A DX for Austin

Yesterday was a difficult day for us. We went to see the dev. pedi and Austin was diaganosed as having a global development delay and autism spectrum disorder. He said that Austin was too young to be specific on how mild/moderate it might be or to dx him with a specific disorder on the spectrum. We did get some lab work done to see if this is genetic but that chance is very low.

As a parent, this is not the news I wanted to hear. I have told others that I thought Austin could be on the spectrum but to hear it from a doctor, a good doctor who knows what he's talking about, is a completely different thing.

I know that this is not a bad thing but I am not going to say that I am not upset because it does hurt and it is not what I wanted or expected to hear. I also know that my baby is still the most wonderful and perfect baby to me and DH but that does not make it hurt any less. The wonderful thing though is now my baby qualifies for OT and 20 hrs. weekly of ABA. The only thing now is for us to find a program with openings near us.

Also, I have recently been researching sensory diets. The dr. said that although Austin has sensory issues, they are at the bottom of the list when it comes to his issues. However, from what I have been reading, these diets incorporate a routine and structure into a child's day. By doing therapeutic activities throught out the day, every couple of hours, you can help your child out. We are going to give that a try because right now, Austin does not like/can not handle structure. He pretty much flies off the handle if we try to make him do an activity with us unless he is the one in control.

Egg Chalk!

One of the things Austin has trouble with is coloring/drawing. He doesn't quite get the concept of holding the colors and making marks on the paper. We have worked with a magna-doodle before and his therapists have also recommended that he try to use egg shaped chalk. With this shape of chalk, he can just hold the entire "egg" and draw. The only problem is you can't find egg chalk in stores unless it is Easter. Yes, I could have took the easy route and ordered a box off of crayola.com but I wanted to get creative after my MIL found a recipe to make your own egg chalk. I thought it would be a neat idea to share. If you have older kids, this is fun craft that you could do together and if you really want to get creative, you could make this at Easter and put them in little goodie bags to pass out at their school. The picture above are the ones I made. The only thing that I did different from the recipe is I took the chalk out of the plastic eggs a few hours later and then let the chalk finish drying by setting it out. It really does take about 24 hours before you can use it.

Below is the link that you'll have to copy and paste since I can't figure out how to link yet:

http://skiptomylou.wordpress.com/2007/03/12/egg-shaped-sidewalk-chalk/

Also I found that the website actually has alot of other neat craft ideas if you want to take a look.

It's been one month and counting

Officially today, we have been GFCF for one month. Has it been as hard as I first thought? Not really. But I have a toddler who doesn't require a gazillion different menu ideas and he doesn't really like bread. We've been eating lots of hot dogs (hebrew national), gf pastas, gf fish sticks, beef, pork, and tons of veggies and fruits. Anyhoo, we have 2 more months to go before I officially decide to scrap the diet if I don't see any improvements.

In other news, my ST quit this morning. Actually she quit on Monday morning but that day I just thought she called in sick. Her reasons were personal but it sure sucks. First of all, I have no idea how long it is going to take to get a new one. And second of all, this will be the 3rd ST Austin will have to adjust to since July. The only good thing is, once we do get a new ST, they will make up any sessions lost.

And finally one more note: Austin is feeling better. Still icky and coughing but getting that yucky stuff up!

the culprit

Good news : Austin's sick so that's why he was fussy. Bad News: Austin's sick.

Last night was miserable for the both of us. He hardly slept and was up every 45 min. He also has a really bad cough and with all the news about cold and cough medicines not being safe for kids under 6, there isn't really a whole lot I can do for him. We are using a humidifier, vicks, warm liquids, and steam baths to make him a little more comfortable.

I wish I had something new

So nothing new here but just a quick check in. Austin has been very fussy the last few days. Everything and anything sets him off for no reason so I am hoping that he either is feeling slightly under the weather or he is teething. He has some new k-9s (sp???) but I have no idea how long they have been there so it is possible that they are the culprit. Meanwhile, I am just trying to be patient with him.

Oh and on Friday evening, he decided he was going to tear off a piece of his foam blocks and jam it up his nose. Yeah, that was real fun but luckily I have long nails and was able to dig it out with out too much trouble.

The new signs are going ok. So far, we are working on "book", "drink", and "eat". He did "drink" once by himself but all the other times he only does it as long as I am holding his hands.

Terrible Twos and he's still ONE

I told my friends that therapy has become a nightmare. Austin has decided that he doesn't want to be forced to do anything (ie..sign for "more" or "all done" or complete tasks). When we try to get him to do things in sessions, if he doesn't want to than he throws temper tantrums where he lays on the floor screaming and kicking his legs. This really has me worried and I don't like it but for now I guess I am going to chalk it up to those terrible twos. Going forward, we are going to implement more structured routines daily and incorporate more signs into his "vocabulary".

Also, not to be pessimistic but we have seen no big improvements on this diet either. Things like this are hard when you are not having a good day.

YUM-O!

I finally got around to making those Mexican chalupas (See Sept. 28th post for recipe) and they were so yummy! They had great flavor and literally took less than 30 min. to cook. The original recipe did not call for corn but I had a small can on hand so I mixed that in. I really think they would have been even better if I had topped them with either guacamole or just plain avacado slices and lettuce but I didn't have that on hand so maybe next time. This is just easy for the little ones to eat and puts a little variety into ground beef.

Austin did not have a whole chalupa though; he had smaller tortilla chips mixed in with his. But mine was prettier so that pic is what you get!

Still scared of the vacuum

So last night I vacuumed our living room while Austin was in his bedroom playing. Any time he is around the vacuum, he screams until it is turned off and put away unless he is in another room or he is in his high chair. However, he came out of his bedroom and played in the same room that I was vacuuming in with no problem. It was strange for him to do this but I figured that maybe since he came to the noise on his own terms, it was okay with him. Then today I pulled out the vacuum to do the dining room and he was back to his old screaming self, but while he was screaming he still came near the vacuum. Weird...
Maybe he's getting used to it and wants to explore it.

A failed experiment

So tonight I tried the grinch fries shown by Kimmy Krocker as you can see. Did NOT go well. They were bland and I think I could taste the flour. I'm not sure if I didn't fry them long enough, did not add enough seasoning, or if I am just too used to TGI Friday's version. Probably a combination of all three. Next time, DH is going to cook them and use our Fry Daddy.

On a good note, Austin is making a new sound! All last night and today he has been saying ni ni na na sounds. We haven't heard him really use the "n" sound before this so it is nice to hear something new for a change. I thought I heard him say "ni ni" (night night) to a book with a picture of a baby in a crib but of course he said it once and never again so who knows.

Also the ST has been working with him on the sign for "go" with a push car and she thinks he did it 2x today during therapy but the sign is kind of an arm up and down movement so I am not sure if he was just flapping b/c he was happy that the car was going or not. Either way, he played more today with the push car than ever before. He kept pushing it around and he did not turn it over to spin the wheels except for when she first got the car out.

Another good dinner...

It cooled off where we live today so instead of Mexican chalupas we had homemade jambalaya. I love jambalaya and we actually used to eat the box kind from Zatarins but it is really too spicy for my taste. After I had Austin, I went on the South Beach Diet to lose the baby weight and I found some really great recipes in their cookbooks. The jambalaya recipe is taken from their Quick and Easy Cookbook. An added bonus was that it is GFCF so below is the recipe. The original recipe calls for chicken but b/c of DH's allergy, I add shrimp or sausage. I also use onion instead of scallions. If you have a good GFCF cornbread recipe, it would be a great side.

Jambalaya

1.5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into small pieces)
1 tbsp evoo
2 bunches scallions (reserve 2 tbsp for garnish)
1 green bell pepper chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 cup minute brown rice
1/8 tsp cajun seasoning or cayenne
2 cups low sodium chicken broth (I use beef or veggie - Also read your label)
1 can diced tomatoes (14oz)
Salt & Pepper

Heat oil in skillet. Add seasoned chicken, scallions, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook until veggies are tender. Stir in rice and cajun seasoning/cayenne. Add broth and tomatoes with juice and bring to a boil. Simmer until liquid is absorbed about 30 min.

An additional note: I use Swanson Beef Broth 99% fat free. I called the company to verify that it is GFCF and they sent me a list of all their GFCF products. But it does have MSG & yeast extract in it for those limiting or avoiding that.

I got nothing!

Nothing new here but I am just writing to check in as my family reads my blog almost daily. Our ST brought us this massager/vibrator tool that we are going to be using on Austin's face every day. We have a bumble ball and a little vibrating teether that Austin likes to put in his mouth when he is craving oral stimulation but this tool is supposed to actually strengthen his mouth muscles. He mostly keeps an open mouth posture and especially has one when he is trying to focus but today during our session, the ST massaged his face and his mouth stayed closed so that was good.

On another note, I am getting better with his meals. He had spaghetti (well, penne) with meat sauce last night. And tonight, he had roasted zuchinni and squash on the side rather than green beans, corn, or peas and carrots. I've also been giving him more variety of fruit. Before it was just grapes, pears, and plums. He has had peaches, cherries, apricots, and pineapple the last few days. Tomorrow we might be making the Mexican Chalupas from the recipe I posted on Sept. 28th. If that happens, then expect a pic :)

All Rice Dream is gluten free???

*ugh* Another frustrating day on the GFCF diet. Although I looked at plenty of websites and blogs when researching what kind of drinks were GF, I was still confused when I went to the store and saw that Rice Dream regular milk was made with barley. Originally, I wanted to try rice milk instead of soy but after I saw the ingredient barley, I was confused as to which varieties of Rice Dream were actually gluten free. So I wrote an email to the company asking them for more information. They wrote me back and told me that even the barley they use is gluten free and probably has always been although their testing methods did not allow them to say so. From what I read during my research, barley is a form of gluten so I am still confused. Any insight would be helpful. As for what I buy next time, I am not sure. If I am correct, I think the Rice Dream organic variety actually says GF on the label. Below is the email that I received back:

Dear Customer,

Thank you for taking the time to contact us regarding our Rice Dream Beverage. We apologize for the delay in our reply and appreciate your patience. We strive to maintain the highest quality products and we appreciate your patronage.
Analytical testing methods and detection limits have improved over the years. Recent testing shows that the Rice Dream Beverages (as well as the barley protein used to make the product) meet gluten free requirements. This has probably been true historically, however analytical testing methods did not permit us to make this claim. We have always maintained a conservative stance regarding gluten in the beverages. The same rigorous standards now allow us to declare them gluten free. The formula and processing methods for Rice Dream beverages have not changed. Each batch will be tested appropriately.
Thank you for your continued support. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us at 1-800-434-4246, Monday through Friday from 7AM - 5PM Mountain Time.

Sincerely,
Consumer Relations Representative

Hippotherapy and yummy potato soup

Thomas from gfcfexperience.blogspot.com recently wrote to me to tell me about Hippotherapy and how it really helped with his dcs development. It seems really neat and I can see from his latest blog how this technique can work for children especially with balance and coordination. Unfortunately, I looked up therapists in my area at americanhippotherayassociation.com and surprise surprise there are none :( I am still planning to ask my ST about it next week though just in case she knows someone involved in it.

DH and I had a very delicious potato soup for dinner and while Austin couldn't have any this time, I am planning on trying to make a GFCF version in the future. I'll have to experiment though with milk substitutes though b/c from what I heard, not everything is equal. If you have any suggestions, please let me know! Here is the recipe:

2 cups cut potatoes
1 cup cubed ham
3 cups milk
1 small onion chopped
3 tbsp melted butter
3 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp sugar
salt
pepper

Boil potatoes until soft. Drain, reserving one cup starchy water. In pot, combine butter, flour, onion, salt and pepper. Slowly add potatoes, reserved water, milk, ham, and sugar. Simmer for 30 min, stirring frequently.

Additionally, this recipe called for cheese but I know in the future that I will have to omit that.

Is pork OK?

I made carmelized pork slices tonight for dinner and went ahead and gave some to Austin along with some veggies and fruit. With all the information on this diet out there, I was wondering if pork is okay for him to eat. I know that some people on this diet strictly avoid or minimize the amount of nitrates eaten. I know that nitrates can be found in most hot dogs, ham, and bacon so I wonder how much if any are in pork ribs, pork chops, etc. With DH's allergy to chicken, we only eat pork and beef in our household. If you read this blog and are already following the GFCF diet, please give me your feed back on this situation. Any info will be appreciated!

Grocery stores are frustrating!!!

When we moved to Virginia, we found out that we were going to be living an hour away from basically civilization :) Anyhoo, it's not very often that I get to venture out to health food stores so I have to try to rely on the local grocery for Austin's basic foods. I friend of mine said she was feeding her toddler some risotto with veggies and so I go to look for the risotto and the grocery store doesn't carry it. It's risotto, basically rice and I can't even find that here. But I did buy some bananas and some more fruit. Austin hasn't really liked bananas as a whole food. I think it was more the texture than the flavor that he didn't like b/c he would always stick them in his mouth and then right back out. But now that he's had so much more foods and textures, I'm going to introduce them again. Then I went to go look for the Silk yogurt and the store had some other strawberry fruit drink in it's place. So I guess I can't count on this store to carry anything long term. So frustrating!!!

One other item off topic was just the fact that I have been giving this diet a lot of though lately. Even if this diet doesn't work for us, I now realize how much crap is added into many foods and at least I feel like Austin is eating really really healthy now. He is eating so much more fruit and veggies every day and that's is one thing that I would like to continue doing.

All is good with rice cakes and now a new worry

I know that yesterday I was kind of worried that there was a reaction with some new foods. I didn't necessarily think it could already be a reaction with the diet (although I didn't want to rule it out) but I was definitely worried about an allergic reaction given DH's allergies and history. But there was no rash and no diarrhea, just fussiness and a little bit of eye rubbing. I gave him a few more rice cakes today and everything was all good. So yesterday was just a fluke day and Austin was just whiny.

I now have a few more things to research because my ST brought up verbal apraxia as a possibility. From what little I have read, I know that Austin exhibits 3 of the signs of apraxia but that a dx usually isn't given until about age 3 b/c of the difficulty to tell with little ones. He has low muscle tone in his mouth and is almost always using the open mouth posture and drools especially if he is trying to focus on a task. Another thing that I read is that sometimes with apraxia, you will hear the child say a word but then never say it again and that is because they can not make the words form. Something from the brain to the mouth does not connect when they want/need it to. There have been several times where DH and I have thought Austin said a word but have never heard it more than once or have heard it randomly. He can also say "mama" and "dada" but just does not use them appropriately even though if we ask him to point to a picture of mama or daddy in a photo album he can usually pick out the correct person. Finally, with apraxia, the child's receptive language is usually stronger than their expressive language and I must admit that I feel like Austin understand a lot of what we say and do.

She also is positive that all of Austin's sensory issues are one of the causes for his delays. I can't imagine what is going through his mind but I can only hope that this diet will lessen some of those sensory issues so that he can feel more calm and focus more on his therapy and the things that we are trying to teach him.

A fussy spell; what causes it?

Austin has been so whiny after nap today. Coincidentally, I just read on GFCF mommy's blog that when her prince does this (well more like not being his usual self), she has to look carefully at what he has eaten. Today Austin had two new (sort of) food items. He had a plum with his lunch today and for an afternoon snack, he had some apple cinnamon rice cakes. He has had plum before but only in baby food and he has had apples, apple chips, and cinnamon on toast and french toast before. Of course, since Ausin has shown no improvement on this diet it could also just be exactly what it is, a whining spell which he has been known to have from time to time. Tomorrow we will try a plum again and on Thurdsday we will try the rice cakes again. I really hope it is not either. One of my friends came up with a great idea for snacks or lunches. She suggested peanut butter and jelly on rice cakes which would be great for a toddler lunch. Of course I don't use peanut butter but I've heard peabutter is great stuff!

GF Pasta brand #1

I finally tried out some GF pasta. The brand: DeBoles; The verdict: Austin ate all of it :) From what I tasted, it really tastes like rice but in a different form but if Austin likes it, then all is good. For a different meal (finally!), I made some pasta and tossed it with veggies, garlic, and a tiny bit of pepper for him. I have to make it to the grocery store this week before I can really try anything else out. I still haven't noticed any huge changes in him. He is still stemming (hand flapping & toe walking) the same amount as usual and the temper tantrums are normal or at least the same as always; He only whines or gets mad when told no. He did let us put a hat on his head and kept it there for a minute or so but we were playing a "my turn", "your turn" game so I'm not sure if that was the only reason he did that. Before he has let us put a hat on his head but then he immediately pulls it off.