Seuss Birthday

We're quickly approaching another holiday season! Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas-- and in our house both birthdays for the kids too.

I got to planning this year's party (we're doing a "Go Dog, Go!" theme), and I realized I never posted about last year's party. Last year, we did a Dr. Seuss themed messy play date and it was a blast! This was my first attempt at putting together a creative/fun kids party and I'm quite proud of it.

My wonderful sister helped me out by making a great invitation using her mad Photoshop skills:

I made all of the decorations myself by either finding free printables online or painting my own. These two big signs I made for decoration, and we also used the second to play "Pin the Heart on the Grinch."

I also made the cakes. They aren't anything special, just a box mix from the store, strawberry for Madison and Chocolate for Jacob. I got to play with my new cake decorating kit that I received as a wedding gift, and that was fun! Also, if you're wondering how I did the images, it's not that I'm an amazing artist. As much as I wish that was the case, this is how I did it. That trick changed my life. I actually found and pinned most of my ideas for this party on Pinterst. You can check out my boards if you want to see where I came up with some of the other ideas.

For the messy play stations, I tried to use as many different Seuss books as I could. We had a Sneech Beach Dig (not pictured), which was just a large bucket of beach sand with sea creatures to dig for and find.
Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the Grinch game either, but the kids loved it!

What you're seeing in the next two pictures is the "Who Snow," made out of cloud dough. It molds and shapes easily and is a lot of fun. It was by far the most popular station.

Madi and cousin Liam playing in the Who Snow

Jacob wasn't impressed with the texture, so he just watched.

There was also a table with some giant Dr. Seuss coloring pages, which I think was Jacob's favorite. Here's a picture of the Birthday Buddies at the coloring table:

Another station was Bartholomew’s Oobleck Goo, made out of corn starch and water. I added food coloring to make it green. This stuff is a lot of fun! It's acts like a solid and a liquid at the same time and was quite fascinating to the kids. Also not pictured is the "Fox in Socks Puppet Box," which had supplies to make sock puppets. There were more adults than kids at that one, but hey! Everyone had fun. 

My sister and her daughter playing in the Goo

 Time for Food! My food table was a lot of fun. Again, I tried to make sure everything tied in to the Seuss theme.

This is what we served:
 Green Eggs and Ham (deviled eggs and rolled Ham)

Grinch Punch (green Hawaiian punch and sprite)

Yink’s Pink Ink (pink lemonade)

Star Belly and Plain Belly cookies (iced sugar cookies)

Hop on Pop Kettle Corn 

New fish, Old fish, Swedish fish, Gold fish

From there to here, from here to there, yummy veggies everywhere!

Everything had a theme-appropriate sign, all of which I made using my own mad Paint skills. That wasn't so easy...I need to invest in Photoshop! I had signs for the stations too, but didn't get pictures of those. I was too busy running around to make sure pictures were taken, but I'm happy with the results. 

Star Belly Cookies and Hop on Popcorn

Lorax Cookies and Seuss Sticks

Swedish Fish and Goldfish 

Grinch Punch

Green Eggs and Ham

Please note the awesome Seuss Straws on the right in the above picture. Those were a dollar store find! The next picture is not exciting, but I did want to show that I bought mini board book versions of Seuss books as party favors.

 Jacob was very excited to wear his Green Eggs and Ham shirt and he loved his cake! This picture captures his excitement pretty well.

All in all, it was a blast and the kids had so much fun. It was one of those times where I was pretty sure it was going to be a complete mess (kind of like my wedding), but it all pulled together in the end!

GF/CF diet update!

It's been about three months since we started our journey on the gluten-free, casein-free train. I thought this would be a great time to update because we have already seen so many wonderful improvements with Jacob.

First off, his eating habits have improved dramatically! I can only assume that the gluten was making him feel like crap, and that's why we had to fight him to even get him to eat. He is so much better about trying new foods, and the switch wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it would be. He does miss goldfish crackers, and while I've found a few replacement recipes, I have yet to try them. We've found enough snacks elsewhere that I can usually distract him.

Other than the wonderful changes with eating habits, Jacob's language is blossoming. He is using full sentences almost regularly now and his vocabulary has majorly improved. He also seems to be more patient and his repetitive behaviors have decreased. Socially, he seems more aware of his surroundings and is even playing with his sister sometimes. It's mostly rough housing, but it's playing nonetheless! He isn't "fixed" by any means, but we are definitely noticing some very good changes.

My biggest trouble with the diet is that I am not a cook. I feel as though I should be better about this as a SAHM, but it's not my strong point. I don't like doing it, and my kind of recipe is the kind where you throw everything in the pot and stir. I've found so many yummy ideas...but they all need 18 different types of flour and several ingredients I've never heard of. I'm doing my best to expand my repertoire, but it's a process. I've failed miserably at many recipes and found some small successes. If anyone knows a great place to find CF/CF recipes for the non-cook, let me know!

Mr. Jacob doing his first 100 piece puzzle

Cheese!

After losing the charger to our camera on Christmas Eve, I've finally found it again! I don't mind too much about not having it on Christmas morning. After spending the night in the ER with Jacob, (nasty croup monster struck again!) the morning was rather anticlimactic as far as photo-ops went anyhow. I have been missing it since, however, so naturally I had to snap a few shots of the kids as soon as I could.

I know I'm not anywhere close to knowing how to properly use a camera, but my kids sure are cute! 

I can't get enough of Jacob's version of "Cheese!" It cracks me up every time. As for my little Madi Monster, she is still as much a firecracker as ever. She's growing and learning so fast I can hardly keep up with her. Lately, her very favorite word is "NO!" which she says in response to everything, followed closely by her own name, "Madi!" She makes sure to point out every picture in the house and declare that it is a beautiful photograph of herself. If one should make the mistake of trying to correct her, she will simply deny the truth with as much vehemence as ever.

Truthfully, I'm loving the attitude. I'll probably regret saying that by the end of the year, but it's such a nice contrast from the calm, quite and serene baby that Jacob was. There's so much action! I think that may be partially because this age was about the time we started noticing the changes and delays in Jacob, and anything that is in stark contrast to how he was behaving seems like good news. I know that the quiet baby he was truly was his personality, but looking back on it now, I worry that I should have seen signs of a problem earlier than I did. It is truly thrilling to see how social Madison has become, something that has laid to rest most fears of any developmental concerns with her. 

We are still working on getting little Miss Diva off her binky at bedtime, especially since she knows all our favorite hiding spots and just how to bat her eyes at daddy. I'm satisfied that it is not in use during the day for now, we have time to work on it. I consider it a victory that it's not in her mouth 24/7. So far, everything else is going great! 

Starting our GFCF Journey

I have been putting a lot of energy into better ways to help Jacob lately. It seems as though things have been lagging with his progress, and quite frankly I've been exhausted and frustrated with him at home. His parent teacher conference was no help, I felt like I was being told the whole time that my child is hopeless. Now I know that's not true. With the little experience I have, I know there are many children who are a lot worse than he is. Most of the time I think he is an extra troublesome case because he is so close to being a typcial child, but so far away at the same time. While he remains undiagnosed at this time, it is clear that he fits onto the autism spectrum at least in some regards. We have been working with doctors to figure out what is going on with him and we hope to have some answers soon. I can't stress enough how little we care about labeling him. Our only concern is helping him and how to do that better.

Austin and I went to a support group meeting last night for parents of children with high functioning autism and related disorders. It was our second time attending and I think it's safe to say we will be returning. Not only do we get to mingle with other parents who are struggling with the same problems we are, but Jacob gets the chance to socialize as well. The really great thing about this group is the guest speakers they invite. Both meetings we went to had great speakers who were very informative on intervention techniques. Last night, we heard from a physician that specializes in naturopathic medicine to help children who are on the autism spectrum. What we learned was invaluable. I mean, I've heard before about the gluten-free casein-free diet helping children with autism, but no one has explained to me why or how that happens. That's exactly what this guy did. The whole meeting felt like a bio chem lecture, but it was such good information that made everything make sense.

I'm not going into the science of everything because that would be exhausting and I would surely not explain it well, but I will say that Austin and I had a long talk after the meeting and decided that we should give it a go. That resolution only magnified as I got to doing my own research and found so many success stories from parents of children just like Jacob. Some of them even achieved normal functioning after a few months of being on the diet.

Today I started off by asking Jacob if he would like to be able to talk to us better and make friends at school. He got teary eyed as he answered me with an affirmative "Yes". (This just about broke my heart, we don't have talks that go so well very often). I explained to him that we were going to start eating some different foods that might help with that and asked if he was willing to try. I know this isn't going to be easy. Jacob is a very food-driven child and he is already as picky as humanly possible. I am worried about the struggles we will face in the coming weeks with such a drastic change, but if there's a chance it will help him, I'd do just about anything.

So here starts our journey. I have been researching (and getting overwhelmed) all day long and tonight I'm going to brave a few health food stores to see what I can find. Excuse me as I fill up your Pinterest homepage with a ton of GFCF recipes.

If you would like more information on the GFCF diet, I strongly encourage you to visit this website- http://www.tacanow.org/tag/gfcf/

I also want to give thanks-in-advance to all our family and friends for supporting us in this endeavor!

Pretend Play!

Over the past couple months, we have been trying to get Jacob used to the idea of pretend play. He has always preferred "concrete" forms of play that are specific activities with little to no imagination needed. This has been one of my biggest concerns with him since it is a behavior that is typical in children with Autism.

What started out as complete meltdowns in trying to get him to do something other than puzzles, books and blocks gradually turned into a distant interest. He would sit and watch as Austin and I, or whoever else was there, would play with dolls, pretend food, or cars. This was exciting on its own, because before he wanted nothing to do with it! Even if he was looking at us like we were crazy, at least he was watching.

Over the last several years, my cousin Katey has been a wonderful friend and teacher for Jacob. She is passionate about helping him and has spent the last two summers home from college as his habilitation provider. She worked with him a lot on pretend play, and I truly feel that she has helped him progress tremendously. In the last month, Jacob has started to ask to play with his "house" and has even done some pretend food play on his own. Everything he acts out has been something that we have shown him to do, but it's a start!

I'm writing about this today because I feel like we have made a leap in progress again. He asked to play with his house again and I brought it down for us while Madison napped. This is a Playmobil Summer House, which is great for him because there are so many pieces and he can put it all together, but not so great for Madi, who likes to put everything in her mouth. So we only get it out while she's napping or out with daddy.

Jacob got the people out and labeled them all for me, "Boy, dirl (girl), boy, dirl." Then he set up the table and beds as he usually does. He likes to set up the table but doesn't bother with any of the house's many other pieces unless we ask him to. I asked him if he thought the boy should take a bath and he told me, "Lay down!" This is a new phrase for him and he's been saying it a lot, so that's good. Then, he put all the dolls in their beds and said, "Boy, dirl, nigh nigh!"

Jacob playing with his "House"

Later in the day, long after we had put away the house, Jacob kept saying, "Bed, bed, bed!" to me. I wasn't paying him much attention because I was brushing my hair, but he kept saying it. I finally looked around and was about ready to ask him if he wanted to take a nap. What I saw when I turned around was that he had taken a pillow and put it in a laundry basket, which he was laying down in. I was so happy to see that! I asked him if he was pretending to be in a bed and with a big goofy smile on his face he said, "Yeah!"

I know that seems insignificant compared to other children his age that are talking up a storm and coming up with wacky stories all over the place, but for us this is a huge deal! He is self-initiating in pretend play, which hasn't happened hardly at all. I was proud of him for just repeating what we did when we played with the house, but I have never ever pretended to make a bed with a laundry basket. That was completely his idea. It's a big step developmentally for him, and I am a proud momma!

Why Can't I Be a Super Hero?

I am having one of "those" days. The type where I constantly worry about my children and find 12390948320.8 ways to blame myself for everything that has already or might possibly go wrong. I spent a good portion of today making myself feel inadequate as a parent.

Most of these feelings, as usual, have stemmed from something concerning Jacob's developmental delays. Sure, I put on a good face and talk the talk with all his doctors, therapist, and anyone else who might ask- but the truth is I am not okay. I tear myself to pieces on a daily basis pouring over what I might have done wrong and obsess over what I might be doing wrong in this very moment.

Looking at it objectively, I know that Jacob has come a very long way and has made some huge progress. I am more proud of him than words can say. He is my little boy and I love him with all of my heart and more. I am doing every thing I can think of to help him catch up. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop the feeling that I should be doing more. That doesn't stop the guilt I feel daily. I have had many people tell me that these things just happen and I didn't do anything wrong, but on days like this it is hard for me to believe them. Did I eat or drink something I shouldn't have while pregnant? Did I talk to him enough as a baby? Why didn't I notice anything sooner? I try so hard to be the best mommy in the world, but I feel like I am coming up short.

My heart hurts when someone points out how far behind he is. My heart hurts when I see kids much younger than him doing and saying way more than he has. My heart hurts because I don't know why he has to have a more difficult time. My heart hurts because I can't fix it for him.

I know that there are other parents out there that feel this way too. In fact, I'm sure that every parent has had  similar thoughts at one time or another. I also know that many children have it far worse than Jacob, and I do count my blessings for that. Normally, I can battle these feelings and work on being more optimistic. I strive to be a positive person every day, but I can't deny that these thoughts occur in my head. I know that I have to be the one to change these thoughts. No one else can do it for me. I'm still working on that. Hopefully one day I will have the answer for myself, but that day is not today.

My heart goes out to parents everywhere that are doing the best they can. I hope you know you are doing an awesome job. If you aren't so sure, please take the time to remind yourself that it is true. As much as we want to be super heroes for our children, we can only be what we are. Lucky for us, what we are is an amazing gift and we have a lot of power to make a better world for our children. Now I just need to remember to tell myself that once in a while.

Masquerade! Paper Faces on Parade!

I am having so much fun with this wedding planning. Sure, it's a lot of stress and a lot of money, but it's going to be worth it. Not to mention, I feel like it's one on-going DIY craft, and I am having a blast!

I've been scrambling with the "kinda-short-but-reasonable" timeline I've given myself, and have managed to peg down rentals, a photographer, and I have started to sort out the DJ. We are going to see someone this Friday night who is interested, and apparently loves themed parties. While I'm trying to keep organized, I will admit that sometimes I get frazzled with feeling like there is SO MUCH to do.

When that happens, I make masks! Since we are having a masquerade, I am having masks be our favors. (Let's face it, I don't think everyone is going to bring one to match their outfit, although I would be over the moon if that happened). It's a huge project, especially since every one of them is unique, but it's fun and it's keeping my hands/mind busy when I start to feel frantic.

After the kids are in bed each night, I can usually be found at the kitchen table, glue gun in hand and surrounded by fabric, glitter, and feathers of all sorts. Here are some pictures I want to share-


28 down... a lot more to go! Hopefully I will get them done in time. I'm thinking I might need to have a mask making/movie party.

And this one is my favorite so far- I call it "The Owl."

Thanks for looking!