hesitates before going up or down the steps, but he ran to the end of the driveway to get the paper with me this morning. So, hopefully the steroids will work...even if he has to take them the rest of his life.

We finished at the vet, I took Scott and Spooky home, then headed to Eli's school. I visited with both the speech therapist and the OT about Eli and watched as he completed some painting, stamping and following specific directions. They both agreed (and had discussed prior) that his focus and 'good looking' have increased a lot in the last week or so. This could be from the Enhansa. It was a good visit and Eli rode home with me rather than riding the bus.

I made Eli's lunch and some cholesterol lowering gluten free oatmeal for Scott and I (not that he has high cholesterol...just me...as far as I know). My plan is to eat all the cholesterol lowering foods, exercise and lose 10-15 lb in the next 90 days then have my blood tested again. I am beginning to think the test may have been wrong...but eating a high fiber diet, exercising and losing some lbs isn't gonna hurt me...this might just be the kick in the pants I needed!

Then I was off to my PWC (Praying Wives Club) meeting! I just love those gals...it is so refreshing to meet with them. We count our blessings, encourage one another and pray for the victory. The plans for the new church are coming along nicely and we are praying that the meetings scheduled in the weeks to come will result in approvals for all the plans.

Back to work...it was really great to have that mid-day vacation time! An issue here, and issue there, but all wrapped up by 5. Dinner...grass fed ground beef burgers with Bragg's Amino Acid...YUM and julienned potatoes. All prepared, burgers pattied and in the freezer, potatoes prepared and in the oven on parchment covered cookie sheets. Now, outside to plant those red bud trees (which Blake has decided to call rosebud trees...he said he likes that name better). We planted 2 along the creek and 1 further back in the yard. I checked them today and they look good...so far.

BTW...in the middle of all this Scott bought Heather a new car battery...we hope that does the trick...should know in a couple hours when it is time for her to go to work.

Back inside...turned up the potatoes to 425 and put the burgers on the grill. Everything tasted good, but we all laughed about the potatoes...they were a bit crunchy. We sounded like the Griswold's eating overcooked turkey in Christmas Vacation. It was hilarious. However, there were no leftover potatoes. Next time we will just keep them at 350.

Next up...pajamas and downstairs to stream a movie from Netflix via the Wii. Amazingly, it worked and it worked really well...even on 3G! Love it! Now I can watch all those old romantic comedies without having to own them. And Scott can watch every John Wayne movie! We are so excited...didn't even need any new equipment, just the disc from Netflix. Fabulous!!!

Told you it was a long day! Still made it to be before 10:30...HURRAY!!!

What a B-E-A-U Tiful weekend!!!!

The weekend weather in Baldwin City was absolutley perfect!

Scott left Friday afternoon to go to Denver for the weekend. 2 D1 games...which really is a big plate of rugby. They went 1:1 and will make the playoffs in May. I will be praying they do well!!!

Friday evening we went to Jennifer Mead's to dig up redbud trees. Blake and Eli enjoyed their visit with Nick and Luke playing video games. Doug did all the digging and visiting with Jennifer is always a treat. We just can't have a short visit...even when we try. The boys and I got home around 8:30 and ate whatever we could find that was easy to make. I had gluten free oatmeal...I am so glad I like it since I need to eat it often now that I know about my high cholesterol.

Saturday morning we got started early, dropped Blake off at chruch to go to the Amazing Grace Baptist Camp for the day. He said it was amazing. He is to give us all the details at dinner tonight. Then, Eli and I headed to the BC Mkt, a quick stop at Anita's for chick pea salad, then home to get our house finished before company arrived. We achieved all the items on the list and still had time for rest. Eli took a long nap and I sat on the front porch swing just soakin' up the day! I am so BLESSED! Solitude is so good.

Jenny (Yoder - Drouhard), Amanda and Ally arrive around 5PM. Blake came home about 15 minutes later. We visited, took them on a tour of our house, made hamburgers (seasoned with Bragg's amino acid, of which I used a bit too much) and yum-o potatoes. I learned how to julieanne carrots on a TV show so I tried it with the potatoes. It worked perfectly. Just cut the potato in slices, push flat and cut the entire row. Adorable and tastey. We drove into Baldwin for a quick tour...though it was getting dark so they really didn't get to see much. It is such a cute town...maybe next time they will see more.

On Sunday, we had a nice breakfast. Blake made the eggs and they were fabulous. We went to church, then headed to the Legends for lunch and shopping. Eli got the cutest new shoes and Blake picked out some new t-shirts from Old Navy. We walked to the big fountain and it wasn't running...then...it came on. The kids LOVED it. Blake, Amanda and Allison got soaked and Eli was smiling from ear to ear. We headed back to the car, made a stop at Culver's for ice cream and headed home.

I was too tired to go plant our new trees...hope to get that done on Tues or Wed evening. We NEVER have leftovers, but we did on Sunday night. Burgers and potatoes again. The boys watched Spongebob so I could watch my only show: Brothers & Sisters. It was a great episode.

Blake put himself to bed. I put Eli in bed knowing he wouldn't stay. Within 10 minutes he was in my room, but quickly fell asleep. He must have just needed to hang out with his Mamma.

Spooky isn't doing well. We are going to have to do something soon. He eats well, but is having a very hard time going up and down the steps. He slid about 1/2 way down the basement stairs on Saturday night.

Scott finally got home (after a flight delay) around 12:30 AM. He seems quite distressed and tired. I continue to pray for encouragement for him. Through job leads and rugby. I pray that he will not be further discouraged and will seek the Lord for council and wisdom.

It's a new week. The drive to work was beautiful and it was fun to sing praise songs with Alan Jackson.

Apple for breakfast, chick pea salad and red pepper humus for lunch, avacado and who knows what for dinner! It is Day3, so I think pork steaks, corn and salad will be the menu!

It's Friday!

We are rescheduled to take Eli for his cleaning, xrays and fillings on May 4th. This is really great! I am hopeful and praying we see some changes (progress) in his development.

Didn't go walking in Baldwin, but we did exercise on the Wii. It was fun doing step aerobics with all the other Mii. And that run I took with my cat was really good too! Now...what to do today. Heading to Jennifer's to dig up redbud trees. Hope they survive the transplant.

Dinner last night was great. We had BLT & E w/cheese and avacado salads. I took about 1/2 cup of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing, added 1 tsp cumin and 1 tsp lime juice...it was really good. I am doing well with eating cholesterol reducing foods...only had a few slices of bacon...the good bacon with no nitrates, etc.

I have lost 3 lb this week...if I keep at it and I loose another 3 lb I will be really motivated.

Jenny is coming tomorrow with her girls, Amanda and Allison. It will be so much fun to catch up and relax. Better keep going or I won't get everything completed before they get here.

TaTa...will try to post over the weekend.

ELI and the dentist!

I took Eli to the dentist (Growing Smiles) last week. Oh the guilt of it all...I knew it would be bad...but actually the news wasn't as bad as I had expected. Anyway, he will need 2 crowns and 2 fillings and will need to be put under for the procedure...which was expected. They scheduled us for Aug 31, but said there would probably be cancels so we would get in sooner. I have been reading that dental issues causes inflamation in the body and that inflamation in the body causes your brain to not work right. So, even though Aug 31 is not ideal we at least have it scheduled and I have been hopeful that we would get a call for an earlier date. Today they called...they can most likely get Eli in on May 4 at 7AM (which is great cause he doesn't have to go all day without eating or drinking)...that is 4.5 months sooner!!!! I just can't help but be excited that this dental work might really help Eli. The dental assistant told me that there have been many children with special needs that show significant improvement almost immediately after getting their dental work completed. I should know for sure by Monday if May 4 is our date! Please be in prayer about this. Eli doesn't act like he is in pain, but there must be at least a degree of pain associated with his teeth. I just know this is orchestrated by God and thank him for the hope.

Really excited about Mallory Claire...she is just beautiful. I can't wait to meet her...hope I can wait until July! Aunt Susie's post on facebook make me tear up...she is Grams now!

So...the blood test results are back. I have high cholesterol...267. Goes to show you...eating well doesn't necessarily keep you out of the bad blood reports! My first response was to jump on the internet. Not focused on what I shouldn't eat, just focused on what I should eat AND how exercise is no longer optional! Taking JoLynn's lead...must do something active for 30 minutes every day!!! Blake and I are heading into Baldwin to walk this evening....maybe even do some steps at Baker too. I hope the scale reflects my efforts quickly...I need some instant gratification.

Praising God for the victory even while working toward it!!! Mold me and make me Lord.

What a crazy day! Visited Eli and his OT today at school. She reported this week that Eli spent a lot of time playing appropriatly with his friend and that he is walking better at school. He now waits with his classmates after they all go to the bathroom rather than just walking around where he wants to go. This is all good...continuing to monitor any effects of Enhansa.

Work...I don't usually talk about work, but today I learned that I disconnected numbers that shouldn't have been disconnected. 95 of them. We reinstated them all, but I HATE TO MAKE MISTAKES...especially those that cause major issues for others!

This afternoon we went to the dentist for the first time with Eli. Not as bad as I thought it would/could be. Eli has 2 really bad cavities and 2 that will require regular fillings. However, he will need to be put under for the proceedures. He's a trooper though and hopefully it will help him progress. I have read recently that dental issues cause inflamation in the body and inflamation in the body causes the brain to not work right. So, once we get through this, I am hopefull we will see more progression.

Dinner...not so good. Say Cheese is a gluten and casein free version of mac and cheese. It is OK and quite filling. Our main course was salmon. I tried to make the Whole Foods recipe again...with ricota and feta...still wasn't good. I think I just don't like salmon anymore. Can anyone show me how to make it so it doesn't taste icky?

Scott is off to rugby practice...he went in game gear...that scares me. Hope it goes well.

Blake and Eli are jumping on the trampoline...it's starting to get dark so I had better go get them.

I am looking forward to tomorrow. Hopefully a lot of folks took the day off and I can make some real progress on some of my pending projects. Aaaahhh...and I am taking vacation on Monday...looking forward to sleeping in...til...you know, 7:30AM.

Good night!

Beautiful Day...Wednesday

Love my prayer group...our meeting today was really great!

I just read 14 shortcuts for everyday tasks on the Real Simple website...most of them didn't apply to me. For instance, I will always try clothes on at the store rather than their suggestion to bring them home to try on...are you kidding me...I don't have time to drive 15-25+ miles to make returns. The one for running errunds in a clockwise order is good, but I have a similar suggestion. Organize the list of stops based on distance. Go to the furthest place first and work you way back toward home. This way, if you run out of time the remaining stops are closer to home for the next trip.

Eli did some talking tonight, blew bubbles in the tub again and walked through the yard without any trouble. He LOVES to ride the lawn mower with Scott.

Blake did a great job of helping with the flower garden clean out this evening. We have now removed 2 wagons full of leaves and trimmings...the flower beds are starting to shape up for new growth.

We are LOVING the beautiful weather. I think I had better come up with some EASY summer meals on our rotation diet plan. I don't want to cook, I just want to play outside. Ideas are starting to flow...I will list them here when I have a plan.

peace out

Tuesday...it's a rugby night

OK...so, I am not so good at blogging. I am trying to type tonight on Blake's laptop. Forgive me if I am missing letters N H or T cause they are broken...thanks to Eli.

It was a beautiful day...I came home to find the boys jumping on the trampoline and Scott mowing and fertilizing. I went inside, started dinner, started a load of laundry then headed out to join them. We played on the swings, played catch, pulled out last summer's tomato stakes, then noticed that the strawberry plants are starting to grow. So, we pulled all the dried leaves out, uncovering 2 small snakes...but we continued. Oh how we love our homegrown strawberries. Our little patch produces several weeks of berries every year...I am hoping to freeze as many as we can for winter.

This year we are planning to expand our garden again...from about 54 sq ft to maybe twice that size. I read on the Prevention Magazine website that canned tomatoes are one of 20 foods listed that should never cross your lips. The can liners leach BPA because of the acid in tomatoes. We continued to eat the toxic version all winter, but I plan to grow enough to last through next winter. We will just blanch them, slip the skins and freeze in doubled freezer bags. Maybe we will roast some too before freezing them. We will plant peppers and cucumbers, too. Everything else we will get from the Yardley's...they are the professional garderns next door.

The new Enhansa supplement Eli is on...he are at 75 mg / day this week...watching closely for any changes...he seems to be able to walk faster this week...on Sunday he was nearly running. Today we helped Blake get the garden wagon back up the hill...I was pushing the wagon with one hand and holding Eli's hand...he was keeping up and doing very well.

I have adjusted my ALCAT rotation such that I only eat fruit for breakfast...kind of following the fit for life plan in addition to the ALCAT plan. I started it last week...maybe Wed or Thurs...so far I have lost 3 of the 6.5 lbs I gained over December. So, we will see if I can continue with this plan for a while. I am gearing up for the 6 week cleanse plan in Dr. Mark Hyman's book, The UltraMind Solution. I already quit eating gluten and sugar over a year ago...but his plan includes eliminating dairy too...for 6 weeks. I have tried to just reduce my dairy intake, but still eat it everyday...this is going to be tough...but good. I haven't set a start date, yet, but need to do so soon...maybe after Easter.

I will see if I can keep up with this blog better this week than last...should be easier with my laptop...it has all the letters. You can't tell the labor involved in typing this because I corrected all the errors...but his is wha i would look like if I didn'...good nig

Thursday

No new talking yet...but standing by! Peggy (OT) thinks Eli's receptive language is REALLY good. She encouraged us to expect more from him...to speak to him like he understands everything we say...cause he probably does!

Day 1 on the ALCAT rotation...leftover meatballs (with carrots and zuchinni) and organic potatoes cut into fries tossed in organic canola, salt and maybe some all natural spice blend...baked at 450 on parchment paper (which works great, doesn't stick and browns nicely) for about 15 minutes. And we must eat the rest of the strawberries...today is dairy day for me, so maybe we can have the rest of the all natural ice cream for dessert. Eli can have some Rice Dream Ice Cream.

Started my list of 40 things (things I have never done before) to do my 40th year!!

"What is your advice for a happy life?" Aunt says, "Just be happy!" Love this...it is our choice!

That's all for now...have a great day!

AND...BLAKE GOT ALL A's for 3Q!!!!

Waiting to hear Eli talk! He talked yesterday, but haven't heard anything from him since I got home yesterday.

Debating about what to fix for dinner. It is turkey, spinach, rice day 4 on the ALCAT rotation diet. We can have salmon, but Scott doesn't like salmon...maybe he can have turkey meatballs. Or, maybe I should use the thawed hamburger to make beef meatballs...that is what I will do. The boys and I will have the spinach and feta (no feta for Eli though) stuffed salmon and Scott can have beef meatballs made with zuchini and carrots. I will make some rice too and call it a meal.

Day 2 of Enhansa...Oh Lord, please let us seem some progress like that in the testimonials!

Ok...better get going or it will be another 7PM dinner.