Thanksgiving

This is the time of year we are reminded to remember the things we are most thankful for...

1.  First and foremost, I am so thankful for you, Austin, the baby on the way, and the gospel that gave me my forever family!  While I was in college I thought, I'm going to excel in my career, help so many people, and love what I do!  When that didn't happen, I wondered, what is next?  what do I do now?  And then I had you Aiden, and suddenly, life took on a whole new path and meaning.  Words just can't express what I want to say, but the past 4 years have been the best in my life.  You are my greatest blessing.  For me, nothing can compare to the gift of being a mother.  If I didn't find the gospel in my last semester of school, I truly believe my life would have been dramatically different.  The things that mattered most would have been postponed, or may never have happened.  I owe all my happiness to a Heavenly Father who knew what I needed, and when I needed it.   

2.  Despite significant financial hardship since I gave up my career, I'm grateful that I never missed a single milestone.  I still remember the details of your firsts--when you first sat up, crawled, and walked.  I will never regret staying home with my children.  You have always had food, clothing, and shelter.  We have a sandbox, swing set, and tons of toys that I never bought or asked for.  The Lord has always provided what we needed through the hands of our family and dear friends.  I still can't believe that I haven't bought a single article of clothing for you or your brother.  Words can't say what a blessing that has been for our family!  I'm grateful we never fail to pay our tithing.  We never have enough money "on paper" to make ends meet, but we always meet our obligations.  My faith is as strong as ever due to the miracles I've seen through paying our tithing. 

3.  I'm grateful for my life.  There was a time in my youth when I gave up.  I didn't want to live anymore, and I tried to take my own life.  I look back at that moment now, and I'm grateful that I didn't succeed.  I think of all the wonderful things I would have missed, and all the good things that came out of something terrible.  Now, I thank Heavenly Father for the gift of my life every day, and I think about how much I have to look forward to.  Life is a gift.  There are times that are going to be very hard, but it is always worth it to fight through.  Nothing bad lasts forever, and there is always something to learn from every experience.  Never give up Aiden.  Never.

 

So this Thanksgiving, I'm grateful for my faith, my children, and always having what we need.  I'm grateful for family and friends, and our home.  I'm grateful for the challenges that make us stronger, build character, and give us spiritual strength.  I'm grateful for my life, and I pray that I continue to do the best I can with the time the Lord has given me.  I know you will succeed Aiden.  I know it.  Keep fighting, because there is so much to live for!    

Nutrition

Aiden may just be another picky eater, or it could be sensory related, but his diet lacks variety and balance.

If it was up to Aiden, he would drink chocolate milk and eat cereal, bread, crackers, and popcorn all day.   If I'm lucky, he will eat peanut butter with breakfast.  He usually never eats dinner, and the protein for lunch must be beef jerky, spicy pumpkin seeds, or a PB&J, which is the only combo food Aiden will eat.  Aiden hasn't eaten a single fruit or vegetable since he was 1 year old.  He will drink some juice, but he prefers milk.  I'm not concerned that he isn't meeting his calorie or protein needs.  I'm certain he is, but I am concerned with his vitamin and mineral intake, especially iron, vitamin A and folate (thank goodness they fortify grains ((most gluten free grains aren't)) with B vitamins, iron, and folate).  Aiden enjoys whole wheat bread all by itself!  I felt guilty giving him the gluten free kind because I knew he was missing an opportunity to get B vitamins, iron, magnesium, folate, and fiber.  Although fortified gluten free cereals would provide some or all of those nutrients too.  Aiden loves Chex, but where is the fiber???  He doesn't eat seeds every day...

I've tried to "hide" veggies in foods such as muffins and pancakes, and I've made "green" smoothies, but Aiden doesn't fall for it.  He will dip chips in salsa, but the minute he gets a chunk, he spits it out.  Any fruit or veggie I add to something has to be pureed.  I tried squash in mac and cheese, but he doesn't like pasta.  The pumpkin pancakes with whip cream were AWESOME, but nope--Aiden didn't touch them.  Today, I had the boys help me make pumpkin pie. Aiden loves sugar, and he rarely gets treats (except at grandma's), so I'm hoping he will try it!  Finally, some vitamin A that doesn't come from milk!

Some tricks that work to get him to eat more nutrient dense items are:

1. No snacks between breakfast and lunch.  If he is hungry, we eat lunch early.  This isn't always easy when we are at playdates, so I give in occasionally knowing full well he won't eat lunch for me.  

2.  Only 2, 8-10 oz cups of milk daily (the recommendation for his age is 16 oz max/day).  Period--no more!  He gets a cup of juice a day ("experts" recommend no more than 6 oz/day), and the rest is water.  This is very difficult for Aiden.  He gets mad when I don't give in.  He rarely drinks his water (I don't blame him--I've struggled with the same thing for years, but I'm striving to be a good example).  I've found that he eats A LOT more with less fluids, and it gives me more opportunities to add foods into his diet.  

3.  When we do have a snack, I try to give all of us more healthy choices even though Aiden prefers crackers.  Frozen yogurt sticks work sometimes, and he will eat the occasional cheese stick, beef jerky (not happy with the sodium or nitrates, but he needs the iron), spicy seeds, and 100% fruit strips usually work too (ok, so he does eat processed fruit).  Aiden loves popcorn--even the healthy versions, so that is always a good snack too :).  They make sweet potato chips now, and he will eat those, but I still wish he would eat something fresh and unprocessed!

Aiden continues to have no reactions when it comes to foods.  He has no skin issues, no digestive issues,  sleeps great, and has no ear infections, or anything else that make me want to try the GFCF diet again.  He is rarely ever sick.  Part of me is curious what would happen if I tried it for 3 months as recommend, but now is not the time financially or otherwise to start it!  The holidays are coming up, and there may be a lot more changes coming our way that we are currently pondering and praying about.  This may be another year of great change for our family...or not.   

Pregnancy

Aiden is going to have a baby brother or sister in May!!!

As indicated in my previous post, this was not a decision that came lightly for our family.  Between financial hardship (we are struggling to get Abe done with his final 3 semesters of school) and Aiden's challenges, this was a decision based on pure faith.  I knew in my heart all along that this was the right choice, it was just a matter of making the decision.  The minute I made it, we were pregnant, which was a bit of a surprise (I thought we would have a few months time).  So, here we are 11 weeks pregnant with baby #3.  How quickly time passes by.  Austin will be 2 this month, and Aiden will be 4 in January. 

Although they do not know what causes autism, current research is focusing on environmental and heritary factors.  I've read concerns about pesticides and pollution from highways (there is a higher percentage of children born with autism by mothers who live my highways--a possible link?), and I know several families who have autism in their history, and they have an autistic child.  I'm certain both factors play a role.  For us, I think it was family history.  However, I find myself holding my breath when I go jogging and a car drives by.  I wear gloves when I need to touch a chemical (I use mainly vinegar at home, which I have no concerns with).  I avoid paint fumes, and anything that may be an environmental hazard.  However, we live in a chemical world.  You can get BPA residue from receipts, plastic bottles and dishes...pesticides from fruits and vegetables (we cannot afford to eat 100% organic).  And so, I choose to live and let God take over.  Although I personally know a family, and I've read about families with several autistic children, the chance is about 5% that I'll have another child with Aiden's challenges.  Honestly, that isn't what held me back.  My fear is balancing my time between the 3 children.  I don't want Austin left out, and I want Aiden to get the attention he needs to learn.       

I played with the boys a lot today.  I pumped up the volume on the children's music, and brought in the toys from outside to play with.  Later we played with Playdo, trains, puzzles, wrote on the chalkboard, read some books, and did some flashcards.  Austin was quick as a whip.  He knew some colors, almost all the pictures, and put the puzzles together perfectly, identifying each piece.  This was the first time I spent a "therapy" session with Austin.  Honestly, I've been so focused on Aiden, I didn't even think to "test" Austin.  But, as expected, the answers came easy to my 2 year old.  For Aiden the questions are much more challenging and thought-provoking.  He seemed distant and distracted.  Although he is making great progress, it is still very hard to see him struggle with what should come easy and natural to him.  He will get there, I know, but it makes me sad some days.  Having another child will be difficult.  I feel like I've just found balance between the 2 children, and I'm going to distrupt it.  But, the decision felt right, and all I can do is have faith that it was the right one.