Projects

I go through these cycles: sewing, scrapbooking, cooking, cleaning. I get stuck on one thing and go crazy with it. Lately I've been obsessed with sewing. It started when I saw a link on a friend's fb page for a tutorial on flower hair bows. Then my mom came down on vacation and we made not one, but two trips to the fabric store. That started me working on minky blankets and more hair bows. Then I caught a sale on flannel fabric at Hancock Fabrics which led to rag quilts. A fellow sewing friend and I like to compare projects. She got me started on personalized onesies and burp clothes. I now have fabric stacked all over our tiny living room and a sewing machine that takes cut half of our tiny table. I was thinking about selling on ebay or etsy, but now my friend and I are thinking about doing a craft show together. Here are some of my latest projects:

The decision

Jody and I talked about it today and I think for now we are going to homeschool Paxton. I just feel like it would be throwing him to the wolves to put him in a situation where he doesn't have the skills to cope. We're going to try to be more involved in our local homeschool group and get Paxton involved in some other activities. I feel good about this decision and think it will be in his best interest for now.

Paxtons Appt #2

We met with a team of 5 specialists. They did more testing and more questioning. Afterward we all met together and went over the results. They aren't sure what is going on with Paxton. They said he really is too young for an aspergers diagnosis. And it's difficult to tell whether his behaviors are because of his severe sensory issues, coping skills or something more. They said they will reevaulate him in a year and see how things have progressed. In the meantime they suggested behavior therapy and they gave me the number for an Autism Resource center where I can find out about activities in my area to work on social skills.

Now I'm torn about whether or not I should send him to school. I know at school he will have a good schedule and get the socialization he needs. He could also get his speech and behavior therapy and probably OT there. His case worker said I may be able to get him in for half days. But I don't think he will ride the bus so I'm looking at 2 hours of driving everyday to take him to and from school. And I worry about his being teased and made fun of. I've been really excited about getting things ready to homeschool him because he's so eager to learn. And then I wonder if I send him to school, should I go ahead and send Olivia too. But between school and gymnastics, I feel like I will never see her.

I'm just so overwhelmed right now. The homeschool intent letter has to be turned in by the 15th and school starts Thursday so I feel like I'm under the gun on making a decisiion. And of course Jody says whatever I think it best.

HOT!

Dreams do come true

For years I told Jody I wouldn’t marry him because he wasn’t LDS. For years I hoped and prayed that one day he would be baptized. He agreed to go to church with me and we finally got married. He has gone to church with me for the last 11 years. Yesterday my dream came true. Jody got baptized!

Patrick Shirley served a mission in our area and always regretted not getting Jody baptized. He talked with Jody about taking the plunge. We set the date for July 26th and said we would proceed unless Jody said otherwise. I tried not to get my hopes up before hand because Jody kept saying he might back out. Little did I know…

It was a small low-key baptism. The only people present were Patrick, 2 missionaries to serve as witnesses, me and the kids, and Sendai and two of her kids. It was surreal when Jody walked out in a white jumper. As I watched him walk down into the water, I had to hold back tears.

The gift he has given our family is invaluable. I didn’t think it was possible, but my love for him has grown yet again. I can’t wait for the day when our family will go to the temple and be sealed for time and all eternity.

Learning the ropes

“During this ride, I wondered how other mothers with autistic kids dealt with it. Were they also lost in knowing how to get help? I couldn’t believe the red tape and the maze with no directions. What if I hadn’t started searching for help? What if no one ever told me there was help?”
-Jenny McCarthy, Louder Than Words

My biggest obstacle with getting Paxton help has been finding assistance. Everything I have learned about the system, I have learned on my own. You don’t get a pamphlet that says “hey your kid has a disability, here’s what to do next“. In fact, when I first mentioned my concerns about Paxton’s extreme sensitivities at his well child check-up, his normally thorough pediatrician blew me off. It was when I mentioned it to his early-childhood speech therapy caseworker, that someone finally shared the same concerns as I. She gave me the name of a pediatric OT who set Paxton up for testing which got the ball rolling for therapy. From there I had to ask questions about getting a diagnosis and an IEP for school. We’ve been waiting almost a year to get Paxton into a developmental center for an official diagnosis. A YEAR! That’s a year of unanswered questions and a year of time that could have been spent helping him. They say as many as 1 in 115 kids have autism. Why aren’t there more resources available to diagnosis and treat them? How many kids miss out on a critical time for therapy and services because their caregivers don’t know where to turn? Having a child with a disability has been an eye-opening process. There needs to be a better system in place to help these children get the help they so desperately need.

Not again

There was another lizard and washing machine incident. This one was much smellier and much worse. It is an experience I do not wish to remember. I no longer look at little lizards running briskly by with fondness. I now want to run screaming in the opposite direction.