Hello again!

Well, I've decided to try this again.  Right after I had Kaiden I designed a blog and it was very theraputic.  Then, life changed a bit, got crazy busy and I stopped.  Now that we are settled where we are supposed to be so I thought I would give it a go again.

Where do I even start??   Let's start with my biggest accomplishment....a single mom of a 2 year old.  Some might not define me as a single mom, since Kaiden spends time with his dad too, but I do it alone here almost every day so I consider myself one.  Kaiden is the absolute greatest blessing in my life.  He has taught me that it is no longer about me, it's about what the Lord wants me to do for my little man.  And, WOW has my life changed for the better. 

Two years ago after I had Kaiden, I thought that my life would go the exact way I had planned.  I was wrong.  In the blink of an eye, I had to reshift my thoughts and start looking out for just the two of us.  I then learned, I HAD to start putting GOD back in control of my life.  It was time to make some major changes.  So, I sucked up my hurt and my pain and I moved on with this crazy thing called life. 

You know the saying "Everything happens for a reason".....well so far in my life I've witnessed it several times.  Yes, I used to be married.  No, it did not last.  But, it lead me to where I am today and I would not even have my little boy if it weren't for all of the events that led up to him.  Some people may shake their head at me, but I have learned to forgive them and ask for forgiveness at the same time.

My amazing little miracle was born on October 11, 2009.  I was 37 almost 38 weeks along and he was ready to come.  The moment I laid eyes on him, I knew all of the pain, all of the hurt (emotionally and physically) I had gone through was worth it. 

Kaiden was meeting all of his milestones.  Rolling over, sitting up, babbling, walking.  He was the perfect baby.  Very stubborn, very active, but perfect.

Now this is where some people stop listening to my story.  I know what research says and what not, but I also know what a mothers instincts are.  Kaiden had just turned one.  He was saying mama, ball, dog and few other things.  Then I took him in for his 1 year shots.  The next day he stopped using his words......Ok, my tears are pouring now.  I really didn't think much of it.  Everyday I would say the words over and over to him to try to get him to say my name again....but nothing (talk about breaking my heart).  Without going into too much detail, there were many other things that began happening that were red flags to me, my Mom and Dad, and come to find out later, Kaiden's dad and stepmom also noticed the same things.

One afternoon, Kaiden, Dad, and I loaded up in PawPaw's truck to go on an outing to Home Depot.  That trip probably changed our life.  It was a disaster.  That's when my dad had a "come to Jesus meeting" with me about Kaiden's speech.  I knew that he wasn't doing what "most kids" his age were, but I wanted him to be.  The next day I asked Kaiden's dad and new step mom to come over to the house so we could discuss all of the things we were noticing.  After talking for a while, I made a phone call to Ready Start to have them come out and test Kaiden for speech therapy.  He qualified. 

Thanks to Kaiden's AMAZING daycare, Leesa and Randy began having visitors from ECI come into their home twice a week for Kaiden's therapy.  A couple of weeks into therapy our lives changed.  Kristin, the speech therapist called to see if she could come do a home visit.  I thought this was odd, but agreed.  She sat down when she got to the house and told me she thought Kaiden should be tested for Austism. 

I lost it.

My "ugly face cry" went on for about 10 min.

So, I immediately called Kaiden's dad after she left and told him what she thought.  The next day I  made a phone call to a developmental pediatrician in Flower Mound.  We scheduled his testing for a week later.

After 2 appointments in Flower Mound, on September 12th, Kaiden was diagnosed with mild autism. 

Kaiden is "labeled" as very high functioning.  There are times you would never even know.  My friends to this day say "WHAT, no way" when I tell them.  But then, there are times where you can see glimpses of it.  Our lives have been a rollercoaster since that day.  I have been through every stage of grieving, probably twice.  Kaiden continues to amaze me every day and they tell us that they have every hope of "beating this" by the time he enters public school.

There is no option for me.  I will do everything in my power to get this demon out of my child's body.  I will NEVER give up.  Kaiden is in some sort of therapy four days a week.  The other three we will be doing in our homes.  Starting last week, Kaiden is receiving 2 days of ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) therapy in Irving from 4-6 pm.  He is also receiving speech therapy after school at UNT.  During daycare he still has therapy twice a week and we (me, Kaiden's dad and stepmom) will all be going thru training to continue the therapy at home.  Early intervention is what works.  So, that is what we will do.

So, for my friends who did not know....No, I was not hiding it.  It has just taken me a while to become verbal about it.  Our lives have been non stop every day and we are finally getting into a routine that we can all get used to.

My faith, family, and few friends who I have told have helped me get on the road to recovery for Kaiden.  My God has changed our life and I thank Him EVERY day that he has given me a wake up call, that no I cannot do this alone.  No one can do it alone.  Cast your cares upon Him.

Goodnight all:)