Happy New Year!

2009 is officially over. Hard to believe, really. Its been a busy year, but a good one!

Chase grew from a toddler (just 19 months old this time last year!) to a full-fledged 2-year-old boy! He is onery as ever, but cute as he can be! He finally progressed enough with his physical therapy for the torticollis this year that we were able to discontinue it! And, although he still has a slight tilt of his head, it isn't that noticable! And, to us....that's just Chase! He talks all the time and is sooo smart!

Cole seems to have grown into a big kid himself! After all, he is a Kindergartner now! And, what a year that boy has had! Graduated preschool, 2 surgeries, learned to write, began tae kwan do, improved his reading and spelling, had his first long-awaited school bus ride, and sort of learned to tolerate his little brother. For the first time since Chase came home from the hospital, I have actually caught them playing together nicely! It doesn't happen often, but on those rare occasions when it does, it is magical! (Well...at least until the fighting starts again!)

During the summer months, we fought a big battle against autism! We tried the DAN! protocol for awhile. Lots of testing revealed many nutritional deficiencies, which is pretty typical for children on the autism spectrum. He started the gluten-free casein-free diet, took a daily concoction of vitamins and supplements, and even completed an entire month of hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatments. Unfortunately, the DAN! treatments showed no signs of improvement for Cole. So, we admitted defeat and went back to the psychiatrist for a prescription drug. (The 2 drugs he previously tried did nothing for him...) Third time must be the charm because....we found the miracle drug! The meds that turned him into a new child! He now smiles and sings all the time! He is excelling in school and is very involved in daily activities. He has friends at school! He is very involved in tae kwan do! And, oh yes....he is a happy child now! His personality changed so much that he is much more flexible and easy-going. And, in fact, he was able to stop going to The Joshua Center for his bi-weekly counseling appointments! (The Joshua Center is not gone for good because, at some point, it is very likely that he will need help again...probably around 1st or 2nd grade as more and more independent school work is expected from the children) But, for now, he seems to be loving life!

What a year it has been! What a positive and wonderful year we have had! Here's to many, many more years like this one!