4/14 update

I got the letter we have been waiting on. It turns out that wraparound services weren't completely denied, they just weren't approved as requested. Its quite confusing to explain, but basically they approved everything that we want now, but June 9th they want to make a drastic reduction in the amount of hours/week he will get in the daycare setting. I talked to the lady from the place that will be providing the services, and she said that we can go ahead and get started and worry about filing an appeal for the loss in hours another time.. or just wait and see how it goes. So good news is... we should have a TSS in the daycare with him next week!
Today Caleb has pooped and peed on the floor... He will take his pants and diaper off and start to go. He has been in footed-sleepers pretty regularly because he takes his clothes off. I am starting to notice a pattern that he pulls on his diaper or takes it off when he has to GO. So as much as I didn't think he was ready to potty train yet, I am starting to think we should give it a try. I should buy him a different potty because the one we have has a detachable pee shield and he will not leave it on. I am thinking the baby bjorn potty because it has a better design(for boys) than our elmo one.
Caleb is picking up new words daily, and there are so many that I cannot even think of them all. This is great progress! He loves labeling things, shapes, numbers, and letters. The problem now is that he is still lacking functional language. He can tell you what almost anything is, he just isn't using functional words yet.
This morning he has OT and Speech. He is taking a nap right now and I am going to have to wake him soon for Early Head Start at 2. Tonight when Grandpa gets off of work, we are going to Playthings, Etc. It is a huge toy store.

& we're too small to stop the rain..

This morning, I was driving Caleb to daycare and thinking about things & this song came on the radio. I couldn't help but bawl my eyes out. It describes perfectly how I feel (about Caleb's current and future struggles.) Listen to it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BW9zMSwKIdU&feature=related I Won't Let Go by Rascal Flatts It’s like a storm That cuts a path Its breaks your will It feels like that You think your lost But your not lost on your own Your not alone I will stand by you I will help you through When you’ve done all you can do If you can’t cope I will dry your eyes I will fight your fight I will hold you tight And I wont let go It hurts my heart To see you cry I know it’s dark This part of life Oh it finds us all And we’re too small To stop the rain Oh but when it rains I will stand by you I will help you through When you’ve done all you can do And you can’t cope I will dry your eyes I will fight your fight I will hold you tight And I won't let you fall Don’t be afraid to fall I’m right here to catch you I wont let you down It wont get you down Your gonna make it Yea I know you can make it Cause I will stand by you I will help you through When you’ve done all you can do And you can’t cope And I will dry your eyes I will fight your fight I will hold you tight And I won't let go Oh I’m gonna hold you And I won't let go Wont let you go No I won't

Spring is here

It is beautiful day here in western pennsylvania... it is supposed to be almost 80 degrees today. I had big plans to go spend the day outdoors until i realized how much that is not a practical option. There is no good/safe place to go. & I would need an army to help me chase Caleb. Oh how I wish we had about a 300ft by 300ft fenced in field. Caleb could run and play all day. We could get some fresh air.. and I wouldn't be exhausted from chasing him or worrying that he is gonna end up getting hurt. So for now, I guess I will just open the windows in the bedrooms and try to get some fresh air inside.

Denied!

Guess what~ everyone was wrong! The request for wraparound service was denied by insurance. Now we must wait for a letter to come in the mail explaining why, and then appeal it. I am beyond frustrated at this point. At first it was like...here are 3 hoops you need to jump through...then oooh here are 10 more to jump through and then you will finally get there... now that i've jumped through all of them, i have hit a big brick wall. I have had about 30 phone conversations, been to 3 dr appointments, and I don't even know how many meetings, just to get to this point & be denied. I'm frustrated, i'm exhausted... but I WILL NOT GIVE UP. (& I am sure that what they're hoping that I do) I will never give up on a battle that is worth winning, never, ever, ever.

30 months! Update!

Caleb had his 30month check up yesterday. He measured in at 38.5in and is 30lbs. For his age, he is in the 99th percentile for height, and 50th percentile for weight. If you compare his height with his weight he is only about the 5th percentile. The pediatrician is now onboard and agreed with the diagnosis from the psychologist she said "he definately has an autism spectrum disorder". This is a relief actually, since the last time I mentioned it she said "what makes them think that?" She told me that his right ear tube is on its way out... (he just got them placed 5 months ago) I hope he doesn't start getting ear infections again! Other then that, things looked good! As far as his weight goes, we're working on that. We just had a dietician start coming to the house and she will come monthly to monitor his weight and to help give tips on getting him to consume enough calories. Yesterday morning was the meeting to present the plan, and evidence(for lack of a better word) to the behavioral health insurance company to get approval for wraparound services. They have 48 hours to make their decision to approve it or send it to peer review. I am pretty certain there is enough proof to show that there is a definate need for the service, so I'm not too worried. I just am really hoping that it gets approved and we can have a TSS at daycare next week! (He really needs help there with langauge, social skills and behavior) I really commend the daycare staff, especially his teacher for being so patient with us while we get all of this figured out. They have been wonderful! Today my Mom and I went to the Autism Conference at Slippery Rock University. It was nice. I enjoyed hearing others perspectives on things. During the breakout sessions I chose meltdowns, and a mother's perspective through the journey. I would really like to meet more people who are going through(or have been through) this journey. I am hoping to find a social skills playgroup for Caleb and a support group.

If you know one child with Autism..you know one child with Autism

I have read so many hand-outs on autism, and all those "What to look for" sheets that are handed out in doctors offices, etc... but these say so little. In fact, I just read the fact sheet from the CDC and was amazed to see that Caleb fits very few of their listed signs. This does not mean that he is not on the spectrum, he definately is --it just means that all children on the spectrum are different. I am shocked at the number of people who tell me that they don't believe my son has autism. Why is this? I think because they have a mental picture of what a person with autism acts like.. and Caleb doesn't fit it.

"If you know one child with Autism..you know one child with Autism"


[I would have liked to write more, but I must get to class]

Numbers! & Shapes! Oh my!

The other night Caleb was in the bathtub and picked up his foam 3 and said "three" so the next morning when his OT was here I was telling her about it and she decided to use his magnad00dle and write numbers... he recognized and verbally said #'s 2-9! He is now saying almost all of the numbers. I cannot believe this! The amount of knowledge this lil boy has had stored away all of this time, is amazing me.

He is starting to point shapes out in the environment. We had lunch at Garfield's on Tuesday and he kept looking at the floor and saying "ref"(which is what he always calls squares...not sure why though?) He finds gurkels(circles), ovals, and gagles(triangles) everywhere we go. He now knows all of his shapes except the difficult ones (trapezoid, octagon, parallelogram)

Word List

Hi
Buh Bye
juice
apple
dadada(banana)
cheese
toast
oval
star
gagle(triangle)
circle
cookie
up
stop
yes
elbow
key
ball
bubble
balloon
glasses
"what's this?"
"ew stinks"

Pretend Play_Mickey Mouse

Caleb has been not feeling up to par...so we didn't venture too far today. We spent the majority of the day at home with Mickey Mouse! We put clothes on him, pushed him around on his motorcycle, he ate dinner with us, we took his temperature and we even put him to bed with a special blanket. After things quieted down and I was done doing most things with Mickey...I was so amazed to look over and see Caleb hugging Mickey and carrying him around..he even helped me put the blanket on him. :)

Recent Pictures

Here are some recent pictures of Caleb. He is turning into a boy, he is no longer a baby... although,he will always be my baby.

Update

So I have decided that I need to get better at posting on here. Things have been crazy, but I am going to try my hardest to post on here more often. I also need a place to document his progress, and share all of our ups and downs. Caleb was diagnosed with Pdd-nos(an autism spectum disorder) on February 3, 2010. He has a significant language delay and has a lot of sensory seeking behaviors. He is still the same wild, funny, sweet little boy we have always known, he just has an official diagnosis now.

Over the past year and a half, he has uttered a couple of words one time, but never again... I was very worried. But in the past month, he has made AMAZING progress. He is now saying, hi and buh bye, as well as waving. He also can identiy and label, star, oval, shoe, ball, cheese, juice, apple, bubble. Lately he has had a big interest in vocabulary books and even points to things and says "what's that" He loves to learn new things. He is not repeating or labeling too many of the things yet, but I know he is holdling them inside and it is just a matter of time until he surprises me by labeling it. Just the other day I was pointing and naming some things in a new book for him, and he started saying "bubble bubble bubble" and there was a bubble on the page that I hadn't seen yet. ::proud mommy moment:: Since his vocabulary and interest in learning new words has greatly increased over the past month, I haven't been using signs with the words. Just the other night he was finished eating his peaches and started signing -more-(first time).

We have a wonderful group of therapists that come into the home and/or daycare and work with Caleb. He has speech therapy, occupational therapy, and special instruction. I'm in the process of trying to get him wraparound services. He will be starting preschool in September, and I'm going soon to observe at a couple of them to decide what would be best fit for him.

Autism awareness is a big thing these days, but I don't think the average person can even recognize autism when they see it. But every one in awhile someone will give me one of those understanding looks; and for that, I am so grateful.

Update

Caleb turned 2 on Sept 29th!!!

@ his 2 year check up. He was 29.6 lbs & 37.5in

(He wears size 5 diapers, size 8 shoes, mostly 2t pants and 3t shirts.)

First Haircut

First Haircut!

July 2, 2010

Wow i've been slacking..

Its been way too long since I have posted on here..

Caleb will be 2 in less than 2 months!! I cannot believe that my little baby is becoming a little boy. I miss my cuddley little baby and I look back at pictures and reminisce from time to time, but I am loving the little boy that he is becoming. He has so much personality, and he is so lovable.
He goes to daycare while Mommy goes to school. He loves it :) I think it is great for him to be around other people, and kids on a regular basis.

His favorite TV shows are: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse & Yo Gabba Gabba

His favorite thing to do is... go to the park and run around or go swimming (He loves water!)

His favorite foods are: Ravioli, Fish sticks, Pizza, Chicken filets, Watermelon, Jello, Yogurt. He likes a lot of foods!

Here are some recent pictures:

Mommy's little Chicken