Just keep swimming just keep swimming

I just realized I havnt posted in almost a month now...so I wanted to let you know I am still here! I have just been  wading through as many yahoo group, websites, and print outs with info about sensory processing disorder that I can get my hands on in my "free" time these days! This past month or so has been a whirlwind of emotions and information and great growth in our family!

 The successes Owen has achieved in the past month have amazed us! ( You know there have been big changes when the receptionist at the chiropractor comments on how much your child has "opened up and is talking more" )He's making noise CONSTANTLY now! ( I almost caught myself telling him to be quiet recently while he was playing and jabbering/ signing to himself because the noise was just irritating me at that moment....and then just before I opened my highly annoyed mouth I stopped dead in my tracks, gave him a big hug and then walked away and cried for a minute).Owen is also starting to be able to communicate complete thoughts between signing and using words! He was talking to my mom on the phone the other day and she clearly understood that he was telling her that I was feeding the baby! Another HUGE accomplishment is that Owen actually ate what I served for dinner 4 consecutive days in a row so far this week including meat! Previously he would refuse dinner at least 85% of the time! He is also sleeping so much better! He's gone from waking at least once a night pretty much every night and crying for hours before he fell asleep to falling asleep peacefully and staying asleep almost every night! Even the way he's playing has changed for the better! He dosnt throw things nearly as much and is beginning to use some pretend play as well! :D

 So you might be asking what did you change? He probably seems like a pretty normal (although rambunctious) little boy to any outsider! Well Owen is not just like any other little boy... He is a child with special needs, and I am the mother of a special needs child. Yes I just said that and I know it might upset some family and close friends to hear that... but it is the truth and I no longer have the time or desire to tip toe around people's feelings on this subject. I know that may sound harsh, but it is not a terrible thing! It is simply a fact that we have come to accept! We are moving forward and thriving in this new journey in our lives! I've said before that Owen has an educational Autism diagnosis and I have also mentioned Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD for future reference). I spend a large portion of my day (sometimes my entire day other than caring for the other little Mr.) helping Owen do his Sensory diet activities. These activities/ therapies are what have caused his recent great successes and I am so proud of the leaps he as made in the past few weeks! All of this is a lot to take in and it pretty much consumes my time other than the normal everyday things that need to get done, so chances are this blog will be more frequented with posts about SPD and Owen's progress than with crafts and recipes for a while! I also am having a hard time finding blogs of other parents dealing with SPD so I feel like I should keep posting about this topic since I read a new statistic yesterday that 1 in 20 kids are being diagnosed with this disorder ! I know many of you are curious about whats going with Owen as well so I think this will be a good place to keep you updated the best that I can! Please feel free to ask me any questions! I will try my very best to explain them! We are so blessed to be the parents of this amazing little boy and I cant even tell you the relief it brings me as a mother that there are things I can do to help him succeed in life!

Here is a great link for you if your interested in more info on SPD or sensory diets:
http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/index.html