A Good Day

We are in week 2 of Ethan's yeast treatment. Every day we see more and more improvement!!  Ethan's language has increased again this week.  We're seeing more spontaneous language. A couple days ago he said, I like to swing." He also has been requesting more using I want statements rather than just a couple words. Not a lot of chips, chips chips or pick me up.  Instead, we are hearing I want chips and even I want you to pick me up. He'll even add a please in from time to time.
Ethan and Gavin are beginning to interact more with each other. They have been playing in the bath together again. Ethan's been dumping water on Gavin's head, and Gavin has been okay with it. (Normally, Gavin cries when we wash his hair. Doesn't like the water on his head.) The boys are playing next to each other and in the playroom together now. Ethan likes to push Gavin on the swing. Gavin also tries to get Ethan to hold his hand in the car. Super Cute!
Ethan is also getting some interest back in some of his toys and even his books too!  It's been a long time since he has actively looked at any of his books, and we've seen him several times flipping the pages.
His aggression has gone down. It's still more than it was before we started the treatment, but we are in the right direction. Still some tantrums, and he likes to throw things now particularly his shoes. (of course)  Rashes are also beginning to disappear. Although, his cheeks are still a bit red. Hopefully, this will go away very soon.
Heather, Gavin, & I got a chance to observe Ethan at ABA on Thursday.  The therapist, Amanda, working with Ethan had only just started working with Ethan a few days prior. We were very impressed with how well Ethan worked with her and how well she interacted with him.  All the therapist there have been great.  There really isn't anyone there we don't feel comfortable with. Obviously, I have my favorites, but everyone there has been good.  

We had a meeting with The Behavior Exchange on Friday.  We went over Ethan's treatment plan and some of the goals that he's already mastered.  He is showing a lot of progress. They said he has improved so much over the last week and a half, they expect him to start knocking out more of his targets at a faster rate.  We are extremely happy with the job they are doing. They seem to really like Ethan, and Ethan really likes them.  This was the first meeting we did not have a big list of concerns going in, and the first meeting that we didn't wonder, "is this the right thing for Ethan? " We actually came out smiling and excited for the future!!!  Leanne and Tammy from The Behavior Exchange are so awesome that they are actually reading this blog. (You guys rock BTW)
We were so happy after the meeting; we decided to brave a celebratory dinner at Chick Fil A. We got to see more improvement from Ethan. He actually sat down (for a couple minutes any way) and ate a little bit. He also was interacting with some of the kids in the play place.  I gotta say it was a good day.
Summer is winding down. Heather is set to go back to work on Monday. Ethan will start his FT schedule the following week.  Gavin will be reentering home school with Dad soon. I already made our goals for this year.  We had a pretty good summer. I take a step back during the summer and let Heather have more time with the boys.  I am excited to get back to being full time Dad again.

Happy Anniversary

Monday, August 15, marks our 8th wedding anniversary. Heather and I will have been together for 14 years.  We were married on our 6th dating anniversary.  I remember much of the wedding well.  It was a Friday evening.  We may have set the record for fastest ceremonies. I think it lasted around 15 minutes.  Since we were going to Disney World for the honeymoon, we wore our Mickey and Minnie Mouse bride and groom hats at the reception. The reception was awesome. We had so much fun. Delicious Hank's Cheesecake. Good music, family, friends, great toast from the best man. I remember crazy (or drunk) uncle Terry dancing circles around me holding his hands over his head as if to mock my Mickey hat.  We had loads of fun in Disney. It was my first time, and I was hooked. We've gone pretty much every year since.
Heather and I have been together since we were 16 years old. She was such a quite and timid little (and I mean tiny) girl.  We met at McDonalds.  After seeing her at orientation, I told everyone that would listen, I saw my next girlfriend that day.  A couple weeks later, we were a couple. She did have a boyfriend, but let's face it, he couldn't compare.
Heather has been a great wife and friend to me.  Without her, I may still be working at McDonalds and never have gone to college. She has inspired me to be a better man, and I am proud to be her partner in life. She is a fantastic mother for our boys. Even the mighty Blue Cross Blue Shield can't stop this mother warrior.
We certainly have had our share (and others') of bad luck. From flying bats to crawling rats, great losses both financial and personal, lay offs and career changes, and of course we've had our share of arguments. We've persevered through many obstacles and hardships. We remain dedicated to each other, our family and our vows, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer.  Heather I Love You, and I look forward to celebrating our 10th, 20th, and 50th anniversaries.  Enjoy a short walk down memory lane.

Jump-Swing-Climb

  The beginning of the summer brought a tough choice for the Borden Family.  What should we do with our now vacant 3rd bedroom?  We could not decide. Should we give the boys their own bedrooms, or should we turn the extra room into another playroom?  We went back and fourth for 2 months. Finally, we decided to make it a room that we help the boys develop new skills both cognitively and physically.  The plan is to use this room to work on certain OT, speech, and behavioral programs with Ethan, and work on motor skills, both gross and fine, with Gavin.  The result: a new gym.  Although, Gavin is insistent. It's not a gym!  It's a playroom!  So, playroom it is.  This would be my first real home project.  I was confident I could pull it off, but I was a bit nervous. The boys would be climbing and swinging. If I didn't secure it good enough, the boys could fall and get hurt. Then, I would feel like an awful Dad.  I got several 2 x 4s from Home Depot and turned those into a climbing wall and a balance beam.  Gavin helped me paint everything, and he helped Mom add some fun details to the walls.  Grandma Marcie & Grandpa Bob added a trampoline for Ethan's birthday.  We purchased a swing from IKEA, and so far, the swing is the favored activity.  The room is already serving its purpose. Ethan has had an increase in spontanous language saying things like, My turn please, Gavin get off the seat, I want to swing.......  Everyone is excited about the new room. Heather and I are excited to finally be done and start teaching the kids.  The boys are having a blast jumping, swinging, and climbing.

Check out the video below to see our new playroom.  Don't forget to click the button for full screen viewing.

An Update on Ethan's Treatment

Ethan is one week into his yeast treatment.  He has been taking all 3 rounds of medicines and supplements pretty well.  I have been opening the capsules pouring them in a 2 teaspoon dropper and mixing with different juices.  We follow that with a skittle or two. He is beginning to resist this method, but hopefully, we can continue to deliver the meds effectively.  All signs are saying the treatment is working.   Physically, we are seeing more rashes and bumps on his thighs along with his cheeks.  Over the weekend, Ethan developed a fever which follows the same pattern as the first 2 times he took antifungals.  He has been really tired too. Taking naps much much more often.  Ethan has had more aggressive behaviors at home and more tantrums as well.  These physical and behavioral changes indicate the yeast is beginning to die off.  His body is responding to the release of toxins and dead yeast and bacteria.  Despite these difficulties, Ethan is still showing progress.  He is doing well in his therapies. In fact, he allowed the OT to put a vest on him and work on buttoning. It's hard to get him to keep on regular clothes sometimes much less a vest with buttons, so a big win in OT this week.  Additionally, we have been seeing an increase in language.  A couple days ago, he walked up to me, looked up, and said, "want Mom, Mom go." As if to say, I want to see Mom where did she go. This is the first time he has asked me an actual question.  He communicates what he wants well, but he has never asked, unprompted, for anything like that.  A happy moment in our house.
This last week has been a challenging one.  As Ethan proceeds with treatment, I expect the behaviors to continue and even get worse.  We will press on through these next couple weeks. Every day will bring new progress and new motivation for Heather and I to persevere.  We are very happy with the progress so far.  We plan to continue the treatment and are excited to watch Ethan's growth and improvement over the next couple months.