June 13
Luke is plateauing, which is fine. No regression, no jump forward, but Luke just being Luke. He talks when he wants, but still uses weird sounds and has issues getting too close to people (personal space!); and of course, still has his OCD about doors (they need to be closed). Otherwise, he is coming along in his ABA program (we'll be doing a review on Friday). We have less than 3 weeks left of our 9 hours a week after which we go to Oxgyen Therapy for 5 weeks, beginning July 4. We got the best schedule: 10am-12pm which basically means no rush hour for me on the commute from Abbotsford to Richmond and back. We'll be back in Kamloops August 4th, and right now I have no plans for the boys for August... except to take a vacation break before school starts.

Luke is behaving well in school; I don't get much of a report with the "new" assistant, which is a bit frustrating; but I guess it's all "normal" (as in, other parents don't get the daily review either). So I'm trying to let go a little. If there were any problems I'm sure I'd be included on how to address them; so I'm just going to assume he's doing fine. It will be interesting to see how both the Chris Rose Centre and the Kamloops Christian School liaise with me in the fall. My biggest concern in both of those places is Luke's diet and hoping both places are super-vigilant about making sure he does not eat any dairy, wheat or soy. I guess I really need to start letting go and trusting his new "teachers".

Luke had a bit of a skin reaction last week that was concerning. We gave him Benadryl, although the skin "rash" and red ears lasted a couple days. It finally went away and he's left with some dry skin patches. Fortunately we will be going to Dr. Wagstaff tomorrow, so I have the two things I think may have been the culprit: a green drink from Starbucks and some weird ingredients and a new bottle of "natural" sunscreen that I bought. Hmmm... we will hopefully find out tomorrow.

Luke had a "new" babysitter a couple weeks ago, who said that Luke seemed very typical and just "shy". When he spoke you could then tell he was delayed, but once that picks up, perhaps any signs of autism will be so minimal? Hmmm... He's so getting there, and I'm so proud. No matter what stage he's at, he's just awesome.

He has also become more familiar and free-loving with my family. We visited for a couple weekends (weddings) and the second time he ran into the house right up to Auntie Betty and said Hi! This was a first... we were actually a bit concerned because we didn't know where he was since he's always close by, lol. He's also loving my mom (Grandma) which she's enjoying, as Luke's always been more interested in Grandpa (sitting with him)... he'd always see Grandma and his first words would be "Where's Grandpa?" but not anymore. He makes Grandma read books... he's all about reading books lately which is SO awesome. Grandma brought us a ton of "Safety" books which he never tires of lately; and are great for teaching him safety tips.

The one annoying thing still for me is his direct and intentional disobedience in situations where I expect him to sit still and behave. Like the lawyer's office the other day... we're in for 15 minutes and he's walking all over the office; picks up the lawyer's banana like he's going to eat it; and is generally disruptive. I was annoyed. That, and at the wedding ceremony... he lasted maybe 15 minutes in the church and kept looking at me and acting out on purpose as I gave him the evil eye and threatened him to sit still... he is either purposely saying, "I want out of here", or is just feeding off my annoyance and acting up in reaction to my stress. Or both, or whatever... it's still really bugs me that he's 6 and can't settle down quietly in some public situations. He's pretty good in church (there's music!!), — he only has to last 20 minutes before Sunday School... so perhaps I should count my blessings.

Both boys are in swimming lessons... Luke is in private ones (coin-ish!!) and Joel cried during his first session, so he ended up joining us... so much for me sitting in the hot tub for half and hour with the BC Lions boys (they're in town training). Anyways, I take Joel and the teacher takes Luke, or vice versa and we're teaching them to put their face underwater, front floats, back floats, kicks and the water slide. She's awesome. We've had 4 session already, 6 more to go. Luke, for the most part, participates even though it doesn't always seem as though he's listening. There's a lot to distract him there. He LOVES to jump; so the teacher uses that as an opportunity to teach them safety or to put the hand out to say "Stop" and then above the eyes to say "Look" and then jump. He's doing it after 4 sessions, so that's awesome. She spilled a bunch of pennies in the shallow section and made them "hunt for treasure"... trying to get them to submerge their heads, lol. It's fun... I'm glad they're enjoying it.

June 20
Had our visit to Dr. Wagstaff and it went well, except he wasn't too impressed with us putting Luke on Nystatin (I knew he wouldn't be). I just said I was tired of Luke having issues with bad yeast flare-ups that result in behavioural issues, and it HAS BEEN 3 years since we've started this anti-yeast battle. I'm sure he sensed my frustration. In an ideal world there would be just one protocol for autism and ALL naturopaths would follow it, but we are ahead of that time so I will continue to be bantered back and forth between my two "check and balance" naturopaths. In any case, he did mention Nystatin was quite outdated and was known to have other toxins in it.... long story short, Luke still has yeast despite 2 months of Nystatin. ARRRRGGGHHHHH (insert expletive). Fortunately, of course, there's a brand new "treatment" called DarkField that is a revival of a bloodwork test, with newer cuttting edge technology. So we allowed Luke to have his finger pricked for 8 drops of blood that they put on slides under a skookum microscope. This revealed Luke's blood reacts negatively to fungus (aka yeast), bacteria and viral issues. And so our little GP (Guinea Pig) is on a new homeopathic treatment... 5 drops of one kind 3x a week, M-W-F mornings; 5 drops of another kind 3x a week M-W-F evenings; 5 drops of the third bottle T-Th-Sa; and 5 drops of the "chelator" on Sunday. I hope I can remember them all! Ayiyiyi. We shall see. The Dark Field test reveals things even deeper in Luke's body than previous NAET tests, so we are getting further to the "root" of Luke's biological issues. The drops are to be done for 3-4 months and then we will have a follow up appointment. This is hoping, of course, that his yeast which flares during/after Oxygen Therapy will be controlled or prevented from flaring by these new drops. Time will tell.

The other interesting revelation was that the "skin" rash issues that both boys had last week were caused by the expensive "natural" sunscreen lotion I purchased from the health food store. At least we have a culprit, and I will not use this product anymore. Natural does not always mean it's not full of crap that is harmful. I will go back to using hats and long sleeve shirts for these fair-haired boys....

Joel was tested as well, and is pretty much okay. He still reacts to wheat and dairy, so we'll just keep him off both of them... despite the fact that he LOVES cheese. This makes it a little diffcult... but I have to be strong now and keep it out of the house completely. We will not be testing him as often anymore, since he's doing great and this last bill was $525.00! I sincerely thank God for always providing the finances for this lengthy and expensive journey.

On a positive note, after the rash set-back and a recent evening of puking ("my bellybutton hurts") Luke is actually on a leap forward with his speech. I got new glasses today (Mr. Magoo huge black ones... while very designer-ish, I'm a little nervous to go in public with them, lol). Luke came up and said "You got new glasses." Pretty cool. He was really chatty during his ABA session and Ms. S. mentioned he was doing very, very well with his programs. He is playing a lot lately with balloons, and laughs hysterically when the un-tied balloon flies all over the room.... haha. When I send him outside to play, he goes first to the basketball net and shoots a few hoops. The trampoline is still a big hit, too. Plus he'll hang on the swing a bit and he likes to try to climb up the slide. He will also often go explore up in the top back area of our yard. I also love that he is watching and copying other children more and more.

He is hungry all the time, and thirsty, so we try to keep up with his appetite. I'm waiting for that 40 pound moment when he can graduate from a carseat to a booster seat!

June 22
Just a few exciting things before I forget.

Luke had to write a little summary for kindergarten (fill in the blanks) and one of the questions was "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Joel and I asked him this question quite a few times, and gave suggestions like policeman, fireman, lifeguard, doctor. He didn't answer and Joel and I almost gave up until he gave me that little look, with that little twinkle in his eye and said "ME". Way too cute Luke. Lol. Another question was what was your favourite part about kindergarten? And he answered, after thinking for just a little while, "Miss K"... the assistant he had from January-March. She left quite an impression on him!

Daddy was getting Luke his nighttime "vitamins" and Luke went to the fridge to get the sauce and fish oil without asking. No prompting is an amazing thing.

He also went to the washroom this morning without asking... he ALWAYS comes and asks/tells first... so this is a big deal.

Ms. P at school said she was watching Luke dig around in the lego, and then she heard him say "Finally, I found it!!" She was so impressed. BTW it was her last day yesterday, so we want to give her extra thanks for all she's done for Luke this past year. He only has 6 more days left, with a substitute assistant.

Also, the Grade 1 teacher at Kamloops Christian School emailed and we will meet her next Thursday morning, June 30. She has a reading program ready for Luke that we will be doing in the "submarine".

June 30
Big week. Luke graduated from kindergarten and had quite the glowing report card. When the "behavioural" issues in January and February subsided and the "real" Luke re-emerged, the teacher was able to see that he does know his alpahabet (upper and lower) and numbers 1-10. He improved dramatically in "scissor-cutting", "socializing" and "group activities". An awesome end to an interesting year. Unfortunately, while I appreciate the teacher and the assistant it was an eye-opening experience for me as to the lack of experience people have with children with autism, and the "interesting" world of rotating assistants in the local school district system. Fortunately, I was made aware of the issues in time to enrol Luke into the Kamloops Christian School. People often ask me "why KCS?" and aside from the obvious Christian principles, I tell them that KCS is Grades 1-12 so Luke does not have to "transition" to a high school; the assistants are there all the time, for many years so everyone will get to know Luke; and, as a "paying" parent I can have more say, input and be appreciated as a resource for Luke's progress. Don't get me wrong, I'm not "that" kind of aggressive parent; but I am an assertive one which means I will advocate strongly on Luke's behalf, but you can always tell me to butt out if I overstep. So far, I have received nothing but excitement from the KCS staff. They are thrilled with my involvement and resources and I am looking so forward to having my children attend there! Woo Hoo! They are also SO grateful for the precendence of a "private school" creating a contract with the Chris Rose Centre and both institutions are very enthusiastic about working together. Yay. Yay. Yay. I stopped by there today to introduce Luke to his new Grade 1 teacher, Ms. P. and they gave me a reading program (books) to do in the submarine; but she also signed him up for an online computer reading program that looks AWESOME. She gave me the readers he will be working on in the fall; and we chatted about Luke's needs and capabilities. She was impressed by his obedience and listening skills. I explained his receptive abilities are awesome... we just need to be patient for his expressive and communicative replies and responses. She worked with a child with autism for 4 years (his private teacher) and I am pleased that she has this experience.

BTW, for Luke's graduation, he had to perform in a "musical" number with all his classmates (he was a "cat") that the music teacher put together for the students. And while Luke did not always sing or do the actions when requested (he did do them sometimes!!!), he stayed in his designated spot and moved when he was supposed to. It was a huge improvement from his preschool performances; when just as I was super proud, he decided to lift his shirt up and expose his belly (lol). It was hysterical. He also received his diploma, hat and scrapbook in an appropriate manner; and enjoyed the "snack" celebration afterwards. It was a great day, lots of photos (see my Facebook), and I took a video of the musical performance for posterity.The one slightly concerning thing that occurred this week was Luke has developed a nervous tic. He blinks his eyes quite vigourously and obviously. I googled it, and was relieved to discover it's not unusual among 4-6 year olds and should pass. It is, of course, associated with anxiety and fatigue, both of which are huge factors this week. Having to say goodbye to friends, teachers and assistants at school is more stressful for Luke than we think. I am hoping he relaxes as the summer progresses and we settle into a routine at my sister, B's house for the next month of oxygen therapy. We will keep very close tabs on this new neurological development because of his history of epilepsy.

We also had to say "see you in August" to our wonderful BI, Ms. S. and gave her a parting gift as her hours will be reduced from 9 a week (of ABA) to 3 a week starting in August. We're thrilled she will be a continuity in Luke's life as he will experience many changes in the fall (KCS M-T-W and the Chris Rose Centre Th-F); plus horseback riding therapy and a couple hours a week of one-on-one friendship activities coordinated by Insight Support Services. Can't wait to see Ms. S. again, and she will be working out of an office in the KCS building, so we look forward to having her coordinate with the Grade 1 teacher about Luke's homework and songs and reading program and whatever else she needs to help him with to succeed in the new school.

I will try to post regularly about the oxygen therapy; although the changes are subtle and when you're "in it" it's not as obvious as the overall changes at the end of the 27 days.... Plus I will admit already that it is an intensive and exhausting time and I may not be "in the mood" for updating.