Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Family Happenings


This pregnancy has been rough.  I've been so incredibly sick. But I at the same time I am so grateful to be in this position. I really had given up the idea that we would have any more kids. I didn't think it was in the Lord's plan for us. Because I thought we were done having kids and I gave away so much baby gear! My friend, Christy, who was the recipient of most of the baby gear gave or is going to give it back. When I am done with it, it will go right back to her. That part is a huge relief at least.

In regards to being sick, I've had to get acupuncture treatments for nausea and STILL wear my sea bands.  Were it not for the fact I've learned that a little bit of protein in my belly helps (I nibble on hard boiled eggs and turkey meat), and that carbohydrates tend to make me sicker, and blessings from the Lord, I probably would have ended up having another IV from getting dehydrated and not keeping things down like I did with Firstborn.  I tried the anti-nausea medication they said I could take, but I had a reaction to it.  

Based upon prior experience I am pretty sure I am having a boy.  I am just hoping that if it is a boy, and he too is on the autism spectrum, the Lord will grant me strength and wisdom to be the best parent I can be.  

Words really can't express how shocked I was at being pregnant.  I am so grateful though that we have made it further than we did with the last three pregnancies.  I've done a lot of soul searching about the answer I got, and I can see a purpose for it now.  The answer I got was that I had done all I needed to for my family and that I should focus on helping my kids right now.  I interpreted that as I had given birth to all the children I needed to. Perhaps I that is how I was supposed to interpret my answer.  Since then though, I have been focusing more on what my kids need.  

I have also gone through the difficult process of aligning my heart to the Lord's will for me.  I am sure this will not be the only time I ever have to align my will with what Heavenly Father and our Savior want for me, but I have grown so much closer to them.  Staying close to our Father in Heaven and Savior is a constant process I know. You really have to keep moving forward because doing nothing sends you backwards.  

Katie (who is now my first counselor), and Julie (my second counselor) have been a tremendous help. I was so sick we ended up telling them and the Bishop in addition to our parents because I needed the extra help. 

I was somewhat apprehensive at our 12 week visit. this was the visit where in the last two pregnancies things had gone wrong. First we had our 12 week ultrasound and we saw a strong heartbeat, and I could even tell the nuchial folds seemed thinner than the baby we lost. Then it was time for the doctor to see me after the ultrasound. When he came in a gave us a HUGE smile. Everything looked great at this point. I felt so relieved-- we made it to a crucial point.

We still didn't want to tell the world at large, but we felt lighter and a bit more optimistic. Thankfully as well, my morning sickness ebbed just in time for that family vacation I planned for in May.  

We had a good time--so much so that our most recent trip has earned A couple of separate posts.  I have had to put off things for my other children because I was so sick with the one I am carrying now.  One of those is pressing for C5-Trainboy--though I think Acroboy is more appropriate now--getting him into preschool.  We're almost to Christmas and he still isn't in a program yet. We were told we were on the wait list. There have been days when it was all I could do to make breakfast and lunch for the two of us, so I had no problem not having to run him to school each day.

Acroboy is smart, so it is not the academic portion I am worried about. It's getting him to adjust going to school each day. It is getting him used to a regular classroom setting and interacting with large groups of children. He goes to the children's class each Sunday, but that isn't a substitute for a weekday routine. His sister got a call just before Winter break and would she like to join the preschool. I had been hoping that would be the case again, but not so far.  I have another meeting with the district after the holidays to hopefully get him an IEP. I am hoping they'll put him in one of their preschool programs then.  Private preschool really isn't an option for us. 

We took him back to the medical institute's center for autism.  He had another ADOS and other evaluations.  This time he has a diagnosis of not only PDD-NOS, but ADHD. It's really not surprising given how hyper he is all of the time.  I've been seeing him act more and more like Whirlwind all of the time. He has food and texture issues though, so medication is not an option in my mind.  We will see what meeting with the district brings.

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