the far far away doctor's report

So, we went to see Dr. Harum yesterday. She is Dean's Autistic Specialist. She gave us really good news about the toxins since they screened his urine and compared it with the hair sample she thinks that the hair sample could have been a false positive and we are doing that again. We have increased some of his medicines, changed some, and added some but all in all he is really good at taking the medicine. We will see how this goes and see if it helps with his focusing. That right now seems to be where the biggest problem is. So, I'm off for now and will update next month on the doctor reports when we go back for the results. By then, the TEACCH sessions will have started.

TEACCH HERE WE COME!!!

So we have decided on the dates for Dean's (and our) therapy sessions and we go back to the "far far away doctor" on nov 6th to see about the toxin reports. Dean bless his heart has been having a really hard time at school lately. Mainly I think it is because they are trying to do his routine a much different way than what he is used to. They had so many great implemets last year, and since they have a new Resource teacher this year she has taken all of those things away.. (i.e. the sit and spin, the picture cues for him to understand things ect.) I have no idea what she is thinking.......And to tell you the truth, I'm not that impressed either.....we have tried to get an iep meeting set up so we can discuss this and her remark (the resource teacher) was ...."That requires much more paperwork than an regular confrence meeting so we should just have that" WHAT?!?

ok so enough ranting right now
last week we took the kids to Wilmington, and went to the children's museum and the rail road museum...well anyone that knows Dean knows he LOVES trains...so, he has been asking for the steam train all week long.
So he asked us if he could go to see the steam trains next time he sees the
far far away doctor. too cute

and the answer was yes of course!!

birthday

Dean's 6th birthday was on Monday the 22nd, and we had his party Friday the 26th @ Dairy Queen. It was really fun and he had a great time. I really enjoy having his birthday parties there because

1) Someone else does the cooking and cleaning, and preparing,
2) I can actually ENJOY the party and the guests without having to run around like a chicken with my head cut off

so anyway fun was had by all

I am Unique!!!!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 1 or fewer people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Brand New

So, I am now officially a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and I must say already my life has been compleatly transformed. Not only is my relationship with Heavenly Father better, but so is my relationship with my husband, my kids, my family and even here at work is just so much better. At my baptism, I was asked to give my testimony if I wanted to. I thought I would be so nervous, but, I wasn't. It felt like I had this surge of energy all through my body. All that day I felt compleatly at peace and clean. I have been able to tackle obsticles head on instead of worrying about them until it drives me bonkers. All I can say is that, I feel so much better about everything.

I've been thinking a lot about my dad during these past few weeks, and the work that needs to be done for him here. I cannot wait for that to begin. I feel so much more at peace about him passing. Before I thought I had lost him forever and that when I pass away I would know him but not KNOW KNOW him. I have learned now that is compleatly false.

Dean has been doing great this past few months and Lily and Dean have been starting to ask to go to church. Let me say that is a wonderful feeling. Lily has decided that she is supposed to run around like crazy during Sacrement Meeting. So, I end up having to take her out. Then, she decides to be good out in the lobby area. So, I try to take her back in, and the whole cycle starts over again. I even have snacks, coloring books, a babydoll, anything I can think of that would keep her occupied. So, I am open to suggestions if anyone has any....I am sure I'm not the first one for this to happen to.

storm clouds and rain and a lawn mower

this was taken about a year ago but i love the pic and just had to add it....

I must admit I might be a little biased but sometimes Dean can say the funniest and cutest little things....case in point..

Dean: Mama I see a storm cloud (looking up at the sky)
Me: you do?
Dean: yeah that means its gonna rain, we cant go play until its a sunshine cloud again...

next day :
Dean: mama its a sunshine cloud today we can play!

(BIG BIG thing for him) cause and effect and recognition!!!!!!

at school yesterday Ms. Damren got so tickled at Dean :

Dean is very very attentive to any type of outside machinery
someone was outside on the school yard mowing the grass and Dean was sitting with Ms. Gina practicing writing some numbers....well he heard the mower....got up ran to the window and watched the lawn mower until he couldn't see it again
next thing you know he's going back to his seat to do more numbers again until.....
he hears the mower again....she said he kept watching until he could not see it anymore and then went back and finished his numbers... at least he knew to go back and finish his work hahaha

my little man has a number

1st Grade.... he had so much fun yesterday and did so good...everyone was commenting on it, his teacher, the physcologist, even the principal...everyone is so great @ Smyrna....We met Miss Gina who is his 1 on 1 teacher this year. She seems really nice and really interested in working with Dean. Ms. Laura who is his main teacher is really excited. I was more nervous than he was yesterday. He just went right in and kinda looked around the room a bit and then went to his seat and went to work on his morning work.....I am so proud.

Sunday during Sacrament meeting I looked down and Dean was coloring...not just scribble coloring though actually choosing a certain color for a peticular thing on the page. I was so excited that he did that and then said "l0ok mama, I colored Manny's (Handy Manny) hat yellow and his clothes green and the tools blue and the tool box red" I almost started crying right then, that is a huge step with his thought process..he sat and thought and new exactly what he wanted to do and it was a multiple step process....my little guy is on to achieving more great things!!!!!

second meeting

Since the sisters left the day right after my first meeting, I now have Elders teaching my lessons. We met them last night, I must give *kudos* to Emily because my first meeting was at her house and she fixed a really really good supper. I on the other hand opted for pre cooked and heat in the oven (food lion special). Anyways, this meeting was more of them finding out where I was and we watched a film on the Restoration. I told them about the first meeting and that I was really more of a Teach me and I'll get it sorta person. I really can't just sit down and read something and come up with questions. I'm really having a hard time coming up with questions also because I consider myself like a sponge. I'm not really comparing this to the way I was brought up, its more along the lines of just learning and learning and not really asking why is it this way sorta thing.

We have decided to meet twice a week so I can get all the lessons in before my baptism. I definatly don't want that changed to another date.

After the last meeting I took some time to just go over what the Sisters had told me. I remember how it felt when Sister Jolstead was saying what Joseph Smith saw. I re read the pamplet and as I was reading it I just cried and cried, I had goose bumps upon goose bumps and suddenly it felt like I was wrapped in a warm blanket I prayed about this to know if what I was hearing was true and couldn't hardly get any words out. I realize now my heart was speaking for me. I know that this is the true gospel. I know that Joseph Smith did see our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and that he is a prophet of God. I know that President Monson is the living prophet today.
How could it not be true ? that is the only question I have now.

Since my father passed almost two years ago, this is the first time I really have felt I still had my dad, he has just fullfilled his misson on earth and returned to Heavenly Father. Before, I just felt like he was dead and in the ground, and I didn't have a dad anymore. I can not say how much happier I am knowing he is there waiting for us and that we will be together forever.

You know I have always been around people that were of the LDS faith, I mean I went to HS with people, were in Drama at ECHS with people, and I never really had a yearning to learn, I was even friends with Richard's sister from 8th grade on, and never laid eyes on Richard until 2001. Heavenly Father has a plan for all of us, I know now he spoke to me when I was ready. I am so glad I had sense enough to listen.

As I was speaking last night it suddenly dawned on me, that Richard and I have changed the course of our families life for generations to come. Not only will we recieve all the wonderful blessings that Heavenly Father wishes for us, but so will our kids, and grand kids and great grand kids and on and on, all because we are converts. (you know I'm really starting to like that word.)

Save the Date!!!!!!!

SATURDAY AUGUST 30, 2008





MySpace Countdown

first meeting

(photo compliments of flickr)

Last night was my first meeting with the missionaries. I learned in more detail about the restoration of the church. I've decided not to get ahead of myself and to just read and study the pamphlets as they give them to me. Last night, when the Sisters, were teaching me, I had no clue that it would be so emotional. Just talking about where my life was, and how it had been so long since I had allowed Heavenly Father to talk to me and to listen to what he was telling me. As the opening prayer was being said, I felt this compleate peace and warmth from head to toe. When one of the Sisters was telling me about when Joseph Smith saw and heard Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, I got chills. It was so amazing and powerful and yet calm and peaceful, I knew what I was hearing was true and that it did happen. Last night I spent some time reflecting what I had been told and truthfully that is all I can think about today as well. It is so nice to have something in my life that I know is not going to go away, that I have to look foward to and build upon. I know that I as a person, a wife and a mother deserve that as do my family. I am so glad that my husband chose me and opened my eyes and heart to something that I have embraced for myself and have come to know and trust is the truth. My life is truly changed and blessed because Heavenly Father brought us together. I know in my heart that from the moment I opened my heart and truely listened last night and believed what they were saying, that my life as well as my family has changed course, and will be so much better, fuller,spiritful, and following Heavenly Fathers plan we will be together forever.

wow!

Sunday during the Sacrament Meeting, one of the church members were giving their testimony and part of it was about how people tend to want to shame or discourage people of the church...well basically say its out right wrong....I've just begun to learn and study about this wonderful gospel and basically a better way of life and already know just exactly what he was talking about......



I've been taking my Book of Mormon and the hand out that the Sisters gave me on Sunday to work and quietly reading them and studing them during my lunch break...Some of the employees were talking about dieting and cutting out soft drinks and stuff like that so, I joined in on the conversation and said how I have been doing really good with no tea or caffeene for about two months now...well of course since I was reading the hand out....one of them made the comment



Person 1. Are you Mormon now?



ME: well actually I have been going to the LDS church and really enjoy it....



Person 2. (in a very loud aqward voice) well how come if God made tea leaves how come its so bad then, he didn't make soda so that should be worse



Me: If you knew something was harmful for your body why would you want to put it in your body. Tobacco leaves were grown for a purpose but that doesn't mean our Heavenly Father intened for people to smoke it...



person 1 and 2 NO RESPONSE!!!!!



I was so proud of myself, after I went back to my office and thought about it I called Richard.I was so excited...the response just flew out of my mouth...no hesitation no stuttering or anything

and Im not going to quit bringing my books into the break room.......I sure don't know anywhere near all of the answers to ignorant questions like that, but I'm not gonna stop learning either....

weeks review

Lily really has taken to her cousin Ashleigh, she thinks she can hold her like a babydoll. So we indulge her by letting her hold her while one of us holds her...she even was singing rock a bye baby to her it was very cute......We were talking the other day and Dean must have out grown his medicine levels because it seems like he is starting to become more and more stimulated very easily. His emotional upsets are getting worse too, if the slighted little thing is off he will just fall all to pieces, bless his heart, it sure does break mine...Im hoping his levels just need to be upped a little.

Saturday was Richard's 34th birthday...bless his heart he really thought he was turning 33 and was going to pick on me about getting the age wrong on his cake....until he realized I was right!!!

hahahaha

Sunday at church we talked with some of the missionaries about setting up some lessons for me, this is really great because with all the reading and watching of the movies I have been doing on my own, it helps to have someone there to answer questions that I might have. I'm really bad at remembering questions after the fact. Plus, it will be nice just to hear what they have to say, and help me out on things. It's a lot to try to comprehend and trying to do it without help has proven to be very confusing mostly since I have no clue where to start. (especially the history and how the books were writen) I must say history was not my best subject. but, I am up for the challenge....Richard says I'm like a fish that doesn't need any bait to be hooked.

school today...

Ms. Josie said that Dean did really good today, He did all his jobs (lessons) and recieved a piece of candy because he did them so well. Last night, I think the kids played so great together, better than I have seen them play in awhile. Lily was tickling Dean and he was laughing and laughing, plus "Tom and Jerry" was on and of course they love that show. If I ever need them to calm down for any reason that's all I've got to do is tell them they can watch Tom and Jerry and they immedatly sit down in their little chairs and get ready for it to come on...I know that sounds kinda lazy but it really helps if I'm washing or folding laundry or trying to get some straighting up done around the house. Of course, we do have our fun and play time also...

Yesterday I heard about the little baby who drowned in the pool. I couldn't help but reflect what happened to my little girl and how fortunate and blessed we are to have her with us on this earth still. In a split second you never ever know what is going to happen. I actually got sick here at work after hearing about it. It also made the hair stand up on my arms.

Our Heavenly Father is such a gracious, wonderful, loving, father and truly blesses his children.
I know in my heart that things on this earth happen, and you really can not understand someone's true pain at mouring the loss of a child, trust me I got really really close, and never ever want that feeling again, but for someone to actually go through it, before Richard and I started going to church and I started learning about the things to come after this life is over, I would not have even known how to begin to heal with the fact it almost happened much less really losing a child. I am so thankful that we have her here with us and have the chance to teach her the truth and for us to have a chance to be sealed in the temple one day... I can't even begin to say how that makes my heart feel. I can only pray that the ones that have lost loved ones know the truth in their hearts as well..

Baby Girl!!

ASHLEIGH RENAE STEPHENS
7/25/2008 not quite sure on time but between 2:45 and 3:00 pm
8 pounds and 7 ounces. 19 inches ..

she looks just like her big sister Brianna did when she was born but with less hair...very cute!!!! Mama and baby doing just fine and at home....

Lily wasn't to sure of what to think about the new baby. (Especially when Daddy held her) She did pretty good though. Dean pretty much wasn't even paying attention...he was all about playing with toys...

waiting!!!!

Well today, I am going to be an Aunt again!!! My sister-in-law is in the hospital right now so just as soon as i find out I will update with pictures....

catch up

It's been a few weeks since my last post. I was off from work all last week YAY!!!!!!! On Monday, we went to Wilmington to get some more supplements for Dean since he was running low, so while we were there we decided to take the kids to the battleship..it was nice but boy was it hot. We really didnt go down on the ship very far 2 or 3 levels I think since we had to carry Lily and the steps were pretty steep. Dean seemed to enjoy himself but was ready to take a ride. He wanted to boat to move bless his heart. I on the other hand had a mini panic attack for being so inclosed..closterphobic, much???? very!!!!!

For the past 2 Sundays Richard and I have taken the kids to the LDS church on Harker's Island. Richard is a member there and we had been talking about going...So, I decided to do some research and studying before going....what I found was so amazing...It is absolutly nothing like most people think it is....Never have I found a place to go and worship that I have found compleate peace and answers like I have at this church... the fellowship with the people is amazing. not to mention the choir. I could listen to them all day....In my studying, I have found that I can not put it down, I keep wanting to read more and more and learn more and more. We have talked about getting a missionary to come to the house to help answer some questions that I have, mostly wanting to understand every part of what the gospel is saying down to the last detail..I feel like I have been missing out on so much and that I have jiped my kids out of something so special...I just wish I would have been learning about all the wonderful things that our heavenly father has in store for us a lot longer than about a month...

pondering...

Dean's session at Smyrna went really good today. Ms. Josie said that he did really really good. They read, wrote, and did some other things also. Dean has been having a really hard time lately adjusting to the fact that my dad isn't with us anymore. I know he is in paradise and we will all be together again for all eternity .....but, I am having a really hard time wraping my brain around how to put it so Dean can understand....Dean knows that Pops is with Heavenly Father and with Jesus, and that Pops was really sick here with us and going to live with our Heavenly Father made him all better, and he knows that Heaven is a place that you just can't go and visit. Until, recently he really wasn't asking so many questions.... now when Richard is at work Dean is asking me "did daddy go to Heaven?" is pops all better now? can he come home since he is done being sick, and most recently he asked my mom can he (Dean) go to Heaven so he can get all better. He pretty much affirms that Pops can't come back and that he is in Heaven with Jesus every single day for the past week or so, and then will name different people off, saying they are here but, pops in in Heaven with Jesus. I am glad that he seems to understand that my Daddy is in a better place, so, how do you tell a 5 year old that takes everything so literally, Bless his heart. With autism, Dean doesn't really understand what "just sayings" or stuff like that are, for ex. If you make the comment it's raining cats' and dogs' he would say nu uh mama its raining water...every things is literal and visual for him...so back to my question What and how do you do it?

July is here

This week marks the first full week of exteded school year. Last week they were closed because of the 4th. So while I'm waiting to see how that is going I figured I would post a few more pictures of the kids up. Things are going really good right now, sometimes Dean gets stimulated more that what I would like him to, and here recently he has been getting really upset if something is sightly off. We are supposed to go back to the doctor next week and are taking some more test. Oh, the last round of testing showed that Dean's body doesn't release toxins. which is pretty scary when we got the results because his levels were pretty high. (this was from the hair samples that we sent off) So they are going to be doing a 24 hr urine test and some other type of urine testing. Hopefully we can find out a way to detox him and get the bad stuff out. We are also going to be testing our water and soil to see if any of the toxins are coming from those areas.

the good news keeps on rollin' in!!!!!

Yesterday evening Richard called me at work and told me that Dean had been accepted into the TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication-handicapped CHildren )program in Greenville. Praise the Lord!!! Plus, the lady that is the head of the program picked Dean to work with for herself. Praise the Lord again!!!!! For some of you that do not know what TEACCH is, I got a little overview from the website:

TEACCH is an evidence-based service, training, and research program for individuals of all ages and skill levels with autism spectrum disorders. Established in the early 1970s by Eric Schopler and colleagues, the TEACCH program has worked with thousands of individuals with autism spectrum disorders and their families. TEACCH provides clinical services such as diagnostic evaluations, parent training and parent support groups, social play and recreation groups, individual counseling for higher-functioning clients, and supported employment. In addition, TEACCH conducts training nationally and internationally and provides consultation for teachers, residential care providers, and other professionals from a variety of disciplines. Research activities include psychological, educational, and biomedical studies.
The administrative headquarters of the TEACCH program are in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and there are nine regional TEACCH Centers around the state of North Carolina. Most clinical services from the TEACCH centers are free to citizens of North Carolina.

So now all that is left to do is to pick out our dates and head on up there!!!!!!

How awsome is the Lord !?!

Richard recieved a phone call last night, I didn't really know what was going on but all of a sudden I heard him say Praise the Lord. Well come to find out, the person on the phone was calling about Dean's extened school year. It is starting today yep TODAY!!! He goes to Smyrna @ 10:00 it is gonna only last about 1 hour today just to get things going. His teacher is going to be very flexable b/c she is also working this summer some place else, so:
1) NO WORRIES ABOUT TRANSPORTATION!!!!! (Richard is going to be able to schedule it on his days off)
2) the teacher is none other than Ms. JOSIE---yep that's right Dean's resource teacher from K last year...which is so wonderful in it self because she is such a great kind hearted soft spoken person and loves Dean to death and also he knows her and is close with her and won't have to spend 2-3 weeks getting used to someone new.....

How blessed are we? We just keep on recieving more and more blessings everyday..

Speaking of that I have been reading up a lot on the LDS faith and beliefs and am finding myself more and more fastinated by it. I feel like we are being guided in that direction and am finding answers (see previous post) that I could not find anywhere else.

toilets,texas,and a "hair do"

this past weekend was crazy our toilet in our bathroom has been acting kinda funny lately, wouldn't flush right or take a while to go down things like that....well Richard decided to run over to his mom's house with Dean to down load some pictures from our camera and Lily and I were at the house. I went in the bathroom to put up some towels and saw that it looked like it was backed up so i got the plunger and flushed it, (bad mistake) the water was gushing out everywhere all over the floor in the bathroom down the vent, so sissy and I ran next door and told Richard what was going on. My uncle came over and they took the toilet up and took it outside and sprayed water down it with the water hose...well low and behold while they were doing that out pops a tooth brush to which Lily gets excited and says "There's my toot brush" so I'm guessing I know who flushed it...of course she got mad when we wouldn't let her have it back, so we went in the house and found her another one, which made her happy so thankfully we got that cleaned up and back to normal (no expensive on call plumber for the weekend).

Sunday, my mom came over and we went to texas steakhouse, where for having to sit there Dean was really really good, he just played and played with his excavator, Lilybug on the other hand was not so nice..hahaha there was a lady sitting behind us with hair that was situated just so, fresh from the hair dressers, so of course Lily decided she was going to stand in the booth and see if she could mess it up...that was a time...I finally had to take her out to the car..but, they are only little once.

Dean's new cute saying was he was asking his mema if she was hungry, when she said she wasn't Dean told her that she was full and she couldn't eat again until she was empty. After that, he kept asking her if she was empty yet, and then let us know that he was empty and fries chicken nuggets and a pepsi would make him full and so much better...I love it when he does cute stuff like that...

summer begins

Dean and Lily are having so much fun this summer...they spent all this past week at home with Daddy. (I had to work, not fun for mommy haha) We have contacted the school about the extended school year when it was supposed to start, I want to say that I remember something about the 25th but with everything going on I can't remember one thing from the next lately.
We have started working with Dean on knowing his phone number, he is so cute with it and sometimes he trys and then again sometimes he just laughs and counts numbers. Hopefully we will conquer that and move on to the address.

Richard called me yesterday with the funniest thing that Dean said. They were driving home and I guess with the curves and all Dean kept losing his truck (it would fall in the floor) so he looked up and said "Daddy if I have to find my truck by myself one more time you are going in time out." Richard just about died laughing called me and I got just as tickled. out of the mouths of babes.... so anyway he's doing really good Ms. Vicky ( his K teacher) sent home the word lists and things like that so we can work on them this summer Dean is a very routine child and I hope we can keep things going until he goes back to school.

Lily is still doing great and you would have never guessed that a little more than a week ago she was so critical. God is amazing...

back to normal?

Lily's check up went really great...no post complications to worry about anymore, and no water in her lungs. Dean is back up to full speed, he even asked to go swimming this weekend. When I was running bath water for Dean on Saturday night Lily decided she wanted to get in to!!! So I held her hand (with my heart in my throat) and she stepped in and played a little before I bathed her. Of course, I never took my eyes off of her for a second, I really dont even think I blinked..she was ready to get out..but, when it was Deans turn she wanted to get right back in so we let her...I was so proud of my little girl and my little boy, I sure was not ready for them to get back to normal that fast, but, I made myself let them.

when life flashes before your eyes

ok, most everyone knows about what happened to Lily this past week. There are several stories going around so I'm going to clear that up first....
NO SHE WAS NOT IN THE POOL!!!

So, on Monday I came home from work was straightening up a little and getting ready to cook supper, Dean was outside playing, Lily was in the house. Richard had gone to the doctor that day for his eyes, and wanted me to help put some eye drops in. Dean came back in side and when he went out again, Lily managed to sneak out side. When I looked up she was on the porch, so I put my head down to put the drops in Richards eyes. He may have blinked maybe 8-10 times when Dean came running in the house and said "Sissy hurt, Sissy in water, I pulled her out."

ok so panic set in. We jumped up and I screamed Lily's on the ground she's not moving. I don't know how we managed to get out of the door and it seems like our feet never hit the ground and we coasted over about 15-20 feet out side.. There was my little girl laying there BECIDE the pool. From what we can tell, it looked like she slipped and fell into the feet bucket which had about 4 inches of water in it, she must have lost her breath or got knocked out or something. She was on her back and there was foam and blood coming from her mouth and nose.. no breathing or even attepting to breath.. at that moment i felt my heart stop and vomit rising in my throat. I have to mention that Richard's instincts took over he flipped her over and stimulated her back which thankfully caused her to throw up. He did this several times...by this time 911 had been called and my in laws were running over, my brother in law told us that our call was the 3rd one for otway and they only have 2 ambulances... (more panic) Richard to Pat to get on the phone and tell them we needed a medic now..something about ASR and drowning...by that time my head was spinning in several directions and all i could get out was "Please dont take my baby!!!" Thanks to my sister in law (who is 8 months pregnant) her and her daughter Bri stayed with me holding me up and helping me to remember to breathe...The ambulance got there just as a paramedic was getting there, which they didnt even make it in the drive way...Richard was running into the ambulance with her, and instructed his mom to call mine and get me to the hospital..My mom got me to the hospital I think in like 10 minutes...I called for a police escort to the hospital and to this day still havent seen him yet.... Abouth this time, my aunt Sherry called me and told me she saw Lily and she was screaming...They let me go straight back and there was my little girl laying there on O2 so weak and all the blood vessels in her eyelids and around them had busted...So I crawled in the bed and held her...the doctor came in and told us they were sending her to pitt..they had requested an ambulance but, pitt sent a chopper (which i was glad for since it was faster)
we go back home and get clothes, the medic from the ambulance calls us and tells us she did great, her O2 stats were back up to 99 and 100 with out oxygen. We arrived at Pitt County Memorial Hospital about 2 1/2 hours later (seemed like so much longer) they had already asessed her, so they bring a bed in instead of a crib for us to lay on around 1:30am her iv keeps occluding and Richard was mentioning that he was getting really hot and thought he had bit his lip..they took Lily into the treatment room to fix her IV and Richard looks up and says Would one of you go get my wife I need to go to the ER....they look at him and he was so swollen he looked liked Will Smith when he played HITCH and was in the drug store with an allergic reaction...So needless to say bless his heart he spent all night in the ER...the next morning the doctors came in and said we could go home all of the fluid was gone and she had been with out oxygen all night long.

So, we came home, and called Dean's autism doctor to see if anything needed to be done for him since, he was the one who came and got us and saw the whole thing..she said it sounded like he was doing fine and asked us if we wanted to put Lily in the hyperbaric chamber because sometimes after a drowning incident days later blood work would be off and the chamber would prevent that...so wednesday and thursday we were in wilmington doing that she did really good with it..i am extremly closterphobic so richard got in with her and the 2nd time she even went to sleep...so that is where we are now...she is doing really good, so is Dean, she goes back to the doctor for a check up today... so that is where we are at now....she is not quite back up to par, but we are so amazingly greatful to have a 2nd chance with her...we came so close to losing her i never ever wanna have that feeling again and would never wish it on my worst enemy...


a very postive thing came out of it all :
I was having some doubts about faith and things like that since my father passed away, and all I can say is that she is alive by the grace of God and all of those doubts are compleatly gone. I know I saw his work that day and am so truly grateful that He had a hand in helping Richard stay so compleatly calm and do what needed to be done to save his daughter, He also had a hand in letting Dean communicate with us and that Dean knew to come and get us, because after that happened he reverted back and was unable to communicate for a while..

post kindergarten

Oh my gosh, I was so exicted at graduation. Dean did such a wonderful job. He knew his line and also knew which song to perform in. He did everything perfect. He sang all the songs and did all the dance moves. ****plus**** he didnt get fidgety during the performance (which lasted a little over 2 hours) But, on the other hand my little girl Lily was all over the place, she definatly has hit the two's. What could I say though? She is 2 and was in a gym for 2 hours, so actually she did pretty good. The next morning, we went to the award ceremony where Dean recieved two awards, PE and Math we were so proud of him, Sissy was to because every chance she got she was running up to the kids ( i was kinda embarassed but kids are kids)

We have been working on recognition with Dean. He is reading books but, I think more from memory than recognition. The other day he went up to the TV and said "is" and began reading some of the words on the tv (updates from dish network) I got so excited and started jumping up and down, Richard was pretty excited to. We all made a really big deal out of it.. I've learned the more you make of good things, the less he stresses out over the bad..

on to another note army wives came back on last night, and oh my gosh, i so did not see that coming...

graduation

Today Dean graduates from Kindergarten, wow I can't believe I'm saying that, it seems like only yestereday I was in the hospital with him thinking how I was responsible for keeping this little guy alive and healthy. (It was the greatest and scarriest feeling in the world all at the same time.) Tomorrow is the class picnic and I've taken tomorrow and Friday off so I could go. Actually, I haven't been to a school field trip with him yet. (work just always seems to get in the way haha) So hopefully I will have some pictures up of him and his friends later on this week.

new to this

School is almost over. Dean has made such great accomplishments this past year, He went from echolalia(echo for short) which is where he could not communicate with us, he could only repeat what he has heard, to making friends and learning and communicating. It was such an awsome experience to watch him grow that much. Dean has a friend named Grant, and Grant and his dad stopped by the house last Sunday to see Dean, it was amazing to watch him actually interact with a child. I know Grant's mama Emily has told us about how much she has seen him grow at school. It is so wonderful to see how other parents notice the changes in Dean.

At our last school meeting, we received the "awsome" news that Dean would be recieving a 1 on 1 teachers assistant, an autism specialist to work with him 2 hours a day for 2 days a week, extended school year, and is GRADUATING kindergarten this year!!!!!!! six months ago that would have never been told to us I don't think....

So, my new motto in life is....."Never give up fighting for your kids, eventually they will listen, you just might have to talk a little louder" --Paula Weippert