Autism

April is Autism Awareness month. New studies from the CDC show that 1 in 88 children are diagnosed with autism. Chances are, you know someone with autism. This statistic is up over 70% from just ten years ago.

I see this affecting families every day. From frustration with communication, to poor social skills, to poor sleeping habits, to difficulty eating, and much, much more. Each child is different, which makes it very challenging to assist families. There is no "do this to decrease this" regimen. It's trial and error. Daily. What works one day may not work the next. 

But they are also the most beautiful and uniquely intelligent kids I have ever seen. Some are exceptional readers, innate "sensers" meaning they can sense emotions of those around them, creative motor planners, and excellent artists. 

The most important thing you can do is be aware. Be aware of the early signs of autism for your own children and those you work with. Be aware so that when you are in public and encounter a family and child with autism, you will not judge and might even be able to help out during a meltdown. :) It is shown that children with early intervention function higher than those without. If you would like to review the list of early signs, please visit here, and contact your doctor as soon as possible with concerns so that services can begin.

And, if you haven't watched it, Temple Grandin is an excellent movie!

Colorado

Well we survived an 18 hour drive to and from Colorado- 8 people in an 8 passenger yukon. Snotty noses and all. The Dickey girls have an immune system problem, apparently, because we were the only ones that shouted, "TISSUE!" because our noses turned into faucets. Literally. The boys were gagging but what can you do?

Awesome scenery and we got to ski for 2 days. Some of the family went on a train ride in Durango on our second day of skiing. There was also horse riding, prairie dog hunting, mexican train dominoes, NCAA tournament watching, and lots of pie-eating. Mom's family lives in Bayfield, so we stayed for free in their ranch house, and they cooked us dinner every night. Gerald made homemade pies two nights in a row. Holy moly those things were awesome.

 Khloi and Gerald, best buds!

 The most delicious pies ever!

 Getting ready to skiiiii!

 Learning to balance was a bit of a challenge...

 Just enjoy the scenery on this one...bad timing!

 Kyle was in heaven!

 Hunting for prairie dogs

 Khloi giving a facial :)

Now, it's off to Houston for the weekend for a conference! Excited to spend the weekend with my OT best friends :)

Haiti

I sent this out in letter form to close friends and family, and those that I knew don't read my blog. Here is what is coming up for me...

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

Mark 16:15

Dear Friends and Family-

As you are all aware, Haiti is a country struggling to get by. With an average yearly income of $270 and a failing economy, Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and one of the poorest on the earth. The recent earthquake has devastated the population and with little resources it is difficult to rebuild even the smallest of possessions.

The people of Haiti are eager for love and help. With their religion (80% of the population practice a mixture between Roman Catholic and Voodoo), the Haitians believe that every misfortune that happens to them is because of a curse. The bible tells us that we deal with a very real and powerful enemy- Satan. As we are filled with God’s spirit (a spirit much more powerful than a “curse”), we are able to overcome the struggles and devastations of our lives, whether we live in the United States, Haiti, or anywhere else.

A friend stated on her facebook status just a few days ago, “You don't have to be "called" to go on a mission trip. God has commanded us all to spread his word to the ends of the earth! What are you waiting on?” I read it and thought, Hmm! That’s true! That very afternoon, Kyle said to me, “Erin is going to Haiti and you need to go with her.” I just stood and looked at him. I immediately called her to get the scoop. A group from a local church is going in April. All things have worked out for me to be able to go, and so here I am…going to Haiti in just a few weeks.

I do have a monetary amount I must meet before I go, and if you are able to help in this way I know you will be blessed; however, I am sending you this letter to ask that you cover these dates in prayer. Please pray for safety, calmness, rest, a pure heart, and words to speak, ease in travel, health, and for the Haitian people to see the word of God, whether it is by conversation or by actions. The dates of the trip are April 6-13, 2012.

Thank you for your love and support.

Alana

March

It's only the 7th and I feel like we've been in March forever. This time of year at school is INSANE. Preschool transitions, annual reviews, new goal planning, screening referrals, it just never ends! I'm ready for this week to be over and thankful that Spring Break is near. On the other hand, I am very thankful for my job and I do love it very much!

There are a few fundraisers coming up that I am making canvases to auction off. I'm doing the canvas of the hog profile. One of the fundraisers is a bone marrow drive for Leslie Harris. I don't know her, but she is in her 20's and found out shortly after (or before...I can't remember exactly) she had her baby that she has leukemia. The drive is to find a bone marrow match by swabbing your spit! I hope it does well and pray for this family.

The other one is for the employees of the local CDI. The childcare facility has had some financial issues, and the employees haven't been paid in weeks. The community has done a fundraiser, raising over $4,000 and now they are doing another one. I have to say that is one great thing about living in a small community is that everyone pulls together for you when you need it.  Hopefully my small donation can help just a little.

Well, it looks like I will be going to the doctor Friday. I called today but it was after hours so they should call me back in the morning with the time and date for sure. We have decided to try IVF once more with the ICSI, since our insurance said I have only used $2000. I'm not sure how accurate that is but I'm going to run with it! Mom said to get it in writing, so I'm going to call tomorrow and have them fax me that amount in case something is said later.

Does anyone know how much it would be to put in a storm shelter? After last year when I was scared to death and Kyle thought it was funny (and then we figured out half of our barn was gone and the dog pen  was moved over about 30 ft and it wasn't so funny to him anymore!), I want to look into getting one. Right now our project is to redo our shower. We got a beige colored tile for it and we plan to take the fiberglass shower out. We also want to put a shower light in the top. All of that is bought and ready to go, we just need to call the people to come start. So after we finish this project I want to look into the storm shelter thing. Unless we get some news that tornados are on the way! I guess I need to get my priorities straight...

Nothing Much

As far as the fertility issue goes, there is not much news. We are still just taking a break. Next visit I am going to take the dates that we will be out of town (which is a lot in March and April) and we will just have to work around those days. I don't want to stress over when we have to go and worry about if we are going to miss something. In the meantime, my friend told me about a root called Maca. This supposedly levels hormones, improves egg health (yipee!) and is all natural. I have looked it up a little bit, but am going to research further and just try it while we are on our break. Who knows if it works but I have read good reviews from women who were unable to get pregnant on their own. So if you have heard of it or would like to help me research it, you are more than welcome to fill me in!

Next topic: my car. It is paid for, finally! My plan is to drive it for a few more months and keep making a payment to my car saving account. Yes, I have one because I want a car that we will have to make a huge downpayment on. BUT, here is my thinking. I could drive my car for a few more months to a year. Take my downpayment money and pretty much pay cash (mostly) for a small car (I'm looking at a VW Jetta). Drive that while I'm making more payments to my car savings. Hopefully in a few years I will have what I need for a hefty down payment, while driving a new, reliable car in the meantime. This is all just in my head so if it sounds crazy please tell me. Here is a picture of the Jetta though, and I think it is way cute:

I just want to go back to the fertility thing for a minute. Emotionally, I am doing ok. Better than I would have thought at this point. I do have bad moments, not really bad days, if I see or read something that is upsetting. But I can usually bring myself back to normal pretty fast. It is unbelievable the people who send me messages, cards, texts, just to let me know they have thought about me or are thinking about me. I know we hear this a lot, but if someone is on your heart PLEASE let them know. That is one reason I can do so well is because I know people are praying for us and thinking about us. I get at least one a day, I bet. That is unbelievable! So, thank you if you have messaged me- you made my day.