Updates! Updates! Updates!

I AM SO BEHIND!  To name a few:  I am behind on my blog posts and updates.  I am behind on getting my house organized.  I am behind on getting my taxes filed.  I am behind on paying my bills (okay they are not late, but they need to be done).  I am behind on scheduling lab tests.  I am behind on withdrawing Brody from school, I am behind on cooking food for the kids.  I am behind on SLEEP!  

I am always overly busy and pretty much always stressed.  However, I handle stress quite well so life just goes on.  But, sometimes (okay - a lot of the time) It doesn't matter how much I work, how long I stay up, or what I do, I am totally drowning.  Even with the help of my husband, my family, and Paige - I just can't stay caught up.

My mom always taught me to pick ONE thing, finish it,  and then move on.  Even though I have NEVER been able to do that (and neither has she really - Love you mom! :)  I am going to try.   I just seem to do better jumping around from project to project - my brain just works that way.  I think I may be enrolling myself in Brain Balance :)

So - since tonight I have tried and failed at most of my list, I am starting with ONE thing like mommy taught me and I am going to post all of the kid updates I can remember from the last week.  I usually write things down when they happen so I hope I have them all written down or in my brain.  Here goes!

Brody:

• Overall has been more calm
• Overall has been listening better
• Did throw a GIANT fit tonight- maybe worst ever.  I asked him if he wanted to go on a cart ride and he said NO and was very adamant about it.  So then when I left with Wyatt Paige called me and said that Brody (and Hazel) through the biggest fit ever.  Freaking out, screaming, throwing things and even hitting his head on the wall?  Way Weird.  I am really hoping that  this is part of the "going back to the terrible twos" that is to be expected because that means that the brain is changing. 
• When he was washing his body in the shower the other day, he leaned over (with his eyes closed) and hit his eye on the soap dish that sticks out of the wall. It was pretty bad and split his eye a little bit.  Poor guy.
• A few days back, he said he missed home.  I asked him what he missed the most and he said - in this order "Papa, Mimi, my house, my toys".  It was really cute.  He talks about his toys all the time and I wondered if that would be the first thing on the list....
• He slept with me the other night when Paige was gone and I fell asleep before he did.  He kept talking to me and then he would wake me up and say "mama, you aren't listening" I would say sorry and have him tell me what he said.  I can't remember most of it, but this was the one that stuck out.  "I feel different - I have never felt like this before."  I am not sure what it meant, but he was very sincere and it was cute. Hopefully he is starting to feel more connected. 
• He was acting a bit strange the other day and I asked him how he was feeling and he said "stressed out". 
• Has been worried that he is going to have bad dreams and said it was because he had watched too much TV.  (30 minutes :)
• Asked Paige "what would you rather be doing right now other than my medicine?"  Paige said  she didn't know.  Brody said "I would rather you be having kids so that we can have friends to play with."  
• A girl that goes to Brain Balance has a little baby sister.  Brody and Hazel think she is so cute.  The other day we were getting ready to go to the jumpy place with them and I told him that the baby would be there too.  Brody said "oh she is so cute and her eyes are as bright as blueberries - they are beautiful!" 
• Hazel jumped on Paige the other day and Brody said "Don't hurt Paige, she is fragile!  She is an inflatable woman."  Really have no idea where that one came from. 
• Today Paige asked Brody to clean up all the toys in the house and his room.  The old Brody would have whined, complained, begged for someone to help him and gotten so off task that it would have taken all day - or never even gotten done.  But not today!  Paige said he kept cleaning everything with little or no direction.  He organized all the toys, cleaned the closet, got all the toys from around the house, made his and Hazel's beds, helped Paige do other random chores and more! What a good boy!  This is definitely something new that has never happened before.
• If you saw my post last night you saw that he lost his front tooth!  The tooth fairy brought him $2 and he is saving for a star wars battle pack.
• Has been good at playing with Wyatt and tickling him, etc.  
• Is such a good boy to do all of the exercises and random other Brain Balance things he is required to do.  

Wyatt:

• The other day at the park he fell and scratched his leg.  He usually barely notices that kind of stuff because of his extremely high pain tolerance.  (which has slowly gotten better of the years)  But he seemed way more bothered by it than usual. He kept looking at it and touching it.  It seems weird that I am happy that my son feels pain - but it is a GOOD thing!  He has done this when he has bonked his head or other random things around the house as well.  
• I know I already mentioned this but WYATT IS ESSENTIALLY TOTALLY POTTY TRAINED!  And I haven't done anything (besides send him to Brain Balance!)  Really - since last Friday I have not really taken him potty at all.  He just goes by himself.  
• The other day Wyatt was looking for his trains- naming them one by one.  He really wanted Edward.  He looked around and then said "Home".  It was really cute.  I could tell he was missing home and wanted to go find his toys, etc. 
• The other day when I ran to the store with him he looked at me and said "Papa".  He misses his Papa!  He doesn't do great with phones or computer chats, but when Papa gets here to swing him and play with him and tickle him he is going to be in heaven!!!
• Paige Brought back some little people with her because they are supposed to be good toys for imaginary play.  He has LOVED having them here but mostly just lines them up in a row :( However, today it was SO cute because he lined them all up and was playing simon says with them!  Obviously they didn't respond :) but it was cute to see him saying "Simon says tummy" and then watching them as if they were touching their tummies.  :)  Cute little Wy. 
• Sometimes he just lays there and lets us do the exercises, but sometimes he is NOT happy.  He was fighting Paige and got mad and he tried to pinch her and bite her and was kicking and screaming.  She calmed him down and then he was fine...
• If I leave the house, he asks for me over and over.  I love it!
• Wants to have us swing him non stop.  He lays on the ground and puts his feet in the air and says "swing".  
• Yesterday he was playing with my arm and touching it for some reason?  He was scratching at any little bumps and just seemed like he was just discovering new things he hadn't seen before. 
• He has been discovering things about his own body like I have never seen him do. He was pulling on his eyelids, he looks at himself in the mirror, looks in his mouth, etc and and was playing with his chest too - almost like he had never seen or felt any of those things before. 
• At home when I put Wyatt to bed he always gets back up and turns on his light.  He usually sleeps with it on and I don't know why.  He never seems afraid of the dark really, just seems to like the light on.  The rooms here do not have lights in the ceiling - you just have to plug in lamps.  I won't put a lamp in there for safety reason so the only light in the room is in his closet.  For the first week or so he would just turn on his closet light and then get in his bed and go to sleep.  But then a few days ago when I went to check on him I found him like this:

 

• At home I used to find him asleep on the floor or in the bathroom part on the tile.  But this is the first time where I have seen him take his blanket and pillow and make a little bed.  He likes to sleep in his closet now because he is right under the light.  
• I felt bad with him sleeping on the floor, but he would move in there every night.  So when a lady in the ward asked if we needed a crib mattress I had an idea!  It was just the right size to put in his closet so that he could sleep on a little bed instead of the floor. 
• It is 2:30 am and he is awake right now. I hope I get to go to bed tonight.

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Hazel:

• Still a bit whiny, but probably better overall. 
• We are cutting her off of sugar and treats completely and slowly getting her on the SCD diet with her brothers.  She is not going to be an easy case. 
• The other morning right when she woke up she came in my room and found a pack of licorice I had.  She asked if she could have one.  I said not until after breakfast.  She said "ok" and walked off happy.  It was very strange as she would usually be crying and throwing a huge fit.  I was proud of her.  I know she doesn't like licorice so It was for the better anyways.  A few minutes later I found a tissue on the floor with a spit out piece of licorice.  Bad Hazel!
• A few minutes later I heard some noise coming from the kitchen and cabinets being opened and closed.  I peeked out and saw Hazel looking in all the cabinets and then she asked "Brody -  where did mama hide the cookies?"
• The other day she wanted a treat and I said she couldn't have any more treats or sugar at all.  She begged and I told her she could have one of the cookies we were making that is on their diet.  A few minutes later I see her with something in her mouth.  She is eating a Mento.  She was covering her mouth like she was being sneaky.  Not sneaky at all Haze!  I made her spit it out and I put her in her room.  I talked to her about listening to mama and not doing things if I tell her not to.  That's not going to stick is it?  
• Hazel was trying to eat treats again the other morning.  I hid everything and she asked where it was.  I told her the treat fairy took all the treats.  Paige said "I wish I was the treat fairy so I could get all the treats"  Hazel said "Well, you would need to have wings."  
• It looks like mama needs to get rid of the treats in order to get Hazel off of them.  I just like to have a few around to keep me awake at night while I am writing my blog and getting work done...
• I overheard Hazel and Brody talking a couple days ago.  Hazel said "Well then I am not going to marry you Brody!"  Brody said (laughing) "I can't marry you Hazel!"  Hazel folder her arms and said "Well SOMEBODY has to marry me".  I was so cute.  It was like she was saying "it's a dirty job but somebody has to do it".  I just love her little personality and I hope there is even a guy out there that is good enough and lucky enough to have her :)
• Hazel wanted to play in Wyatt's room.  I asked her why and she said "Because it is Sooo Beautiful!" 
• Joined in on Brody's giant fit today.  :(
• For Breakfast today I asked Hazel if she wanted scrambled Eggs.  She said no.  I asked again.  She said no.  I really wanted her to eat them so I asked again and she said no.  I made scrambled eggs for me and Paige.  When I was dishing up she ran over and said "I want scrambled eggs!"  I told her that I had asked her and that she said no.  She had no response.  She ate two big helpings of scrambled eggs. 
• Then - tonight I was making chicken nuggets for Wyatt.  I said "Hazel, do you want some chicken nuggets?" and she said "No".  I again asked three times and she said No every time. I then reminded her about the egg incident this morning and she still assured me that she was not interested in any chicken nuggets.  I made them for Wyatt and put them on a plate and gave them to him.  Hazel - within seconds - "I want some chicken nuggets!"  Seriously Hazel??!! You are crazy!  Wyatt didn't end up wanting them and so Hazel ate them all.  

Okay well now that it is almost 3:00 am  I am going to bed so I get at least 3 hours of sleep (I hope).  I didn't follow what my mommy taught me and I still did a few other projects while I was trying to blog and it sure made it take longer than I thought it would.  Hey!  At least I finished! 

Night Night

I HAVE FAILED!

That's right, I admit it.  My plan to have a golf cart as our only means of transportation has officially failed.  To be fair to myself, we could have totally lived for 6 months with only a golf cart if:

1.  We wanted to rent a car or pay for a shuttle every time someone needed a ride to or from the airport. (Which is about every two weeks)
2.  We wanted to rent a car once a month to run errands and purchase essential things at Costco, Whole Foods, etc.
3.  We didn't care about freezing to death or being struck by lightening in a golf cart.
4.  And most importantly - If we wanted to only do part of what we should be doing to help our children succeed in the Brain Balance program.

The top 3 items could somehow be worked out, but #4 is what lead us to the decision to get our sweet mini van out here!  Someday soon when I post the information about the left and right hemispheres and what they control and what stimulates each of them, you will understand better what I am talking about.  Here it is in a nutshell:

Both of the boys are right brain delayed.  This means that their left hemisphere is much more developed and much stronger than their right.  This causes an imbalance.  It explains why both boys are  geniuses and are so intelligent, (left) but can't focus, pay attention, and have social issues (right).  Anyways, the left brain is easy to stimulate.  You do this with letters, numbers, details, crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, movies, computer games, building things, Legos, etc.  (All of which we are supposed to have them do NONE of! and all of which are their favorite things...)

The right brain on the other hand is much more abstract.   This is just list of examples that I found online:

Looking at art and allowing your imagination to roam freely to construct a story around the images; creating art; listening to music - but as much as possible seek out novel activities and experiences.

Sight seeing; meeting new people; reading books that have lots of pictures and unusual sentence structure, big picture thinking, new experiences, etc.  

Which one sounds easier to you???

We were given a list of activities to do as well as sensory motor activities:

• Bike riding
• swimming
• walking/running
• museums
• water parks
• The Zoo
• hiking
• Bouncy houses
• traveling/new experiences
• etc. etc. etc. 

Bouncy house.  Check.  Only takes us 45 minutes there and back - we can do that.
Swimming.  Check.  We can start going there when it warms up next month.
Walking.  Check.  We have plenty of paths to explore.
The rest of the list...... no can do.  So - we decided if we were going to move across the country,  then we were going to make sure to do EVERY last thing we could do to get the most out of the program and our time here.  The more the parents do at home with the home programing, exercises, etc.  The more success and progress they see.  So - if any of you know me, I am not one to do something half way :)

So - could we have made it?  Yes.  However - we want to give our kids every opportunity to succeed so we are altering our original plan a little.

Paige's husband will be driving for 3 days to bring our car to us.  He plans to visit here for a day and then has to head back to work.  THANK YOU DRAYTON!  He will be bringing some essentials with him:

• Bikes, scooters, big wheels
• Mini Trampoline
• Tennis rackets and other sports items
• Keyboard
• Guitar
• Star wars Toys for Brody
• Little people toys for Wyatt
• Books and a few other toys for Hazel
• Oh yea - and A CAR!!!

We will still be driving the cart a lot here.  It is so fast and easy to get to Target, the grocery store and even Brain Balance.  It takes about 20 minutes but the drive is beautiful and just what the kids need.  They experience nature, trees, squirrels, birds, new people and faces, etc!    But for church, museums, airports, etc. we will be driving a car.

Hazel is up sick.  She is stuffy and can't breathe.  I fear we may be up a lot of the night with her so I must wrap up.  I still have a GIANT list of things to post about but all in good time.

I do have one bit of news:  Brody lost his front tooth!  That is the third tooth he has lost but the other two were a long time ago.  It has been loose for awhile and then really loose the last few days.  In fact, yesterday and today it was hurting him because it was hanging down so far that when he would chew or bite down, it would hit the other teeth and hurt.  We brought up the option of pulling it (which I NEVER did as a child either) and he did NOT like it.

On the way home from Jumping Jelly Beans, he was eating a waffle (yes, we take them as snacks - the are yummy just plain!)  and it just came out!  He was a little scared of the blood, but there wasn't much and he was more brave than usual.  Yea Brody!

Good night!

We Miss You Papa!

I would give anything in the world if I could have my sweet husband here with us.  It is so hard being away from him.  We miss him so much and the kids miss having someone fun to play with.  Let's face it, Dad's are just way more fun to play with than moms.  I am trying to think of things I can sell or ways I can make some extra money so that we can fly him out here every weekend.  He will be here this Friday and that will be almost 3 weeks since we have seen him.  That is WAY too long.  Especially knowing that this is a 6 month arrangement. 

Everyday when Papa came home from work, Brody and Hazel would immediately run to him and scream and then grab onto his legs and not let go.  He had to walk down the whole hallway to the kitchen dragging them behind.  Then the night consisted of Wyatt dragging him to the trampoline, everyone screaming and yelling and running around playing chase and then nightly scripture reading.   Since we have been here the kids have had none of those things. :(  I am just not Papa.  Families were designed perfectly because I just cannot replace my husband or what he does for our family and kids and he could not replace me and what I do.  But for now, we have to do the best we can and just be so grateful that this is a temporary situation. 

There are not many fathers that would do what he does.  He has willingly done all he can over the last 4 years to treat our boys and help them improve and be happy.  I come to him with something I have researched and want to try and he says "ok".  He is so supportive and so loving and so unselfish to do what he does. 

Once again it is so late.  I don't know how the time slips away from me so quickly.  I will NOT miss a day on this blog but It may take awhile for me to catch up on the lists of things I have written down to post about. 

Tomorrow we don't have to go to Brain Balance so I am hoping we can do their exercises, organize the kitchen, make bread, clean the house, put away the laundry, find Hazel a preschool, pay the bills, etc. etc. etc.  I did get a text today from another mom who moved here from out of state as well and we are planning to meet at another bouncy place so the kids can get their motor activity in as well as play with some other kids. 

We are hoping the next three days go really quickly because we can't wait to see papa!

We love you Papa - you are the best!

Night. Night.

Sunday Rainy Sunday

So it stormed all night.  Rain, Thunder, the works.  Hazel woke up crying pretty bad at one point and had to go potty and then was scared and wanted to sleep with me.  I slept okay with her rolling all over the place, but not great :)  When we woke up this morning the first thing she said was "What is that sound?"  I told her it was thunder.  She then said (in a very dramatic voice) "That means a twister is coming!"  I asked her where she had heard that and she said "Mimi (Grandma) told me.  I asked her what a twister was and she said "It is a big wind and everyone has to hide!"   She always makes me laugh!

It was about 8:30 and church was at 9:00.  Wyatt was still asleep and Brody was just getting up.  There was NO way I was heading out in the storm in a golf cart, but I was sad because I really wanted to go to church.  I texted pretty much the only person I know in the ward and told her we wouldn't be able to make it and she offered to pick us up.  I felt bad because she has already helped us so much, but decided to take her up on it.  However, she was going to be here in 20 minutes and no one was dressed, no one had eaten and we had nothing together to take with us!  We ran as fast as we could and got dressed and I grabbed some food to take with us and we were on the road.  We made them late :( but we made it. 

When we arrived, there was about 30 people waiting in the lobby - it was crazy!  There was 4 little girls sitting in a circle talking.  Brody stood up from across the room, walked over, sat down next to them and said "Hi guys.  What are you all talking about?"  It was so cute.  He SO reminds me of myself as a child.  I would walk up to pretty much anyone, anywhere and be there friend within 2 minutes.  I heard him tell some kids that he had moved here for Brain Balance.  I asked him later what he told them about it and he said "I told them it was going to balance my brain".  That makes perfect sense.  I always feel the need to go into a 20 minute explanation and Brody can just do it in one sentence. 

The Kids did really well in sacrament meeting.  Wyatt sat next to a gentlemen and leaned up against him for about 20 minutes!  Just sat and chilled next to him.  It was funny.  They sat pretty well overall.

Then it was time for primary.  Hazel loves sunbeams and seems to like her new teacher.  Brody has made some friends already and I was AMAZED at how well he sat still.  He is usually jumping around, wiggling, talking, etc.  He sat nice the whole time and paid attention.  Totally BB.

Wyatt's class has a husband and wife that teach together.  The husband was gone last week but was there today.  Between the two of us we wrestled a VERY wiggly Wyatt during the first hour.  He was all over the place and ran away twice.  (I was happy for that because it gave him a sense of what he would be dealing with)  During the last hour, they were in a smaller classroom and I was confident that they would not let Wyatt escape, so I went to Relief Society for the first time in 4 years?  It was so nice! 

We got home and the kids were STARVED!  They hadn't really gotten to eat before, so they ate and ate and ate.  Then the boredom hit.  There was NOTHING to do.  We couldn't really leave, or go to the park and we have really no toys and of course no TV.  It was a long day...

I will go into more detail when I catch up on all my posts, but here is the big news of the last three days.  WYATT HAS GONE TO THE BATHROOM ON THE TOILET BY HIMSELF 100 PERCENT OF THE TIME!  I have not had to ask him or take him to the bathroom ONCE!  I just turn around and he is in going potty.  #1 AND #2 :) It is CRAZY!  We have tried everything under the sun for the past 2 years.   Every type of chart, ABA tactic and reinforcement and NOTHING has worked.  Do I think that it is coincidence that after some reflex exercises and ONE WEEK of brain balance that he is now going by himself?  No I do not. 

Anyways, so after church he went in the bathroom and was going poo poo. (Yes, you get the details).  It was a better poop than usual which hopefully means the bowels are getting better.  He didn't look to good all of the sudden and got of the toilet and laid on the bathroom floor.  Then he got up and just looked sick like he was going to throw up - it was very strange.  Then he did something weird and took his shirt off and said "shower".  He doesn't hate showers, but usually protests a bit and doesn't usually ever just ask for one.  He got right in and stood in the water for a bit still looking terrible and pale.  He then laid on the floor of the shower and then got out.  I put him in a towel and went and laid on his bed with him.  I really don't know if I have ever seen him so strange.  He has been sick where he is lethargic and lays around, but he has never been like this.  Even when he has had the stomach flu, he will not even make one noise and I will just look over and he is throwing up.

Anyways, he just laid there squirming, crying, struggling and looking terrible.  He would get up and try to walk and be in obvious pain and have to hunch over to walk.  He went to the bathroom again and was crying while he was on the toilet and reach out for me to hug him and looked at me with the saddest eyes as if asking for me to comfort him.  He went and laid back down and squirmed and cried some more.  I was SO worried and was sure that he was going to be throwing up soon or worse.  I laid by him and sang some songs and within 10 minutes he was up running around, climbing the kitchen cabinets, trying to eat all the cheese crackers and vitamin C we have in the house.  I had to hide it all from him.  Red Flag:  If he is so obsessed with those two items and they are all he asks for, looks for and will not eat anything else, then they probably are not good for him.  I am going to remove them for a few days and see if I see any changes. 

Within 20 minutes, I was so sick.  My stomach hurt so bad I wanted to cry.  I laid on my bed and did what I had to do - I turned on a movie.  They are allowed their 30 minutes (although Brody and Hazel already had theirs) so it wasn't horrible, but I just try to avoid it if I can.  I was dying and almost fell asleep but I hurt too bad and knew Wyatt would escape the house if I did.  I felt pretty horrible the entire day.

The rest of the day was honestly pretty bad.  Like I said, there was NOTHING to do.  I tried to do a craft with the kids but they weren't interested.  I felt so terrible I couldn't do much if I wanted to.  All Wyatt wanted to do was have me hold him by his feet, hang him upside down and swing him in circles - over and over again. It was SO hard because I was so sick, so I couldn't do it as much as I wanted to for him.  Hazel cried for 45 minutes because I wouldn't give her a treat.  Her eyes were almost swollen shut from crying so hard. 

I finally made dinner and got them ready for bed at 6 pm.  I was just done.  Wyatt was out by 7 and Brody and hazel were up until 8:30 reading stories on my phone. (Also, not great).  Wyatt was up by midnight (and I am still awake).  He had wet the bed and was naked trying to sleep on the floor in his closet.  I cleaned him up and gave him some food and he ran to my bed and snuggled under the blankets.  He is still laying there now as I write this post listening to the pouring rain.   The thunder is so loud it actually scares me. 

I have SO many more cute things, improvements, etc. to post, but they will have to wait - again.  I Promise (mostly to myself) that starting tomorrow I will get back on track with my daily kid updates and all of the other great things we are seeing from Brain Balance.   As for now, I need to put Wyatt back in his bed and hope that I at least get 4 hours of sleep and that tomorrow is a better day!

Back to Tuesday

I didn't want to forget about our craziest day yet, so I am going to go back and try to remember it.  Since my brain is fried, I am not sure how well I will do, but I will do my best.  Bullet points might keep it shorter :) (I doubt it - I have a thing with details)

** Disclaimer:  I am usually really, really particular about spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc. However, because I have SO much I want to write, I do NOT have time to proof read.  Also, my posts are done late at night so I can't be held accountable.   Thank you :)

• Got up at 6 am to shower and get ready to go for the entire day.  All five of us showering meant the last 2.5 people had no hot water.  Next time some of us will have to shower at night.  
• Kids couldn't eat because of blood work so no breakfast was eaten.  (Oh - except Paige randomly ate a salad with Zesty Italian at 7:00 am...)  
• Packed up all the food and things we needed for the day and were ready by 7:30
• Rental car place picked us up and we went and loaded into our Chevy Silverado. (We rented a truck so we could buy a couple twin mattresses since the borrowed airbed Paige and I had been sharing was WAY less than comfortable.
  
• Drove to the Lab for blood work.  The boys both did great (as I posted before) and Hazel tried to get her blood taken as well...
• Since it was only 9:30 am and we had a car for one day, we decided to head to the City.  We wanted to run all the errands we could while we had the chance!
• Got there in no time and headed to Ikea to get some really cheap kitchen/household essentials.
• Next we ran to Target to get Brody's prize for doing is blood work.  He hadn't stopped talking about it for the last 2 hours so we had to get that part out of the way :)  
• Then Hazel had to go potty so Paige had to run her back in Target while I mapped out how to get to Whole Foods. At this point, Hazel started screaming terribly and didn't stop for the next 3 hours.  Not kidding.  I know she was tired, they were kind of hungry, but it was still just way worse than usual.  She kept saying her back hurt (which I have heard her say before when she is in a car seat.  Have any of your kids complained of that or should I be worried?  She said it again while sitting in the golf cart with no car seat... I guess I need to look into this.
  
• Whole Foods had a TERRIBLE parking lot.  Just wanted to ad that.  Went in looking for organic meats but just could not spend $8 a pound!  I did buy bacon with no nitrates or sugar and we headed out to Costco.  (I had seen organic meat there before and was just hoping it was cheaper) I had to carry Hazel through the store because she was still so whiny.
  
• She cried almost all the way to Costco and Finally fell asleep so I am assuming that was why she was so upset?  Anyways, There was NO way we were waking her up after a 6 minute nap, so I ran into Costco alone to try to get stocked up as fast as possible.  SO glad I waited to get the meat.  Organic ground beef for $4.30 per pound and the chicken breasts were about the same.  Paper towels, TP, water, and other essentials were loaded in.  I went and checked out the mattresses and was torn.  (Dilemma of the day) They were 150 each for twin mattress.  I had called Sam's Club and they had some for $99.00 but I didn't have a membership.  So ad that on and I would still be saving $60 to get them from Sam's.  (Anyone that knows me knows that I am a Costco girl.  It is almost the only store I ever go to - that and Amazon.com.  I love the quality and the selection and the service) So it was hard to decide, but we have to watch every penny these days with all of our extra expenses so I decided to go the Sam's route.  
• Checked out, loaded the truck (hoping the perishables would make it another 2 hours in the insulated bags)  It was now almost 4:00 and no one had  eaten lunch.  The kids had snacked and eaten what we had in the car, but it was not enough.  So we did the only thing we could and went to Chick-fil-a.  (I have loved that place since I was a kid and we had it in the mall..)  Anyways, we can go there in a pinch because they do gluten free grilled chicken pieces for the kids and also have fruit cups.  The kids ate their chicken in about 10 seconds and played on the playground.  We wanted to get out of town fast so we didn't hit traffic and we planned it right and didn't really hit any!  
• I thought Hazel would be better now that she had slept and eaten, but she was still crying and whining most of the way home.  
• Wyatt Sat good the ENTIRE day and didn't try to get out of his seat once.  Hmmm.  I thought maybe he was getting sick because it was so unusual but it is now Saturday and no signs of sickness so it must be Brain Balance!
• Brody was a good boy in the car as usual.  
• Made the mistake earlier in the day of telling the kids we were going to "Jump 2 it" (which most of you know we didn't get to until Thursday) So we literally probably hear "when are we going to Jump 2 it?" about 2000 times.  Seriously.  Paige loved it.  :)
• Decided we could go to Jump 2 it for an hour before they closed, take the kids home and drop them off with the groceries and then I could run to Sam's and get the mattresses before they close.  
• Called to get the address and Jump 2 it said they were closing early for no reason so we couldn't go.  Kids no happy.  So - we had to try and appease them with swimming.  It had been 80 degrees so even though our pool is not heated, that was our only choice.  Problem:  Wyatt was asleep by the time we got home,  so we had to wake him up, unload the groceries get in suits and get the pool.  The water was FREEZING, but Brody jumped right in and didn't seem bothered.  (Strange because he is usually sensitive to temperatures and Wyatt is not).  Wyatt was still half asleep and never really jumped in - just stuck his feet in and having me dip in  fast and then pull him out.  However, at one point, Brody pushed him in :(
• Headed back home so I could head out to Sam's.  Paige was left with 3 kids to shower,  and dinner and medicine to take care of. 
• I took nothing with me besides my wallet and the keys because I was only going to be gone 30 minutes.  (Oh how wrong I was....)
• I drove to the Sam's club and immediately was not impressed.  (I apologize to those of you that like Sam's but I guess I am just a Costco Snob :)  It just looked and seemed like another Walmart but with Bigger shelves.  
• I waited in line for over 30 minutes to get a membership!  They only had 2 people working the counter and the line wasn't even that long!  The representatives were just having problems and were not very well trained and kept having to call managers, etc.  I was SO tired and just wanted my mattresses so I could go home from this crazy day and finally sleep good for the first time in a week.  When It was my turn I got my membership card (but luckily didn't have to pay until I checkout with my merchandise), grabbed a cart and took off towards the mattresses.  When I got there my heart immediately sank.  These $99 mattresses were NOT what I had hoped for.  I had bought a couple $99 ones at Costco before that my boys still sleep on and they were simple, but comfortable and quality.  These were not the same.  They were very thin and very hard.  They were listed as "bunk-bed" mattresses.  I was SO sad.  I had been at a Costco earlier and had wanted to buy their nice, plush, quality mattresses but in trying to save money decided against it.  Since I only had a truck for today and it was 7:49, I was stuck with these ones.  Or was I????
  
• I just could not stand the thought of spending money on these things when I truly felt that they would be no better than the air mattress we currently had.  So - I quickly Googled the nearest Costco (not the same one I had been at earlier in the day) and "luckily" got the manager.  I informed him of my dilemma of desperately needing mattresses today because I had rented a truck for the day and that I could just NOT invest in the ones at Sam's.  I informed him that I would probably not get there until the minute he closed (although my map said I would be there 10 minutes after - but I drive fast)  He told me not to worry and that if I got there late, that I could just come in the Exit door and they would take care of me. 
• I was ECSTATIC!  However, I had NO idea how to get there so I had to use my GPS on my phone.  This should be no problem except for the fact that I did not bring my car charger and my phone was at 20 percent!  I figured I would be ok and headed out.  Since I don't know the area at all, I didn't realize that I wasn't going to be on a freeway, but rather small highways with stop lights and only one lane at times!  So it definitely took longer than I had expected.
• In my frantic craziness, I had forgotten that I had told Paige I would be back in 30 and it had already been way past that and I still had a long night ahead of me.  No problem - I just call her right?  Wrong.  Still no phone at the house and her Cell doesn't work AT ALL.  No texting, no calling, nothing.  I had to let her know what was going on, so I decided to call the woman who lives above us.  I can't remember if I already mentioned this but the woman upstairs just "happens" to work at Brain Balance and just "happens" to be Brody AND Wyatt's Sensory Motor Coach.  :)  Problem:  I don't have her number with me because it is on the paper in my backpack which I don't have with me.  So - I figure, why not call Brain Balance?  It is only 8:00 pm and they are closed so why not give it a try right?  Well guess what?  Someone answered and gladly gave me the phone number I was requesting.  So I called my neighbor and she gladly ran her phone downstairs so I could talk to Paige and check on the kids and let her know what was going on. 
• I roll into the Costco parking lot at exactly 8:29.  The woman at the door didn't want to let me in, but I informed her that my buddy Gus had made arrangements for me to enter past closing time :)  I found Gus right away and he escorted me to my mattresses which were already pulled and stacked nicely on a cart.  They were as beautiful as I had hoped they would be.  Gus asked me if there was anything else I needed and I told him that I had forgotten a few things when I was at Costco earlier that day but that I knew that they were closed.  He said it was no problem at all and walked me to the cordless telephones.  On the way there I mentioned that my phone was going to die soon and that if I didn't have it to map myself home then I was in big trouble.  He quickly radioed an employee and within 2 minutes I had my phone plugged into an employee's personal iPhone charger.  He then had an employee escort me to the microwaves,  and the freezer section.  He then helped me through the checkout, pushed my cart outside and loaded everything into my truck.  If that isn't AMAZING customer service, then I don't know what is.  It would have been SO easy for that manager to  tell me that they had to close on time (which I have had happen to me at other stores before) and not let me in.   But instead they stayed open, personally escorted me through the store, charged my phone and did it all without making me feel rushed or feel bad for making them stay late.  I LOVE COSTCO!  
• Then, I got gas for the third time that day ( I kept putting only a couple gallons in because it was a rental)  and headed back on my 40 minute drive home.  
• I walked in the door at precisley 9:49 and was exhausted!  However, the last things on my list for the day were a microwave and a vacuum.  I could have probably gotten them into my golf cart at some point, but I just wanted to be DONE with errands!  So......
• We quickly unloaded the mattresses and I was off to Target - (not the same one I was at earlier in the day)  Luckily it took me literally 30 seconds to get there - (not kidding) because they closed at 10:00!   I ran in and got the cheapest vacuum and the cheapest microwave they had and checked out.  
• I ran outside, tossed them in the back seat and jumped in the truck.  As I did, I heard a sound.  I looked down to find that I had ripped a big hole right in the crotch of my pants!  (They were about 10 years old, but still....)  I thought I would die laughing and wished there was someone there to laugh with me. 
• I drove home, walked in the door and realized that there was NO way I could make this post!  So I did a short paragraph and went to bed - or at least I think that is what happened.
  

 Here are a few photos:

I was so Happy when I left Costco that I had to take a picture!

My battery status when I arrived home.  Please see top right corner.

The hole in my pants :)

Oh how I would LOVE to stay up all night and get caught up on all of my posts,  but I have to get up at 6:00 am and shower myself and 3 children, do breakfast and medicine and then drive 45 minutes in a golf cart (in the rain) and try to make it to church by 9:00!   

This just in:  I just checked weather.com and their home page lists "severe weather warnings" in my area.  We are also on alert for severe thunderstorms and our County is on Tornado Watch.  Not sure how a golf cart would hold up in a tornado, so we might just have to stay indoors tomorrow. 

Night night!

Movie Night!

I'm posting this on my phone since my computer is our only "tv". Brody and Hazel were begging to have a movie night. Since they are only allowed 30 minutes of screen time (tv, computer, video games, etc) per day- then they are using their time for the whole weekend to watch a movie tonight with Mama. For some reason I started telling them about Newsies and they were so interested and begged me to watch it with them. I LOVE this movie and am so glad the kids are liking it. I literally don't think that one thing has happened in the movie without asking a question about it. Examples: Why don't they have moms and dads? Why do they sell papers? Why did he jump on that? Why are they dancing and singing at the same time? It Is so cute and he totally did NOT get it from me ;)

I have almost fallen asleep 25 times and Hazel is asleep now. Bro is still up asking 1000 questions. I figured I should at least post something in case I fall asleep!

I will for sure post updates this weekend as I am taking it easy and just playing with the kids and having fun! (okay and cleaning up and laundry and cooking) but just taking it a tiny bit easier than usual :)

Night!

Continued.....

        Look how much Fun Wyatt had today! And no ladies -                    that is not mud......

Okay, so if you can believe I am exhausted again.  However - I have made a goal to not miss one day of posting so here I am!  I will just do as much as I can each night and then have to continue the next day.  Hopefully this weekend I can catch up on a lot of things that I have been wanting to post - but that may be doubtful since PAIGE IS GONE!  She is on the airplane right now and gets to see her hubby!  Their 4 year anniversary was yesterday - HAPPY ANNIVERSARY PAIGE & DRAYTON! Anyways, so I am only freaking out just a little tiny bit that I will not be able to survive!  Rephrase:  I know I can totally survive 4 days without any help, but there is NO way that I can accomplish all that needs to be done, do all the cooking, BB exercises, sensory motor activities, playing with the kids, cooking, shopping, cleaning, medicine, poop clean up (see photo above...)  So that means a lot of those things will just have to go undone and that just drives me crazy.  Let me tell you a story:

I have been whining for a week about Paige leaving.  Not because I didn't want her to go spend time with her husband and family, but just because even with both of us here working 18 hour days, we are still drowning.  There is so much to do!  So the thought of taking on all of that alone was very overwhelming - even though I consider myself one that can take on quite a bit.

So, as I was driving Brody to Brain Balance yesterday, I was on the phone with a friend describing to her how I was not sure I could handle this on my own.  Brody tapped me and said "Remember Mama, Heavenly Father won't give you anything you can't handle."  It was the cutest thing!  I immediately asked him where he learned that and he said "from you."  He was so right.  I was not going to be "alone" and I could handle it as long as I had faith and asked for help.  How sweet it was to be reminded of this by my darling 7 year old boy.  And he was right.  I had taught him that and I know it to be true, but how easy it is to forget sometimes.  I immediately felt at peace and knew right away that I would be fine this weekend "alone".  When I talked to my loving husband he also helped me realize that I was just going to have to let go and not do everything under the sun like I wanted to.  I would have to just do the most important things and the rest would just have to wait.  (Not something I am good at but I am trying)

So - here I am, all alone but excited for the weekend!  I was instructed on different types of activities and crafts that would be good to stimulate the right side of the brain so we are set up to do some of them this weekend.  We also have to go to BB twice tomorrow and Monday and hopefully get all the exercises done, cooking done, etc.

So let me finish the Brody and Hazel Updates from the last couple days and then we will see if I am awake to add anything else :)

Brody:

• Doing Great at his exercises
• Playing well with Hazel (most of the time) and molding her into a storm trooper, droid, light-saber using, battle fighting little girl.  (See Photo below...)
• Today:  "Paige - I know you are trying to hide the Sunbutter from me"
• He noticed that Paige has a small hole in her tongue today.  He was very stressed out about it and wanted to take her to the doctor.   During his prayer tonight he said "Bless that we can find out about the hole in Paige's tongue."  Silly Bro!
• Has been SO excited to go to jump 2 it all week and then after 15-20 minutes he said he was "bored" and kept trying to play the arcade games.  Again -Stronger left brain trying to take over right brain.  
• If he notices Wyatt doing anything he shouldn't he tells me "We shouldn't let Wy Wy do that same puzzle over and over because it is working the left side of the brain"
• He told me he would be interested in maybe going to "regular" school, which a few weeks ago was NOT an option. 
• When driving home from BB yesterday, I decided to test him to see if he knew how to get home.  This is not an easy task as the way home consists of miles of winding paths through the middle of the forest.  There are no landmarks, only bridges, trees, squirrels, birds, lakes and ponds.  It is beautiful, yet VERY confusing.  People that live here still have to leave marks or paint an X on a tree so they can find their way back.  We have been traveling the same path to BB for a week.  At each point that I came to where you could choose to go straight, left or right, I asked Brody which way to go.  He knew almost EVERY single one.  He only missed a couple out of the 20 or so?  It was crazy.  I could NOT believe (even though I could) that this 7 year old who seems to not be paying attention knows the exact route to get to and from BB.  I wish we could say the same about Paige.  Poor Paige is not that great with directions and tries to get me to go the wrong way multiple times because she is just sure that she knows what direction to go.  :) Sorry Paige - It is just too funny that Bro can do it (he calls himself the navigator) and you just still need a little more practice :) 
• He says so many cute, funny things a day that I just need a video camera on him 24/7!

Hazel:

• Remember how I told you that she wants to be just like her brothers -  Even down to peeing in a cup?  Well she took it a step further and tried to get the woman at the lab to draw her blood!  She put her arm right  out (even after watching both of her brothers cry and squirm and scream) and wanted her turn.  It took some convincing, but in the end I talked her out of it.  I gave into the pee test, but the blood would just be going too far :)
• Brody and Wyatt are supposed to wear a sock on only one foot so that they receive more sensory input for the weaker hemisphere.  They are also supposed to wear an earplug in one ear so that all the sound is processed through one side helping to stimulate the weak side.  So- guess who has been walking around with one sock on and an earplug in?  Bo.  Just kidding - it was Hazel.   I Just liked that mental picture :)
• She has been less whiny the last few days - not sure why, but I am not complaining!
• LOVED going to the bouncy place and jumping and sliding and riding the little merry go round.  As soon as we walked in - she took her shoes of and yelled "The is awesome!"
• Spent the afternoon filling up the sink with water and putting her mermaid and other toys in it.  She had a blast.
• At the Target checkout line tonight she asked the cashier "what is your name?" (Both her and Brody aren't afraid to talk to anyone and ask them a million questions.  I have absolutely NO idea where they would get that from) The woman said "Peggy".  Brody said "you helped us the other day - don't you remember us?"  She did not, but after their conversation tonight I think she will!
• Still likes doing the exercises with the boys :)
• Was a GREAT helper today and really wanted a rag so she could help me scrub poop out of the carpet.  What a good girl!

Well - Since it is 1:39 and the kids will be up by 6, I guess I will have to write the million other things I have in my brain tomorrow, and the next day and the next day....  

 They were So exited about their paper masks!  Notice Wyatt standing on the table behind Brody.  Still happens around here, but not as much as it used to! 

BRAIN BALANCE WORKS!

How do I know you ask?  How did I know before I moved across the country? How do I know after only being here for one week?  All good questions.  Here are the answers:

Mom's just know stuff.  Good answer huh?  But it is true.  :)  I had read about Brain Balance and thought it sounded interesting.  I had researched about Brain Balance and thought the research and science made sense.  But, It wasn't until I read and talked to other MOTHERS (parents) of children who had been in the program did I really believe.  In my opinion, there is a time and a place for science, studies, research, data (obviously) - but in NO way do I think that decisions about what is best for your children or family should be made solely on those items.   In fact, our decision to move across the country and split our family up for a period of 6 months was not based on cold hard facts and evidence because there really wasn't any.  It was based on inspiration, faith,  and us just knowing that this was the right thing for our boys. 

For the three weeks before we left, we started doing the reflex exercises (to get rid of the primitive reflexes they still have that should have gone away on their own around age one) and already saw some changes.  Things that anyone else wouldn't even notice at all, I (mothers) noticed.  I even wondered if I was crazy!  Some of these changes were exactly in line with what we had been told we could see.  However, I didn't really expect to see anything that soon.  These things made me realize even more that we were on the right track.  Also, the list of many blessings I posted previously just confirmed over and over that there was a plan for us.

So  - now we are to the good part!  If any of you have a child on the spectrum, you know that the tiniest little change or improvement can be HUGE.  We have seen little things continually over the last 3 1/2 years.  Our boys have improved so much, however, it has been slow.  Because I feel like this program is addressing the root of the problem I feel/know that the changes will be coming a lot quicker and I can't wait!  We have seen some great changes in Brody and he is doing great!  However, because Wyatt has a much greater imbalance than Brody, the changes are more noticeable and will become more dramatic.  So - I will go over the Brody and Hazel updates below, but here is what we have seen in Wyatt in the last 2 days: (Everything else I think has been previously listed)

1. Yesterday We went to do the blood work and he was way better than usual.  He still cried and struggled, but the girl was able to get the blood relatively quickly without too much trouble. 
2. As we drove around all day, Wyatt didn't try to get out of his seat ONCE!  Usually just driving to the mailbox and back he is out of his chair climbing around the car.  He sat so nicely it almost scared me!  Also, since we have moved here, he hasn't EVER tried to climb out of the golf cart. 
3. When we went into stores he sat in the carts and didn't try to run away - this is amazing!
4. When we got home, we made him turkey burgers that we made into patties as opposed to the frozen patties we used to buy.  Usually a new food that looks different AT ALL takes a lot of time and reinforcement to get him to even look at or take a bite of.  This time was different.  He immediately started eating it and ate the whole thing!  In fact, before the night was over he had a total of three.  He just kept saying "hamburger". 
5. Today when I got to Brain Balance with him, he was hanging around the lobby waiting to go in.  He came over to the bench and sat by me and said "tickle" which he does a lot and it is very cute.  So I tickled for about 2 seconds and he said "all done".  These things have happened before.  But then, he laid on his back on the bench and said "shoes off" and then said" Peek a boo" (wasn't perfect, but I could tell what he was saying).  I have never heard him try to say that!   He took his shoes off because I play Peek a boo by putting the kids' feet over my eyes and then open their legs and say Peek a boo and they think it is really funny.  So we played peek a boo and he loved it and kept trying to say it better. 
6. Next, when Paige was doing exercises with him he did something really cute.  We just found out yesterday that when doing exercises, or anything for that matter, that we should not count with numbers.  Since numbers stimulate the left brain (which we DON'T want to do at all right now) we are supposed to count in colors because they are right brain.  So instead of saying 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 we say Red, green, blue, orange, yellow.  Interesting isn't it?  Anyways.  So today Paige was doing one of the exercises with him and he just started counting in colors!  He said "purple, white, brown, red, blue, green," etc.  It was so cute that he knew to do that after only a couple times AND that he was using colors that we had NOT used!  
7. Then, when I got back from Brain Balance with Brody at about 6, Wyatt really wanted to go in the cart.  He came and got in the front seat with me before I even had a chance to get out.  He grabbed his seat belt and said "seat belts, so we can be safe". (again, not perfect articulation, but very close!) It was so so cute!  (For those of you that don't know, that is something that Dora the Explorer always says) I just LOVE that he is somewhat communicating and using spontaneous language!
8. Hazel came out to go on the ride with us but Brody didn't want to and was in the house.  Wyatt kept saying "Brody" which is so awesome that he wanted his brother to come.  He then said "Paige".  So cute!  Brody really didn't want to go so I just took Wyatt and Hazel to get the mail.  The whole time Wyatt kept saying "Brody, Brody".  So I went back to the house and picked up Brody and Paige and we all got in the cart and Wyatt said "park".  It was just so amazing that he told me that he wanted Brody and Paige to come and that he wanted to go to the park.  So - we went to the park - and then.....
9. While we were at the park, Wyatt went down the slide and then I said "I'm gonna get you" and I chased him around back to the stairs, across the bridge and back to the slide.  He then went down the slide and wanted me to go down so I did.  Then the process started again (which anything done over and over in a repetitive manner stimulates the left brain so we had to stop after a few times...)  So I started chasing him again back to the stairs and he did the most amazing thing.  He actually turned around and looked at me as I was chasing him and started smiling and giggling and running faster.  He was really interacting with me and actually playing "chase!"  THEN - He looked at me and said "I'm gonna get you". (not perfectly, but very close!)  I couldn't believe that he was using a little sentence and actually understanding what was going on.  So each time we would go down the slide and start chasing, if I didn't say anything then he would say "I'm gonna get you" - AMAZING.
10. The last thing I can think of right now is that he has just been overall more social and more interactive with us.  He keeps asking for tickles and hugs and kisses and for us to swing him.  He has even been asking Hazel to tickle him! 

All of these things are directly related to what we are doing at Brain Balance - no doubt.  To see such HUGE gains in such a short time is crazy!   We are so excited about what is to come over the next few months (and years) and we know this is still going to be a long journey.  But I truly and honestly believe that we are on the right path and at the beginning of what could be the home stretch.

This is my latest post yet (1:30 am) because I was up making SCD waffles and pancakes, etc.  I have SO much more information to share plus the updates of Hazel and Brody and they are really good ones too!   But I must get some sleep so I am afraid this post will have to be continued.......

Holy Cow!

Today Was absolutely insane!  It started at 6:00 am and it is now 11:08 and I have only been home for 30 minutes!  I have SO many stories to tell about today's events - PLUS all of the stuff that I wanted to post yesterday! 

But - Since I got almost no sleep last night (this is becoming a pattern...) And I have another crazy day tomorrow, I fear I have got to go to bed.  Although my blog posts may take you minutes to read, they take me a long time to write so for me to write what I want to say today I would be up another 2 hours!

I will say that the blood work went well and better than expected.  I can't wait to get the results.   Then we ended up at Whole Foods, Target, Costco, Chick-fil-A, the pool, the gas station, Sam's Club, Costco, the gas station and then Target.  It was not a fun filled day of shopping!  I don't have time for those and I don't even enjoy them.  Especially with 3 children that do NOT want to be in the car! It was rough!  But, since we had a car for ONE day, I was determined to get everything done so that we can finally get organized and settled in. 

So much to write tomorrow I will need to start in the morning to get it all done :)  Oh wait, I have to take the rental car back by 8:30, bake bread, make waffles and cheese crackers, patty a bunch of hamburgers to freeze with the organic beef I got today, repeat the same with ground turkey, organize the house and the kitchen, install the new water purifier, figure out how to water the batteries on my golf cart and then be to Brain Balance by 11:45.  I am going 15 minutes early to meet the insurance agent and sign the papers for my renters insurance and my golf cart insurance.  Then I have a parent meeting while Wyatt is in session, etc. etc. etc.  You get the picture!


Goodnight!

Updates Only Tonight!

I have been dying all day to do a post on a certain topic, but I'm afraid it is just going to have to wait until tomorrow.  I know - you are all terribly disappointed. ;) 

Last night I didn't get to bed until late, Wyatt was up at 3:30 am running around and yelling in his room (thanks Paige for getting up with him) then Hazel woke up crying early and needed to go potty and then wanted to sleep with me.  That mixed with a week of sleeping on an air bed makes for a tired, achy girl.  Also, we have to be up early, get ready to go and head off to the lab for blood tests.   This is a scary, scary thing.  I am sure the boys will live through it, but I hope I do.  I still have to fill out the two requisition forms tonight as well.  Since we don't have a car, I am renting a truck for the day.  We are going to run as many possible errands as we can during the day including: Costco, Sam's Club, Walmart, Jump2it (bouncy place for kids), etc.  We are going to load up on supplies since we won't be able to get around to these places much (or ever) and hopefully get mattresses so we can retire the airbed.  I can't complain because it has been better than the floor, but I think I am just getting too old....

Also, we are out of bread, which we can't make if we don't have homemade yogurt which takes 24 hours to make so...... we are still up making yogurt so that we can make bread tomorrow night at 10:36 pm....

So - for the aforementioned reasons, tonight's post will consists only of the Updates for each child.  Reminder to self:  Update tomorrow about Wyatt's Traffic Light report (results of his assessments) - this is great stuff!

Oh - and P.S.  We went and watched a video about how to do all the primitive reflexes just to make sure we were doing them right and a lot of them are different/wrong from how we were taught.  So - we have to make some changes/adjustments starting tomorrow.  So happy that we watched that video now before we did them wrong for months and months! 

Brody:

• Went from mellow to hyper multiple times throughout the day.
• Took it very well when I told him we had to get blood drawn tomorrow.  Usually even mentioning the word blood causes severe anxiety and tears.  When I told him we had to do it and why he quickly followed up with "Oh - and I get to pick out a new toy so I guess it is worth it."  Hmm - I wonder if this has happened once or twice before. 
• Also took it very well when I told him that his new toy couldn't be Legos and that we had to limit his Lego time to 30 minutes per day.  I explained to him that playing Legos stimulates the Left Brain and we want to stimulate the right brain.  He was a good boy and agreed on picking something besides Legos.  
• Loves going to Brain Balance and is excited every time.  
• Does not like the at home exercises and is sometimes difficult when we try to do them. 
• Was a good sport walking around the house all day with only one sock on and with and ear plug in only one ear.  (I will explain later)
• Loves the new Sunbutter (replacement peanut butter made from sunflower seeds) and said it tasted like Candy...
• At the end of the day he got so silly, but it was cute.  I asked him to go get my backpack and so he put it on and my flip flops and walked over to me saying "I'm mama, I'm mama".  I told him he was very funny, but it didn't stop there.  He then picked up my phone and was looking at it and said "I'm mama".  Ha ha Bro.  Thankfully he moved onto Paige.  He put on her shoes and said "I'm Paige".  Then he picked up Hazel's stuffed puppy Sophie and said "I'm Hazel, I love my dog Sophie".  Then - the funniest of all was this:  He went and sat in a little tiny kid chair and put his arms out in front of him as if he was sitting at a computer and said "I'm Papa - I'm doing my work".  It was very cute.  He talked about how hard Papa works so that we can go to Brain Balance.  We love and miss our Papa!  He is the best Papa in the world!

Wyatt:

• Wyatt had his first official day at Brain Balance today.  He spends about 45 minutes in the Sensory Motor room and about 15 minutes in the cognitive room.  They said he did great.  I didn't get many details yet, but hope to get more on Wednesday. 
• Kept eating the handle of the door? 
• Tried to escape the back patio again. 
• Kept saying words/phrases that we couldn't understand but we loved the spontaneous language!
• Would NOT eat his sandwich today at all, whereas the other day he ate about 10.  Pretty sure it is because we had forgotten his almond butter so we were giving him organic peanut butter and I think he liked it better so when we switched back he was NOT having it.  They are not supposed to have peanut butter so they suggested Sunbutter which is made with sunflower seeds.  It tastes the most like and has the most similar texture to Peanut butter.  He had a toast later with Sunbutter on it and ate it all!  Yahoo!
• He has become obsessed with his Thomas trains again in the last two weeks.  I had taken all trains and train related items away awhile ago because he just became too obsessed.  All he would want to do is play with trains and wouldn't do any other activities.  He did the same with his iPhone.  He was SO obsessed that it was all he wanted and would get SO hyper and excited I just knew that it couldn't be good so I had to take that away as well.  For some reason (unknown to me then) when I would take away these items, his behaviors got better, he engaged in different kinds of activities and was not so obsessive.  Now - I finally know the answer to why.  There are certain things that stimulate the left brain and certain things that stimulate the right.  In Brain Balance we are trying to only stimulate the right brain in both boys because it is severely underdeveloped.  However, because the left brain is stronger, it is more natural for the boys to want to use it - so they do.  I found out more detail on this today which I will be sharing in tomorrow's post but basically Wyatt watching the wheels roll on his trains is stimulating the Left Brain.  Watching TV, computer, etc. Stimulates the Left Brain.  Letters and Numbers which he loves also stimulate the left Brain.  There are many more that I will list tomorrow.  Basically he has been continually doing this to make his Left brain stronger and not doing things to make his right brain stronger which is creating an even greater imbalance.  Really have so much more detail, but I am racking my brain trying to think of everything we can do at home to stimulate the right brain and NOT the left brain.  So - as of tomorrow - goodbye Thomas trains.  We have hidden them all and he will be looking all over trying to find them and it makes me so sad.  But that is what parents do right?  They do things for their kids even if they are hard and then say "someday you'll thank me."

Hazel:

• Whining went down a notch.
• Did Brain Balance exercises today and love them. 
• Played Duck Duck goose with Wyatt (which he loved) and kept kissing him.  He would ask her to "kiss" and so she kept doing it- they both had fun. 
• Ate her breakfast really well and fast.  Not typical. 
• Played good with Brody while we watched the brain balance video at the office. 
• Almost fell asleep on the golf cart at about 1:30 and then when we got home immediatley got into her pajamas and stayed in them for the rest of the day.  However, wouldn't go to bed and stayed up with the girls until 9:30....
• My most favorite Hazel moment!  She came in the kitchen after she was supposed to be in bed and said "mom, I need to do my pee test".  I told her that she didn't need a pee test and she asked why?  I told her that the Dr. didn't need to check anything for her so she didn't have to do it.  She was adamant that she DID need a pee test just like her brothers and that she needed to pee in a cup.... It was so funny and I was trying not to laugh because she was so serious.  I finally agreed that she could pee in a cup in the morning because that is the same time the boys did it.  She was not happy with that answer and insisted that I get a cup right away and was already heading into the bathroom.  It was so so stinking cute that I just couldn't take it.  She wants so much to be a part of things and sees her brother doing all of these things and she wants to do them to.  So what did I do?  I took a cup and held it while she peed in it.  Unfortunately when girls pee in a cup, it is not as clean as when boys do - if you know what I mean.....  The things we do for our kids.  :)  She was so happy and it made me so happy to see her so happy!  She is such a cute little girl.  
• Lastly, right before bed she asked me "Mama - can I go with you to Brody's blood test?" and I said "yes you can Haze" and she said "Yes!"  It was so funny that she was so excited to be able to go to a blood test.
• I think I am going to look at getting her into a preschool so she can have her own special fun thing!

Wow - I was thinking this would be a quicker post, but it still took me forever!  I am going to bed right now because I have to get up at 6!  Plus, who knows how many times I will be up in the night....

Thanks to all of those that read the blog - feel free to leave comments anytime and tell me how crazy I am. 


Tammy

I am a Happy Girl!

I have been going crazy for the last 6 days (I know - long time huh?) because our apartment is a total disaster.  The day we got here we arrived at 5:15 am with 5 people (three of them sleeping...) 15 suitcases, a travel cooler, a stroller and a car seat.  It was pouring rain and luckily our shuttle driver was nice enough to load our bags and also stop at McDonalds for the adults (kids still asleep) because we were starving.

We got to our place and the key was supposed to be under the mat and there was no mat and no key.  The garage code we were given didn't work and we couldn't break in (not that we tried or anything...)  I was discouraged because I thought this was going to be the first thing that did not work perfectly since up to this point everything else had.  I decided to call the emergency maintenance line because I figured that the shuttle driver was not going to just chill with us in his van for 2 more hours until the office opened and I was worried we would be stranded out in the rain.  Luckily the gentleman was nice and called back right away and informed me that the key was under the mat of the OFFICE.  Great!  Once again everything was perfectly in line :)

So, we got into our place  (which was not supposed to be ready until the 18th but somehow "magically" was able to get ready by the 15th so we didn't have to live in a hotel for 3 days with no way to cook food for the kids and have no way of getting to our apartment with all that luggage.  However, I guess in the rush they had to clean the carpets very last and they were still soaking wet when we got here.  We were all exhausted so we just laid all of our blankets and sheets on the floor and went to sleep for about 3 hours.  By the time we got up we had an hour for me and Wyatt to get to Brain Balance for his first assessment.  It was still raining and I had absolutely NO IDEA how to get to brain balance on a golf cart.  If I could have taken the roads, then I have GPS that would lead me right there, but I have no car.  So - I called Brain Balance to see if they could tell me how to get there and they just insisted that they come and pick us up!  How nice!  We got ready just in time and they gave us a ride to and from Brain Balance that first day.

Ever since then, we have been running here and there and going absolutely nuts.  We have been living out of suitcases which is no fun at all.  It is even less fun because all of the suitcases were mixed together so my shoes were with some kitchen stuff as well as Hazel's socks and Brody's shirts - you get the picture.  So every time we needed to find something we had to run to 4 different rooms and look through 10 different suitcases and it was terrible!  We also had NO food for three days and finally got t the store, you get the picture.

So - FINALLY today we got to organize!  It was so much fun!  We got our closet, the kid's closet and the bathrooms done.  I am so happy and feel SO much better.  I just can't stand living in total chaos while living in total chaos - if you know what I mean :)  I will post some pictures below so you can see our place.   I feel like we are really ready (okay, I have a list of 20 other things to do first thing tomorrow morning...) to start our official first week at Brain Balance!

Quick updates tonight - here you go:

Brody:

• Good the first half of the day and hyper and crazy the second half.  Not sure why?
• Helped me organize his room and closet.
• Was a good boy at church and made new friends already!
• Funny story:  I walked into the kitchen and Brody was right behind me.  I said "Why is the fridge wide open?" and Brody said "You don't see that everyday"  Seriously so funny.

Wyatt:

• We had to wake him up to go to church but he was a good sport and ate his breakfast during sacrament meeting.
• While sitting in the lobby (yes, we were late because it took 45 minutes to get there on our golf cart and the map told us wrong...) Out of nowhere he said "Hot Dog"  It was so funny.  He also said it yesterday and we have no idea why or where he learned it.  
• While sitting in church, he pulled up his sweater and grabbed the tag as if it was bothering him.  This is GREAT because a lot of these kids, Wyatt included, don't notice tags, or twisted clothes, or if there face is messy because they are "numb" and can't feel their bodies well.  The fact that he felt the tag and kept playing with it says that he can FEEL it!
• He also was looking in the mirror at his mouth again and doing other various things that show me that he is more aware of his body.
• Another great thing!  Luckily we grabbed blankets to snuggle in for the ride to church because it was cold!  It really felt nice outside, but when you have no windows or doors in your "car" and travel at the high speeds that we do, it gets chilly.  Anyways, as we were driving, Wyatt kept pulling the blanket back up onto him if it fell off or slid down.  He did it multiple times as if he was cold!  Sounds normal right?  Yes, - that IS normal!  However, it is NOT normal for Wyatt.  Back at home, when he goes outside to play in the backyard, he seems completely un-phased by the fact that it is 30 degrees or 110 degrees.  He will go out in the freezing cold with no shoes and sometimes takes his shirt off!  It is part of his sensory problems that he doesn't really sense hot and cold.  But today he did!! Yahoo!
• The last great thing was what happened when I put him to bed which you can read about in the post just before this.  

Hazel:

• So so so tired today.  I guess because she was up most of the night last night.  For those that don't see my facebook posts, I set my alarm for 3:30 am to collect urine samples from the boys and found Hazel and Brody playing Star Wars in their closet...  Not sure how long they were up before that, but I know that at 5:00 am when they ran in to tell me there was a spider in their room that they hadn't been back to sleep yet.  The tiredness made my newly extra whiny Haze even whinier.  
• She did good at church and the teacher said she was talkative and cute.  
• She helped me organize her closet. 
• She did some brain balance exercises with Brody and had fun. 
• She wanted me to sing her to sleep so 15 songs later, she was out.  

The week ahead still stresses me out because of the amount of work that still needs to be done to get settled.  The scariest is the blood work that has to be done on Tuesday.  Not only do I not have a car to get to the lab, but NO ONE has been able to draw blood from the boys at all in the last 4 years besides our Dr. in Salt Lake City and our friend back at home that makes house calls :)  The kids are so scared and anxious and they scream and move the whole time and most people just end up not tearing the vein and not being able to get the blood.  This scares me because I HATE watching them go through this especially when there is a chance that it will be unsuccessful.  :(  If you have any room in your prayers this week, this is where we need them :)

I can't believe I am going to bed so late again.  I just get so much more done when everyone else in the house is sleeping - especially Paige - she is a trouble maker. :)  Okay, okay, she is great and stayed up late helping me organize.  Thanks Paige!

Night night.  Enjoy the photos.

Kid's Closet - Hazel's Dresses and "nice" clothes on top shelf

Pajamas and Toys - Yep, that is all we have got. (Toys I mean...)

This is my favorite!  This is the kid's closet.  We could not afford, nor did we want dressers but we had to have somewhere to put their clothes.  I looked around and thought a lot about what could be cheap and functional for a 6 month period and I found these!  Stacking baskets with open fronts at WalMart for $3.50 each!  I was so excited!  They work great and  I spent only $20 for all!

Master Bathroom.  You can't what it looked like before, but imagine the fact that you couldn't see the counter or sinks at all....

Master Closet.  I LOVE this!  I can actually find my clothes and shoes (except one green flip flop, but it has to turn up somewhere)

On our way home from church.  We were cold and windblown, but loved the view of the Lake and trees behind us.  We are on a bridge that goes over the lake!

Wyatt LOVES the swings.  In fact, they all do.  We try to make it to our community park once a day. 

Brody and Hazel were playing "Troll" with Paige.  I am pretty sure Paige is the troll :)  I guess they were in jail?   Brody looks scary and Hazel looks so sad!  The game was actually fun, but the faces were added for dramatic effect.

Can't believe I got such a good picture of the three of them!  I guess that is what happens when they are all strapped in seat belts!  They LOVE riding in the cart everywhere and Wyatt has never ONCE tried to escape or get out of his seat belt like he does in a car so it is great!

Golf Cart Crossing :)