Carrying twins, with one sling & one front pack...

Butterfly enjoyed coloring her new Imagifriends coloring book, & had fun with her colors...



I especially liked this page, since they looked like "twin" Imagifriends!

I received a really nice email recently from a young man, D.J. Svoboda, who described himself as an "autistic artist". After a little background, he directed me to his website & to his first book & accompanying coloring books. He has created over 3,000 colorful & friendly characters! My interest was peaked, so I ordered the book & 2 of his coloring books.

Charmingly hand written & colorfully illustrated, D.J. Svoboda describes a young boy named Joshua who has autism. He is walking home from school, saddened by yet another day of being mistreated by his classmates due to his differences. Joshua feels "very hurt & bad inside". Joshua loves using his imagination, so on his way home alone, he steps into a whole different, wonderful world called "Imagiville". There are some "very special loving people" there called "The Imagifriends".

This is a world of "joy" & "kindness", where "anything is possible". The Imagifriends greet him warmly & happily, & offer him nice treats such as a  "juicy dapple fapple". Most of all they remind Joshua he is loved & very special.

Joshua feels better & better but the sadness of his day still lingers as he walks & interacts with these friendly creatures. The Imagifriends continually reassure Joshua that he is very loved, that he should ignore hurtful things that are said to him, & that "the autistic & the handicapped are special too". They reassure him that they & many others really love him, but the big change in Joshua comes when he is told how much "God & Jesus" love him so very much.

All of a sudden Joshua can smile & his heart is lighter. He is encouraged by this truth of how God loves people who are autistic. In the end the author reassures his readership that they are very, very loved, just the way they are.

His closing verse is Psalm 139:14 - I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

This is such a touching book. Having autistic children, both higher & lower functioning, made me appreciate this book as their mother so much. Granted, as homeschoolers,  they are not exposed to the cruelty of the classroom, although we've had a taste of what we're missing (which makes me thankful we're missing it). But they have to go out in the world, a world that is very often cruel to anyone who is different.

I'm reassured that this talented artist has faith, & knows the Lord. I wrote to thank him for contacting me, as he & his mom found me in my little corner of the web here, & I'm so glad they did! I asked if I could share his testimony, & he was more than willing. Here is what he wrote:

"I found The Lord years ago when I was a young boy, I was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 3. During that time growing up with Autism was very tough in early life. There were times in School when I was made fun of and was treated mean. When I started middle School I used to do a lot of doodling and sketching, but when I started High School I decided it was time to get serious, I did a lot of drawing and in 2001 is when The Imagifriends had their very first website and when they were born which is October 19, 2001. I felt that The Lord wanted me to be a artist to help all those with Autism and Disabilities and to help them know how very special they are and can make a great difference in the world. The Lord loves them all very much just as The Lord loves everyone too. The Imagifriends teach about acceptance and many other great things, one other big thing that they teach is that as long as someone has a very good heart it never matters what he or she looks like. The Imagifriends care about everyone and always do great things to help many others, as well as those with Autism."

His book is a great reminder to look past the superficial. The Lord wants a pure heart. He knows & sees all. So many children grow up like this author, being mistreated for something they cannot control. I pray they all find His saving grace & feel His love in their lives, no matter what is going on around them here in this world.

Do visit his website here.
Watch a video about D.J. Svoboda here.
To purchase his books go here.

Big Guy was sitting & stimming with this new toy, which plays music (bad choice for us around here; my fault), & Little Guy decided to hang out with him. This NEVER happens, so I had to get a picture of my two special guys together...

The kiddos made another traffic jam situation...

Here's the back:

 

Storyman is on a roll with this series lately; Super-Otis Part 5 is up on his blog, & it just keeps getting more exciting!

I am thankful for my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ, & His patience, mercy & forgiveness.
I am thankful for my husband & for all my children.
I am thankful for the options available to us for homeschooling.
I am thankful for the resources available regarding autism.
I am thankful for the amount of online support groups for homeschooling, autism, etc.
I am thankful for all the helpful people who share their experiences to help others.

My friend Leah is having a contest for 3 lovely Christian books for little ones, so stop by her blog here & check it out! The contest ends Aug 22.

The Super-Otis series continues on Storyman's blog with Part 4; you'll find out more about the evil Complainer's schemes today!

As I had mentioned previously, Little Guy was not really interested in his birthday or his presents. We had to encourage him to help open them; most he had little or nothing to do with. It is tough to have your 3 year old not be interested in birthday presents, but that's one of the sad facts of autism for many of us.

I did get some video of him helping out with one of them which I've posted here. He didn't play with the toy afterward. The only one he showed much interest in that day was a little toy laptop, which he hasn't paid much attention to since.

Little Guy had his check up this week. He would not have stood on the big scale so she got the baby scale out. I warned her to check for maximum weight beforehand so he wouldn't break it. He's a big 3 year old at 40lbs, & tall too. Our natural family dr can't believe he's the same kiddo he first met over two years ago who was so scrawny then.

Seems with autism the kiddos can range from incredibly thin, like my Big Guy, to downright pudgy, & they both eat similar limited diets, but both eat a lot of food. In fact my skinny Big Guy has more variety (it's definitely a gut problem thing on both counts). I wouldn't say Little Guy is pudgy; he certainly is built. He's a bit like a smooshy teddy bear. I've said he's like Pooh bear, & my husband says he's like Paddington bear.

After all that the nurse started asking the developmental questions. Granted, they know he has autism, but I guess she felt she had to go down a few.

"Does he peddle a tricycle?"

Me - "We've never tried." 
(We honestly don't have time for bikes which require too much outside supervision where autie kiddos run away, & my autie kiddos could not be trusted to steer & break safely, so we don't bother)

"Does he jump up & down?"

Me - "Yes, I've seen him do that on his own, but he would not understand if I asked him to."

"If you drew a circle could he copy it?"

Me - "No."

"Does he talk?"

Me - "No."

I saw several more little rectangles to cross off but she stopped there, thankfully. I had really had enough of voicing all the things he cannot do.

Otherwise his checkup went well, & his dr is very interested to see how things go with our homeopathic treatments for him.

The Ladybugs were next for their 1 year check up. From the questioning they seem to be developmentally on target at the moment. They are tiny, but otherwise healthy. Our last 2 children stayed tiny for a long time before getting big; Butterfly was very small until she reached 2 years old, & didn't walk or want any solid foods until 15m old. Taking that history into account the dr was not concerned. One of the older nurses there felt sure the doctor would recommend goat milk supplement, which I had been considering. After asking him however, he didn't feel it was at all necessary. As always it was nice to go to a doctor without having vaccines even come up in the conversation.

The little ones just wanted to get out of there as fast as possible. He does nothing invasive yet they absolutely hate doctor appts. Little Guy had tears as well. Ladybug II seemed totally traumatized, & no one held her but me! Ladybug I just looked everyone over as if to say "Don't you dare come too close!". Everyone was quite taken with them & they got a lot of attention as always, despite their total aversion to the situation & everyone there.

Storyman & Big Guy are next for check ups, probably sometime in Sept.

The exciting continuation of Super-Otis is finally up on Storyman's blog! He's also got a post prior to that titled "10 Things About Me". So if you'd like to follow an exciting adventure & learn more about Storyman, go visit him, &, he loves comments!

In case anyone was wondering, I do proof his work for spelling & any obvious errors. It's a nice teaching tool & it's all his own. Story content & writing is all his (from ideas he gets from various stories he reads & watches!). He has not had any formal writing programs yet; I hope to begin that with him soon.

There's so much misunderstanding about this topic; I thought this devotion was really important, so am sharing it here.


Joni and Friends Daily Devotional
August 14, 2008

The Question of Good

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
                                                                      --Isaiah 64:6 
 

This world is full of pain.  People look at the anguish of those who hurt and insist, "Good people deserve better."  But do we?  It's a tough question, and the Bible has a hard answer.  It paints a sobering picture:  people are not innately good.  It also says that people -- all of us -- cannot begin to comprehend how our sin has offended God.  In fact, the Bible states that God is just to send rebellious creatures to hell -- thus, as incomprehensible as it may sound, he is fair to start that hell in this life.
 
But wait; there is a hidden mercy here!  By tasting suffering in this life -- hell's splash over -- people are driven to ponder what may face them in the next life.  In this way, suffering may be our greatest mercy; for many, suffering becomes God's roadblock on their headlong rush to hell.  If we experienced nothing but ease and comfort, we would soon forget that we are eternal creatures -- but suffering won't allow that.  It persistently reminds us that something immense and cosmic is at stake -- a heaven to be reached for Christ's sake, and a hell to be avoided. 
 
 * * * * * * * *
 
Every day of our short life has eternal consequences for good or ill.  Thus, it is only fitting that a merciful and wise God should give us some sense of the stakes involved, some sense of the magnitude of the spiritual battle -- he does this by giving us foretastes of heaven in the joys we experience, and foretastes of hell in our suffering.
 
Open my eyes, Father, so that I might grasp how holy you are - help me to see how cosmic and grand the eternal stakes really are in this life.  And then, help me to live circumspectly and wisely! 

Blessings,
Joni and Friends
 

The day started out normally, for us anyway. I gave out the probiotics, which is best given on an empty stomach (Little Guy hates it so I have to be sneaky & quick), then I spent about 1/2 hour getting the boys' remedies together for the day.

After those were given out, & the others stored for later, I started preparing the vitamin concoctions for everyone. While I did so I watched the time carefully. Just as I finished & everyone was gathering to the table for breakfast, it was time to sing Happy Birthday to my Little Guy, who was born 9:26 am, 3 years ago. I held, cuddled, & smooched him during his special song, & he seemed to really enjoy it all.

After breakfast lots of other things needed to get done. There wasn't any school but there are tons of vitamins to give out, diapers to change, laundry to get going, or keep going, & then more remedies to give out. Finally I was able to get into the family room with the kiddos & have the babies' play a bit while we opened a few presents with Little Guy.

It was pretty much as I suspected; Little Guy was very spacey today & didn't want anything to do with his presents. Storyman & I reeled him in a bit, got one ripped up a little for him, & then he'd become a bit curious & rip more paper off to see what was inside. However, not one intrigued him as much as this one; it was a definite favorite...



A little toy laptop

However, it was stuck in the box. I hadn't thought ahead enough to have everything out of the boxes so he could play with them right away, so he lost interest quickly while I was trying to open it.

We "helped" him with a couple more presents, but he was done. He wandered off to the toybox to find something. He was very quiet for a while, sitting in one place, which made me suspicious. He was behind something so I had to go check on him. Turns out he was sitting still because he was biting bits of this play duster off...



So that was put away indefinitely.

Away he wandered, not off to any of his new toys, but to the other toy box where he began tossing all the stuffed animals off the box & all over the floor...



It's a common thing for him. Little Guy has an aversion to things being put away. If something is in or on something else, it typically gets tossed around (hence the chronic mess everywhere).

He did actually get around to checking out his laptop further, once it was opened & ready, & he was very focused on it, for a while. Here he is demonstrating why it is called a laptop:



The other kiddos really liked this toy as well, for whatever reason...



Storyman, checking out all its capabilities



Even one of the babies joined in



Although boxes are interesting too



This little phone had everyone fascinated for a while too



The babies really enjoyed all the excitement & new stuff



Little Guy also got a little airplane, which Storyman likes more than anyone



There was some terrible behavior on the part of a certain someone, who spent quite a bit of time separated in that certain someone's room. That made the day rather difficult. Jealousy reared its ugly head today, & that dampened an already difficult day.

I don't excuse bad or even just disruptive behavior due to autism, which is why we spend most of our time away from activities with other people, so we don't bother anyone, as autism can be quite bothersome.

Regardless, I feel that when one is smaller, weaker, & cannot speak for oneself then one needs an advocate, & mommy lion was doing the job.

For me, it's not always about who had it first, but rather, what is the right thing to do? It's one thing if something is grabbed away from another, then that of course was wrong & it must be given back & apologies made. But it was his birthday, his brand new toy, & on top of that the only one he showed the least bit interest in all day, so they were told that even if they were playing with it, if he showed interest in his toy, they at that moment must back off & let him have at it.

One person had a lot of trouble with that concept.

Now some may not get where I'm coming from on this one. But the fact is the child cannot speak for himself & walks around aimlessly doing nothing but humming, & when he does take interest in doing something with a toy, something somewhat normal, that moment is rather fleeting & must be encouraged. In particular, today, with his brand new favorite toy, that he only showed interest in for brief moments.

So when a sibling removes the toy from his reach, or actually takes his little hand off the toy so he cannot touch it, even though it was just given to him, & he wanders away aimlessly again because he so rarely asserts himself & cannot speak, I see an injustice being done & I have to deal with it.

Anyway, I digress...

My plan had been to steam some carrots, Little Guy's favorite veggie, & make some Applegate Farms chicken apple sausage, a huge favorite for him. But his daddy came home a bit early, & barbequed some flank steak. Little Guy really loves bbq'd meat, so that & the carrots was fine with him too (judging from the way he inhaled his dinner).

Since he can't have any regular cakes, or even gluten free ones, I made an SCD banana bread - info & recipe on that here. It wasn't too pretty, but turned out to be a hit with everyone. I stuck a number 3 candle in it along with another for a blessing..
.


One thing he really did enjoy was being sung to...



Storyman helped him with the candle blowing



Then he sampled the cake. He seemed really excited to get it, like he knew it was something different, special, & made special for him to eat too.

With his first bite came some consideration ...



Then he gobbled up the whole piece & another besides!

Little Guy can't tolerate any grains or flours so I couldn't make him a gluten free birthday cake. They mostly use rice flours or potato, which he also can't tolerate. I found a recipe for a banana bread in one of my SCD cookbooks, so I tried that out for him. I had to adjust this one a bit for everyone's allergy needs.

For "butter", I used coconut oil (he can't tolerate soy either for subs). I also left out the walnuts entirely, since Butterfly has a tree nut allergy. I bought the almond flour from Digestive Wellness, which is also where I buy Little Guy's almond muffins & cookies, since I don't have time to bake on a regular basis yet. I also didn't have any mini muffin pans, so I used a full size one & watched it closely. It took about 40m to bake.

Here's the recipe in its original form from Lucy's Specific Carbohydrate Diet Cookbook:

3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs, beaten
2 extra-ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups almond flour
1 cup walnuts, chopped

In a mixing bowl, thoroughly stir together all ingredients, adding the almond flour & chopped walnuts last. Scoop batter into 3 buttered loaf pans (3" x 5-1/2"), filling 3/4 full.  Batter can also be used to make muffins. Line muffin pans with paper cupcake liners, filling each 3/4 full.

Bake loaves or muffins in a preheated 310° F oven; loaves for 45-50 minutes, muffins 20-25 minutes.

Allow loaves to cool before removing from pans, and refrigerate before slicing.

Toast sliced banana bread in a 375-400° F toaster oven & serve lightly buttered.


Smoothie

I found this smoothie concoction on the back of a DOLE pineapple mango juice can. I made it with my vanilla flavored goat yogurt.

1 cup DOLE Pineapple Mango juice
1 cup fresh or frozen sliced peaches
1 carton vanilla yogurt
dash ground nutmeg

Combine until smooth.

All new remedy packets & supports were started this week for both boys. For Big Guy, the emphasis will be on parasite elimination, which is a long process. The packets are still clearing metals, x-ray effects, etc, but we won't be getting to the vaccine clears for quite a while yet.

The emphasis for Little Guy is drainage; getting his body to eliminate those toxins. He was given a new remedy, which tastes foul, so remedy giving is difficult again. Otherwise the biggie this month is clearing negative effects from the zeolites, & a continuation of everything else as usual for both.

Continual work is needed for both on gut healing, candida cleansing, viral cleansing, parasites, food allergies (that dropper seems to be helping Little Guy with his digestion a bit lately), immune support, etc, etc, etc. Those never stop.

The Ladybugs are doing well, for the most part. Ladybug I is quite small. I had a homeopathic consult for her last month with another practitioner who deals with autism & special needs as well. She had a one time remedy, & now it's a wait & see situation. She is stronger than her sister though, stands well, crawls everywhere she can (before getting diverted!), & plays. They both play, babble, laugh, & give hugs. Neither are talking, & both seem "young" for their age in many ways (although that's not necessarily bad, as long as they keep developing at their own pace).

One big thing that has changed is they are now showing an interest in solids, sweet potato to be specific. I didn't feel it was the ideal one to start with, but since they rejected everything else in past I gave it a try, & they are enjoying it. Little Guy's interest took off at a year old, & they may be doing the same. They will have their 1 year check up with our natural family dr tomorrow, & Little Guy will be along for his 3 year check up.

As for me, my knee is better than before, but not normal. If I turn a certain way I feel it. The ankle is a bit worse lately. I have to talk to the homeopath about it, because many times when parents handle these remedies strange things start happening to them! Or, it may just be me...  I am trying to be more diligent in taking my vitamins, in particular tumeric, & the liquid D3, which are great for inflammation & joint issues.

Now we'll see if Little Guy has any interest in presents today, his 3rd birthday.

Continuing with life on the spectrum...

My sweet Little Guy turns 3 years old tomorrow...  & I'm very sad.

He had come such a long way. When he was born he ended up in the NICU from a pnemothorax. That was his first round of antibiotics. Thankfully, he healed quickly & came home with me, after 4 days in the NICU & one with me in my room.

Then the eczema started, & lasted, for months. I blogged here all about my search, trials & errors to help him heal. Finally, while still nursing him, with enough of my own food eliminations, he cleared up.

Before


Then the respitory illnesses... at 8 months old two rounds of steroids & another round of antibiotics. His regular ped wanted him on major meds; I thought he'd die for sure. Finally, I found our natural doctor, & Little Guy bounced back, & got stronger.

My Little Guy was failure to thrive for several months during the peak of his eczema, budding gut illness, & respitory attacks. But after a year old, he finally got into solids, had a few months of some good supplements under his little belt, & he began to gain weight.

He was delayed; there was no doubt. His system was not handling things well, he was on toxic overload, & he had gut illness & viruses. But the zeolites that were meant to "detox" him, unleashed way too many toxins into his little system, too many for his body to eliminate, & he disintegrated into full blown autism, at just before turning 2 years old.

Now here I sit, waiting for tomorrow to come, to "celebrate" his 3rd birthday.

Today, I went out & bought him balloons. There are still a bunch leftover from his sisters' birthday, but I was determined for him to have his very own.

We live in a rural area, & have a very dinky party store in town. Since I hadn't planned well, & thought I could actually get out recently to go to a better party store but of course could not, they didn't have anything he really likes except Clifford. So I got him 2 Clifford balloons, a Happy 3rd Birthday, & one with his name & age on it. I also picked up some paper plates with animals on them, matching cups, napkins, & Happy Birthday banner. I got a green tablecloth too, to make it look more festive for him tomorrow, even though he'll probably be the first to pull it right off.

I also got him a number 3 candle, to put on the SCD banana bread, if I get the chance to make it for him tomorrow, since he cannot have any typical cake. If I can't do that I'll put it on an SCD muffin, which he eats everyday & really enjoys.

I walked in with everything & he barely noticed. He sometimes likes balloons but didn't pay any attention to the ones I got for him.

At least I know he's not disappointed by my choices, which is all they had, since he can't say what he wants, or care about what he has.

I hope he'll like the gifts I chose for him, since he could not tell me what he would like to receive.

It will be a very quiet day; there's no real party. It will be me & the other children most of the day. His father usually takes off for birthdays, but had to work tomorrow.

He'll get his presents early, since waiting until later in the day is no fun for anyone. They're all tired by then. This way he'll have them to "play" with all day if he wants, if he is interested in them at all.

I had no idea three years ago I'd be going through this yet again, with another dear sweet child.

He does not know it's his birthday tomorrow, & could not give any input on what he would have liked. He's not able to participate in his own birthday, same as Big Guy, for all these years. Now another child cannot have a normal, happy, birthday either.

He'll probably circle things all day, wander around aimlessly with various things in his hands, humming but not talking because he can't, staring into space at times, falling a lot, & whining for food or water because he cannot tell me what he wants. Hopefully, I can get a picture of him without his "chewey bib" he constantly has to wear lately.

Autism doesn't "take off" for birthdays.

I pray he gets some enjoyment out of things, out of the decorations, the bread or muffin with the candle on it, the song sang just for him, the new toys, his "special day", even if he doesn't really know, maybe by God's grace he'll feel a bit "extra special" tomorrow.

I pray he'll always know how much I love him, no matter what happens.

I pray, the Lord will have mercy, & if it be His will, that He restore my sweet Little Guy to normal development & full health, so that maybe by the time he turns 4 next year, he can truly understand & fully enjoy his birthday.

Almost three

Storyman has finished Part II for his latest Super Otis series, so pop on over to his blog to check it out; the anticipation is building!

Storyman has gotten a burst of creative juices flowing regarding his Super Otis character. At first he wasn't going to continue with it, but since he has gotten some ideas now he has started a new series. Part I begins today, so visit Storyman's blog for Super Otis Chapter 2, Part I!