Hi Friends! I saw this news story this morning and wanted to share it with any of you who are interested.  It’s finally good to know what’s wrong with my precious little boy.  I cried after watching the video.  After almost three years of knowing something was wrong, and knowing it was a common problem among kids, especially boys, it was so disheartening to not know what it was. All professionals could tell me was that he had autism.  But not even they knew what that meant exactly or why he had it.  Anyways, without further adieu, here’s the link…  http://buzz.yahoo.com/article/1:y_news:40d87ef1c0e18665a550bea660f99024

I know the common thought is that autism is caused by the mercury in some vaccines.  But for the record, no mercury has been used in vaccines (except some flu vaccines) since 2002.  Yet,  austim continues to be on the rise.  Even Gabe, who was born in 2002, had very little exposure to vaccines that year, and has autism. I’m thoroughly convinced that vaccines were ruled out of the equation years ago.  Anyways, those are my 2 cents.

After many, many long months of wandering the North County for a church in which we can follow our conscience concerning our belief in paedobaptism, we are glad to finally be done with our search! On July 27th, Josh, myself, and the kids, will be announced into membership at Oceanside URC. Our kidlets will also be receiving the sign of God’s covenant on that day.  We have enjoyed good fellowship and been welcomed warmly by this congregation.  The pastors and elder all have pastoral hearts and we believe we will be well shepherded there.  And Lord willing, in a few months from now, little Isaiah will also be receiving baptism.

To those of you who have been praying us through this difficult and sometimes painful journey, thank you so much.  I know for many of you, dear friends, this is not the outcome you were hoping for, but thanks for praying for us just the same. We love you dearly and will miss you greatly as we will not have the same amount of contact.  Please know you are all invited over for playdates whenever you have the inclination to come over.  We’re just a phone call away!

On  separate note…We did get the results of Gabe’s EEG.  They weren’t anything surprising.  While he was awake, his brain patterns were a little slower than a child his age would normally be, which accounts for the autism and related developmental delays.  While asleep the brain patterns on the left side of his brain showed abnormal activity which are consistent with a child at risk for seizures, which accounts for the epilepsy.   So, this is good, because it means nothing is getting worse =) So, we’re keeping the same anticonvulsant regimen and he’s getting all the early intervention therapy he needs.

I do want to publicly give thanks to the Lord that he has provided a means of encouragement and counsel for me through this.  Dr. Laura Hendricksen, who is a nouthetic counselor with IBCD (Institute of Biblical Counseling and Discipleship) has had a slot open up in her schdule to see me and Gabriel every other week.  She is a trained psychiatrist who used to have her own practice, but left her practice to help her own severely autistic son through his therapy.  I am very blessed to have someone counsel me who is not only a godly and biblically sound counselor, and medically trained to understand Gabe and his needs, but is also a mother who has gone through what I’m going through to a more extreme extent.

Gabe is such a blessing to our family and is such a sweet and loving child, and while I wouldn’t want him any other way, I’m glad there is help out there for him to have a happy and easier life.

Hi Friends,

Would you all mind saying a prayer for Gabe this Monday (well, you don’t need to wait until Monday to pray =)? He has another EEG. It’s just a routine follow-up to last year’s EEG, which of course showed abnormal activity on the right side of his brain (causing the seizure activity).  I have reason to believe that he has been having “silent seizures”.  Maybe this EEG will tell whether he is or not. I’m not sure.

So, Sunday night, we’ll be keeping our sweet 4 3/4 yr old up until midnight, then waking him up at 4am, and keeping him awake until his EEG at 2pm, at which time he’s supposed to take an hour long nap on an uncomfortable bed in an unfamiliar place for the  EEG technician.  Keep in mind that this sweet boy does NOT take naps. He has maybe fallen asleep during nap time all of about 5 times in the last year and 1/2.  But he needs to be asleep for the EEG, and he needs to STAY asleep for an hour. So, prayers are truly appreciated. Please pray that Gabe will fall asleep at the appropriate time, and that he will stay asleep for the length of time needed.

Please pray for me also, because I will be getting as little sleep as Gabriel, and being very pregnant I need my rest =) I will be driving to San Diego (almost an hour commute) while tired. Pray that I will not be irritable with others, and that I will have the energy to drive safely and function well as a wife and mommy.

A few days ago, Josh was wrestling with the kids. He was lying on the couch and Gabe, Aaron and Emmie were all piled up on top of him. It was so fun to watch! Then, Gabe excitedly exclaims, “Daddy! There’s not enough kids on you!”

So I asked Gabe, ” Should Mommy have more babies so more kids can wrestle daddy?”

He grins and says matter-of-factly, “Yes.”

At bedtime tonight, I sent the boys to go use the potty.  Aaron went to the kids bathroom, Gabe went into the master bathroom.  I was on the phone with hubby when I  saw Emmie wander into the bathroom where Gabe was as he was finishing.  So, wanting to protect her innocence, I went to stop her. Gabe was already re-dressed and Emmie was pulling her diaper off in front of the potty trying  to pee like brother—standing up! I almost died laughing. I got off the phone so I could help her potty the “girl way”.

Gabe then wanders into the bathroom while Emmie is sitting on the potty.  I told him, “Gabe you need to leave because Emmie is going potty.” Gabe said, “She’s not going potty, she doesn’t even have a p*n*s.” Of course, how could she possibly go potty without one of those =) 

Because of the recent rains, we’ve have a few snails crawling around the driveway.

Well, yesterday, the snails were all gone. I was getting Gabe (4 1/2) off his school bus and he asked, “Where are the snails?” I said, “They’re all gone.” He asked, “Did the French people eat them all?”

 The day before, Gabe asked me, “Are you a French people?” I replied, “No, I’m not a French person, I am an American.” He asked, “So, you don’t eat snails?”

Tonight after dinner, Gabe, Aaron, Emmie and I were playing Simon Says.  It was Aaron’s (3 1/2) turn to be Simon.  His first command, “Simon says poke your eye up in the air.” Huh? I tell him, “Ok, what else does Simon say?” He continues, “Simon says put your nose in your mouth and bite your teeth off.” Ok.

 After an interesting game of Simon Says, we did our devotion. We read Psalm 150. We learned about all the different places and ways we can praise God.  After reading we sang some praises to God. The kids chose the songs. Gabe (4 1/2) said, “Let’s sing Be Thou my Vision in French.” Sorry Gabe, I’m still working on Spanish.

Yesterday afternoon, hubby and I watched Gabriel (4 1/2) write all but three of his letters correctly.  “S” was backwards, and he said he didn’t know how to write the “M” and “W”.  I had no idea he could do this! A couple weeks ago he was struggling to draw a square, but now he can write his letters. 

He has always had a loose grip and had some difficulty with his fine motor skills. So, this is completely amazing to me.  I was crying as I watch him write yesterday.  I don’t think they are really working on writing letters at his preschool, but I know they are working on fine motor skills and occupational therapy.  But he knows what the letters look like, so now with his improved grip and hand eye coordination,  he’s writing!

 I am so excited about this.  Really NOT intending to brag about our little boy, but we are so happy that he is flourishing.

Dear Readers,

Please praise the Lord with me.  Gabriel started school on Monday. Many of you know that it is a public preschool.  I had been so concerned with the idea of sending my firstborn baby out into the “world”.  I do not like public schools, and never in a million years had I thought I’d be sending one of our children there.  But Gabe needs surpass what I am able to give him.  I am still struggling with the idea that I cannot fully supply him with all he needs. It hurts.  But I need to remember that it is not I who is supposed to supply all Gabe’s needs, it’s God.

I am so very happy with the special ed program at Gabriel’s school. Right now he goes to school Mon - Thurs, and from 8am to 11:45am, he is in a special needs class with other special needs children, then from 11:45am - 2:45pm, he is in a class that is 50% special needs children and 50% typical children.

I am almost crying as I write this, but Josh and I have both been noticing the past few days, that after only 4 days of school (which is mostly ABA therapy), Gabe is talking like a 4yr old.  He still speaks slowly, very slowly at times, but he is saying things 4yr olds say.  He is making more sense, his communication is not as confusing.  And he is being more talkative overall.  Before he started school, he would answer questions when asked, but not initiate conversation.  But now *ok, actually crying now* he will initiate conversations just to be friendly. He answers questions with more clarity.  This may not seem like much, but I know it is a miracle from God.  My child wants to talk with me to be friendly.  I know it may be easy for a mom of typical kids to take for granted the fact that their kid initiates conversations with them.  Aaron does this, so I know what it’s like to raise a typical kid (Emmie is just starting to be more talkative, and Owen doesn’t talk yet). So, when Gabe doesn’t talk except to answer questions, I feel the void there.  He was so hard for me to relate to him, because we couldn’t converse in the normal way.  But now, he’s talking to me.  Praise the Lord.  I have so much joy in my heart at the thought that my son is talking to me, not just saying words to me but  actually  talking with me.

 But of course there are other issues to work out with him going to public school. The other day, he came home and said he was a “lucky duck”. I’m guessing one of his teachers called him this.  I told him, ”Gabie, the next time someone calls you a lucky duck, you tell them that there’s no such thing as luck because God controls all things.”  I had him practice saying this =) He also started singing the Frosty the Snowman song today.  He’ll be getting a visit in his classroom from Santa each Christmas also, so we’re teaching him that Santa’s just some guy in a costume and whatever presents he gets at Christmastime are gifts from parents or grandparents.

This weeks, been good. I know Gabe’s having fun at school, because even though he insists that his friends have no names, each day after school he tells me over and over, “I want back to school!”

Ok, that’s it for now. I need to get some shut-eye in preparation for my spiritual holiday (the Lord’s Day)!

Yesterday I asked Gabe to put his shoes away,  he obeyed and I said,  “Thank you, Handsome.”

 He said, “You’re welcome, my lady. Mommy you’re the best lady I’ve ever seen. I’m very happy to see you.”

And of course, my heart melted right on cue.