Time for being thankful....

Thanksgiving isn't easy this year...it's our first holiday without my mom with us but none the less, Arianna and I are enjoying our time together as well as giving thanks for the many blessings we've had this year. Of course I want my daughter to be able to think, understand, learn and make friends like yesterday, but when I look back to how things were in January this year - WOW she has come a VERY long way! Reading, writing, spelling, doing math and learning coins, making friends, dressing herself and big girl underwear....I'm still amazed at times and try not to take ANY of it for granted. I thank God every day for leading us on the right path of healing and putting some wonderful people in our lives to help us along the way.

Yesterday we went to the hyperbaric center for an oxygen session which was made possible by a very good friend of ours. It has been a while since we were able to go so our prayers are that this one session will give Arianna's body some extra healing power especially after she caught a bug from school last week. Allergies are still getting to her every now and then but we seem to keep those under control as well.

Christmas is just a month away and I'm sure Arianna will be spoiled and blessed with lots of toys and items from family and friends. MY gift to her will be a few more hyperbaric oxygen chamber sessions while she is off of school the week of Christmas and New Years with the hopes of more healing before the new year is here. We have our decorations almost completely up, just a few final touches here and there and the sight or thought of presents has my little gal totally excited! As I learned last year (the hard way), I cannot put any wrapped presents under the tree as I woke up to them all unwrapped and she had a huge grin on her face as she was SO proud of herself. LOL!

We hope that you are all enjoying time with family, friends and loved ones this Thanksgiving!

Santa Sunday...

Today was the Santa Clause Brunch and since Arianna was getting all dressed up to see Santa we had our friend take photos for this years Christmas Cards.  Going up to hug or see Santa was not on Arianna's favorites list but she did well to have a picture with him and got to choose a book and a little beanie baby.

Arianna has done awesome this past week and today I put away any pull-ups left in her bedroom since she hasn't needed them. Definitely a proud mom and Arianna is very proud of herself too.  I've continued to do research and yesterday found that a local doctor who follows the DAN protocol is one of few who prescribe Respen A...only available from a compounding pharmacy, that helps with attention, mood and comprehension. THIS is something I'd like to give a shot since we're doing good in all other areas right now.

We got the first quarter update from school...Arianna is doing well but still a long way to go. She is lacking in comprehension when reading, math is a chore and converting coins is quite the challenge. We will be working extra hard in these areas as well as hitting the spelling and new words more often. This may not be a plus in Arianna's thoughts but for me it's high on the "to do" list.

Have a great Sunday!

Great news today and an "ah ha!" moment....

Here's my little pumpkin princess....she will be bummed when it's time to throw out her 'baby' pumpkins she got at the cider mill.

First I'll share the great GREAT news....Arianna is 100% potty trained now! I'm SOO proud of her! She is also VERY proud of herself and earned her last chipmunk girl doll Jeanette for this last step of using the toilet for #2's as well as $5 for her piggy bank savings for Disney World. The BEST part about this....she did it ALL on her own! This latest accomplishment is a great addition to many good things that have happened for Arianna this year.  

Second is the "ah ha!" moment of this past weeks set backs....Arianna seems to have a slight chest cold (a productive cough started Saturday morning) so no wonder she's been "off" task.

When children on the autism spectrum come down with a 'bug', it often effects their brain and gut...the weak spots from toxin damage done in the past. This is another reason why it is SO important to heal and keep healing your child's intestines, digestion and strengthen their immune system while supporting brain and nerve function. Do you ever wonder ~WHY~ you see a child with moderate to severe autism smack their heads or ears with their hands??? It's because they are trying to make the pain stop! Yes...their brains are literally starving for oxygen and nutrition and trying so hard to do what it is MEANT to do - THINK. This thinking and over firing causes physical PAIN to them. When I see a child doing this it breaks my heart....I want to help, I want to see them heal and feel better.

In another couple weeks it'll be time to put up our Christmas tree and get snuggled and ready for winter and what I hope to be happy holidays. This will be our first Thanksgiving, Christmas and start a new year without my mom here and for Arianna, no grandparent to share these times with. Again, we are thankful for our support system of friends and family who keep in touch with us.  Hope you all had a great weekend!

It's back to the lab again.....

Seems this past week has Arianna and I back a few steps and appears it's time to figure out a new formula. Since last weekend, Arianna has started having emotional breakdowns crying easily, she has trouble paying attention in class at school and being disruptive (which keeps her from being mainstreamed with fellow first graders), hand stemming, repeating scripts and covering her ears with her hands as well as not being able to concentrate while reading or doing homework assignments...all the symptoms I fought for months are coming back and this mom is not gonna give up that easy!  What seemed to be working miracles a few months ago is now fading and fading fast...not an easy thing to watch and causes us both allot of anxiety and worry. I've been a bit relaxed with her routine of supplements in the morning...sometimes waiting til after school or dinner for those, her diet is not exactly being followed especially while at school and our one on one evening time hasn't been kept to the strict regime it was....guess it's time to get more hardcore again on all of that.

It was September when we finished up a major healing session doing hyperbaric sessions (24 to be exact of 1 hour in a pressurized oxygen chamber) as well as new stem cell enhancers and supplements plus speech and occupational therapy. I was aware that the healing effects from hyperbaric tend to wear off a little 30 to 60 days later but I wasn't prepared for all the progress to seem like it comes to a halt.  I'm now on a mission to find a way to get another stint of hyperbaric chamber visits in like we did through the summer (another $1,000 worth) and back to square one with her vitamins and supplements combination. HOW I will be able to do this, I'm not sure....but I have to find a way.

On a fun note, I went along as a chaperon for a field trip with Arianna's first grade class to a local museum. It was fun but a certain song the kids sing got her all worked up, crying and carrying on so we had to excuse ourselves for a little bit. Fellow classmates paid attention as much as their age typically allows, the questions and answers they had were creative and well thought out......I dream of the time that Arianna can do the same as her peers. I pray for this every night....for my little girl to be able to THINK and comprehend the world around her. Children are very accepting at this young age of 6 and 7 years old but how will things be when they are 8, 10, 12 or older??? This is not a nice world and most adults I run into are not accepting of differences in life so these worries for the future are always in the back of my mind.

We hope to have a few days of some rest, relaxation and fun times before another week starts up. Have a blessed day and pray for miracles. Thank you again our friends and family for being with us on this journey and for all your support.

Another way our friends and family can help continue our healing autism journey...

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Yeast is the enemy and I'm not talking about baking bread

Healing the gut of a child with autism is one difficult task let me tell ya! I've doubled Arianna's digestive enzymes and probiotics since I've noticed she has developed the dark reddish circles under her eyes again the last few days...a sign I've seen before of her body trying to fight off toxins and allergens.  Since this change with her supplements you can SEE and SMELL the yeast in her urine...those parents who have been through this already know the cloudy appearance and strong odor I'm talking about and yes, we have to look at everything going IN and OUT of our kids every day. For parents of newly diagnosed children this tip is good for you to know when starting the healing process so you're aware and prepared for the ups and downs associated that will follow. I hope that some hyperbaric sessions later this month will help speed up this latest cleanse of yeast that most likely built up during these fall months of allergen exposure.

On a happy note...Arianna rode the school bus home for the first time today. I was happy to see a smiling face when I met her out front. She will come home this way the two days I'm not working since the school has so little parking and it's litterally a mad house trying to pick her up from there in the afternoons.  We have a field trip coming up with her first grade general ed class to visit a local museum and learn about "old times" in life....can't wait! I've volunteered to come along to assist with some activities the kids will be able to participate in while there. Will be sure to share pictures later.

With school these last few weeks, addition and subtraction are proving difficult for Arianna. What better motivation (or so I thought anyhow) than to get some flash cards with Princesses on them. :O)  We will be tackling this area of comprehension head on in the coming weeks through the end of the year in the hopes that the steps of doing these two elements will stick with her. I must say her wall words (the 5 new words they learn each week in class and add to their spelling list) is a strong area for her. Being able to memorize is her specialty. She loves to read books and be read to...we are starting her Beginners Bible book from the beginning again and reading a few chapters/verses in it every night at bedtime. Being geared towards children with simple wording and colorful pictures it's perfect! Arianna can read like a champ but after we tackle math, comprehending what she is reading about is next on our list.

On a personal note, I want to say a big thank you to those who are sharing our blog with everyone to not only spread HOPE but also to help Arianna and I continue to do the treatments we've been doing. As you see on our site, we have google advertisements and search engines - each click generates revenue for us that we can use towards things such as hyperbaric and supplements which are not covered by insurance. You'll also see ads for companies with special offers...we also make a percentage/commission on each purchase made through clicking and ordering via our ads on our blog. Again...thank you for all of your help! Arianna and I appreciate each and every person who cares for us.

Winter is on it's way!

Boy was it chilly for Halloween yesterday! Needless to say we stayed in and skipped the trick or treating part but I think we made up for it last weekend downtown and the two parties at school. Arianna and I also spent some time at Dave and Busters Saturday afternoon, had some lunch, played a few games and got some mommy and me time in which was nice.

Old man winter is heading in fast with these brisk mornings----BRRrr!!  Never can tell how to dress the little ones on days like this when they need winter coats on the way to school and some layers. Sooner than I'd like it'll be snowing....wish we could skip that part and head right for spring but this is Michigan.

With the holidays approaching, these are the times I know it'll really hit hard that mom is not with us anymore. Arianna hasn't asked for or about Grandma the past couple weeks but I sure think and miss mom allot. It's hard to not be able to call her and tell her about our day or what's coming up...I miss my best friend. Good news is that I just found out I have two more half brothers from my father. I've been in touch with one of them and hope to meet him and his family in a few weeks when he's up to visit. I now have FOUR brothers, another sister in law, another nephew and a niece - exiting news!

Thank you to all who visit our site and read about our adventures with Autism. We also thank you for your help with raising funds for continuing Arianna's hyperbaric sessions by visiting our ad's on our blog - what a HUGE help that is! Feel free to share our blog with others that may benefit from any of the treatments that have helped my little angel...we have learned allot through the years and continue to learn more as often as possible.

God Bless!