our trip to Lynchburg

Hi all! Well, we took a day trip to Lynchburg, VA with our Robug. We went to see Dr. Mumper at the Rimand Center, (www.rimlandcenter.com) where we were hoping to get lots of encouragement and hope for treating Rowan and helping him come out of his fog. We were not disappointed! Here's a summary of the day:

We got up at 6, ate breakfast, and got on the road. Thanks Deb and Ed for letting us borrow your car, it was such a blessing! A very smoothe drive. It took us 3.5 hours to get there, but there was a suprising amount of grace on the trip. Rowan barely whined at all and we only had to use the DVD player for less than half the trip. Joel and I had some excellent conversation and quality time. I love car trips but only for that reason. Most of the time, travelling with young children doesn't feel worth it unless there's some good conversation!
We got there around 10:30 and had to wait 40 minutes to get in, but that was fine, because they have a little pond and a playground out back that we enjoyed until it was our turn. When we met with Dr. Mumper, she got to spend some time with Ro and see what she thought we might need to do next. She then ordered some tests to be done to specifically tailor his treatment plan to his particular needs. That was so great to hear! She doesn't want to just do general treatments that 'most kids on the spectrum respond to' but rather find out exactly how his body is working, what vitamins he needs, etc, and then work on that so that we are sure to see results. So coming up, we'll be doing urine, stool, and blood tests, and hopefully sometime next month we'll find out the results. Our prayers right now are that the tests would clearly point out what we need to fix and that it will be obvious and quick and easy.
Very exciting! It was well worth the 8 hours in the car. My friend Danni watched Bella all day and Ashton, my sweet housemate, watched Asher until we got home, which was around 5. All in all, a great trip that renewed our hope again that Rowan can come out of this.
That evening, we had a family dinner at Ben and Bek's house, with the added bonus of Deb and Ed being there to enjoy italien sausage that they brought from Oswego. So good! After that, we all hung out here at our house for ice cream and good talks, until Joel and I crashed around 9:30 and had to go to bed. Man, i remember the days when i could stay up until 1:30 AM and still get up early and not be dead the next day. Those days are just memories now. :-)

On another note, last week Rowan had his screening with the school district to see if he qualified for special needs pre-school services. Good news! he does! Rowan will be starting pre-school next month for 3 hours a day, 4 days a week, about 1/2 mile from our home! What a blessing. I'm excited for him to be with other kids his age.

I love the Lord! I love that He is going to heal my son, and even though most days I dont want to admit it, I am glad that He is working on my heart, even if it feels like He's killing me.

:-)

Love to all,
Jenn

5 things I love today!

1. Praise report! Medicaid ended up covering Ro's clinic appointment last week! I love surprises like that!

2. walnut-garlic pesto. if you haven't eaten it, you need to try joels' recipe!

3. when friends bring me random treats :-) Thanks for the frosty, Lora!!

4. The Office. My latest interest. I think Dwight Schrute is the funniest tv character EVER. I love that show.

5. watching my baby play quietly by herself in her bed after a nap. her sounds make my heart happy.

colds stink

The past few days, me and Bella have had a cold. Bella's wasn't too bad but I got it somethin' nasty! Haven't been sleeping well, which makes it hard to get better. So needless to say (but I will anyway), my house is a mess. I thank God for my girls in my house and for my hubby, they all know how to make me happy by cleaning when I can't.

Rowans allergy test came back all negative for food and respiratory allergies, which is good AND not so good news. It's good because that means that he doesn't have any bad allergies. It's bad because I know that he has food sensitivities and now I dont know how to find out which ones. I was hoping they'd show up on this test. I know this because when we took away milk, his rosy cheeks went away and he started napping better, and his eye contact actually improved too. But milk didnt come up positive on the test, so I am skeptical. Might see an allergist to see if they can do anything more comprehensive. Food sensitivities can affect sleep, poop, behavior, attention, pretty much everything, and is magnified in an autistic child. So we're hoping to learn more about this when we see our doc in Lynchburg next month!

I am really blessed to live where I live. The people around me are the most supportive group I've ever known. These people are believing that Rowan can be healed and are really praying with us. Just the other day, my sweet friend Lora brought over someone she knows from her church who has been burdened to pray for my Ro. I love my friends and I am so glad I'm not alone in this.

A very bright thing in my life lately is my new little neice, hannah! Here is a picture of this little miracle baby:
She's amazing! Congratulations to Mark and Lauren! I love you guys and your family!

long day in Columbia, SC

We took our little Robug to the Developmental Pediatric Clinic today for his evaluation and they told us what we already knew. Ro has classic autism. If I'm being totally honest here, I will tell you that it wasn't any easier to hear it, even though we already knew. It still took my breath away and made feelings rise up in me that I forget are there sometimes.

That being said, we are glad to finally have a diagnosis! I knew before we went that the only reason we were doing this was to get eligible for the services that he needs. The appointment itself took about 2 1/2 hours, spending all of the time with only one developmental pediatrician. I was under the impression, from what I've read, that an evaluation normally is attended by several types of therapists and doctors, but apparently at this clinic, it's a one-on-one thing. Not sure if I think that it was the best way to do it, but either way, he got his diagnosis and we can finally move forward with therapy. One encouraging thing she did say is that Ro's main issue is only in one area, communication, which makes me encouraged because that is an area easy to help in!

My stance remains the same through all of this: We continue to stand on God's promise, what he TOLD us and confirmed several times: He is going to heal Rowan. Every day I am more firm on this, and honestly, I don't care whether or not you agree with this. Because frankly, it doesn't matter what anyone else says! I have my promise from the living, eternal, all-knowing creator God and that's all I need, baby!

This is my blog, I can say what i want. :-) Love you all very much! Keep joining with us in prayer. It avails much.

-Rowan's mommy

wow fast answer!

read the last post, particular the bit in the middle about Rowan.



done? now get this: the evaluation people just called and scheduled us for Monday! Yeah, thats right. THIS monday. There was a cancellation! Can you believe it!!

birfday and baby fun

Well, I guess I'll just post a quick summary of the past week or so!
The day after the seminar in Atlanta was my birthday! So, I slept in and took my time getting up and ready. I donned a per-dy dress and went to church with my familio. I almost had to do nursery that day, but my sweet friend Tori ended up staying up there because, well, she's sweet! And she's so good with kids. Then, after church, my amazing then-very-pregnant sister in law Lauren took me out to Brio for lunch, with my very good friend Lora. Brio is my absolute favorite restaurant and those are 2 of my favorite people! A good combination. They each gave me some very sweet gifts and really blessed me with their company.
After lunch, I came home to find our wonderful friends from Wisconsin next door. I had been expecting them the next day, so this was a very pleasant suprise! They hadn't intended it to be a birthday present, but it was. It was awesome to have them around for a whole week, we always miss them. So that night after the kiddos went to bed, we had some lemony, strawberry, whipped-cream-topped cake for my b-day, supplied by the amazing baker extraordinaire, Susanna Internicola. I swear, she could bake a paper bag and it would taste good. Thank you again, Sooz!
After we had our yummy desert, we sat around and just talked, and my friends all decided to bless me with words of affirmation. That is always my favorite part about getting together with the people I love. I come away feeling better. And it's nice to have a focused time where people tell you how great you are! You just don't hear it all the time, and well, gosh darnit, sometimes ya just gotta hear it. :-) So thanks, friends, you guys really made my birthday great. Looking back, I'm wondering how I managed to not take ANY pictures that day. What the heck?!
The next few days were pretty much same old. Joel's new schedule is great and he is loving working so much. I have never met anyone who likes to program websites and applications as much as my nerdy hubby. He's having a blast! He works at his employers house twice a week, and then 3 days he is working upstairs in his office. Someday soon he hopes to start renting some office space with other techy friends of his.
Rowan is doing well too. Not a whole lot has changed lately, so we are hoping to get some wisdom soon on what to do next. I've made several calls trying to set up his evaluation to get an official diagnosis and very quickly learned that it's going to take a lot of months before he can get in. Which means it will be that long to get any home therapies. So right now, aside from his healing, my biggest prayer request is that the process of getting diagnosed would be sped up! I dont want to wait 6 months or more, and it would be best for him not to!
Asher is now talking up a storm. New words every day! His voice is so sweet to me. And his playfulness brings me joy beyond words! Now that he's 2, he's learning how to rebel and all that fun stuff, so it is interesting the contrasts I feel some days. You parents know what i mean :-)
Bella Rose is such a joy to us! Everyone says she's the happiest, smiliest, most social baby they've seen. And its true. She'd smile at you no matter what, I think. And she is now sitting up, crawling, even pulling up on the furniture. Still doesn't know how to get back down, but that'll come soon. And she has officially cut her first tooth! We are waiting for number 2 in the next few days.
All in all, we are well. I'm still sewing but have stepped away from it for a few days because of this: I have a new niece!! My sister in law, Lauren, had her little baby girl on Tuesday morning. Hannah Elizabeth. She's so stinking cute and precious. I could hold her all day! We prayed hard for this little baby to exist so there is much rejoicing! While Laur was in labor and recovering, I got to hang out with my nephew, Andrew. It was fun to have him around and get to know him more. I love my family.
On a personal note, I am saddened by the recent deaths of some celebrities, particularly Michael Jackson. I dont know why I care so much. Maybe because i had a mild crush on him during my college years, or maybe because I prayed for him to get saved so much (maybe he did, who knows?), or maybe it's just because I know how huge a role he played in influencing the music and dance in our nation and how missed he'll be in that regard. I dont know but I just feel bad about it. I pray that God will heal the hearts of those who loved him, especially his family members and children.

5 things Friday

1. feeding my kids healthy food! (when they will actually eat it!)

2. seeing friends from a far off land (we have friends visiting from Wisconsin and it is SO good to see them!)

3. selling things in my etsy shop (it makes me feel so productive and contributing)

4. hugs from Rowan, and spontaneous kisses

5. Asher's hair. (he has wings!)