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I'm gonna make a couple different posts today, but I wanted to do this first. Last Saturday we went and got Charlie a German Shep. Puppy to train as his service dog.
I have always been drawn to animals and have always had a big heart. I usually follow my heart and not my brain. Well in search of finding Charlie the right dog, I had to listen to my brain.
Last weekend we searched several shelters and rescue groups only to be told that they couldn't help us. After dealing with the last rude lady, I decided that while I was trying to help Charlie and rescue a dog at the same time, it just wasn't going to work. So we went to a Breeder instead. Saturday night we brought home Charlies puppy.
I believe animals can help people in a sense that no one can truely understand. And this just proves my point. From the moment Charlie and Nanie (thats what he named her!) first met there was a deep connection. There were 2 other puppies in the room we went in, and Nanie was the only one that would follow Charlie around. We decided it was fate since she was a long/medium haired GSD. I was cautious of the following days that we were about to experience. I for sure thought that it was going to be rough and Charlie was going to have a hard time excepting a new dog into the household. Boy was I ever wrong!!
Charlie started talking more, and communicating. Him and Nanie were stuck together with invisible glue. Wherever she went, he went and vise versa. His tantrums went from 10 a day to 2. He was starting to change. When we first got Nanie, we had named her Sissy. It was one of the few words Charlie could already say. Well after a couple of days he promptely told me when I called Sissy to me "No!!! NANIE!!!" And ever since that moment it has been Nanie. If you try calling her Sissy, he becomes upset and starts screaming "NO!! NANIE! NANIE! NANIE!"
During this whole first week of having Nanie I didn't want to get my hopes up because I know that whenever you get a new dog or puppy you have that honey moon stage where every thing is great, until she settles in.
I am still waiting for all hell to break loose, and for me to go crazy, But this has been by far the easiest, most laid back puppy that I have met. Nanie connectd to Charlie like no one can connect with him. It's like they get each other. Nanie helps Charlie through his rough moments, and helps him in ways that we can not imagine or even begin to grasp.
This past week hasn't been easy- It's been hard trying to train a puppy in all aspects. She is a brilliant puppy and learns quickly. House breaking is going well, but she still has accidents if we get distracted and not see her cues to go out.
I have said to many people during this past week. If tomorrow we have to get rid of Nanie, or some how the connection is lost between them, it doesn't matter. Because this past week has been one of the best weeks of my life, and I would do it again in a heart beat.
Showing posts with label Charlie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Charlie. Show all posts
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
What is normal anyways?
Everyday new challenges arise for Charlie and the family. Each day brings new issues, and new accomplishments. At night when I lay Charlie down in his crib and kiss those sweet little cheeks, I wonder who I will wake up to in the morning. Will Charlie have a good day? A bad day? Will he be lost? Or will I see who he really is...
Ever since starting Charlie on the GFCF (Gluten Free, Casein Free) Diet he has become a new person. I feel like as each day passes we get to meet a little bit more of the little boy who is lost inside that mind of his.
This morning I woke up to the sweet sound of him talking. It wasn't gibberish, or screaming, but rather him singing. I layed in bed and listened a little longer and could make out what he was singing... He was singing the ABC's! Now mind you it wasn't the traditional ABC's. It was the few letters he did know. He knows 5 Letters. A B C D and Y. It only lasted maybe 10 seconds, but it was the most beautiful sound I could hear. His singing soon turned into screams and shrieking. My husband- Brian graciously got up and got him out of his crib. As I layed in bed with our little girl Amelia who had woken up and greeted me with coo's and a big smile all I could think was what the day was going to hold for us. What adventures.
Charlie found an old toy this morning that I thought I had hid pretty good.... obviously I didn't. It is one of those ring toys, the stack-able rings? Well this one is wooden, and is one of his obsessions. Charlie has a few toys that he can obsess over to the point of frustration. And it's not that he is frustrated because he can't do them, he's frustrated because he does them so well, and he just can't stop- any ways back to the wooden stack-able rings- So he found them, and he put each ring on a finger and walked around the house mumbling something in Gibberish. He had reached his bedroom, when he turned around to come back into the front room, when he spotted Amelia. She had one of the rings. I have never seen charlie act the way he did. He has had his fair share of meltdowns, and toy destruction behavior. But this was something different. He let out this scream. I can't put my finger on it, but it was a mixture of frustration, anger, and terror. He ran over to Amelia and snatched the ring out of her hands, leaving her confused and hurt. She obviously started to cry, I picked her up and comforted her. I looked up to see charlie with all the rings on this fingers, smiling, and whispering something. He had this crazed look in his eye. It was like giving a drug addict their drug of choice. It was a very surreal moment.
It's moments like that, that slap me in the face. Its a slap of how our life isn't normal, and how it never will be normal. I won't have the little boy who plays with his sister, then as they grow up he picks on her, and then protects her. But I'm okay with that because our life with Charlie is a blessing in disguise.
Charlie has taught Brian and I to live in the moment, and has also taught us how to have a great deal of patience. I would never give up our life in a million years. Even if someone offered me a normal life, After all what is normal anyways?
Ever since starting Charlie on the GFCF (Gluten Free, Casein Free) Diet he has become a new person. I feel like as each day passes we get to meet a little bit more of the little boy who is lost inside that mind of his.
This morning I woke up to the sweet sound of him talking. It wasn't gibberish, or screaming, but rather him singing. I layed in bed and listened a little longer and could make out what he was singing... He was singing the ABC's! Now mind you it wasn't the traditional ABC's. It was the few letters he did know. He knows 5 Letters. A B C D and Y. It only lasted maybe 10 seconds, but it was the most beautiful sound I could hear. His singing soon turned into screams and shrieking. My husband- Brian graciously got up and got him out of his crib. As I layed in bed with our little girl Amelia who had woken up and greeted me with coo's and a big smile all I could think was what the day was going to hold for us. What adventures.
Charlie found an old toy this morning that I thought I had hid pretty good.... obviously I didn't. It is one of those ring toys, the stack-able rings? Well this one is wooden, and is one of his obsessions. Charlie has a few toys that he can obsess over to the point of frustration. And it's not that he is frustrated because he can't do them, he's frustrated because he does them so well, and he just can't stop- any ways back to the wooden stack-able rings- So he found them, and he put each ring on a finger and walked around the house mumbling something in Gibberish. He had reached his bedroom, when he turned around to come back into the front room, when he spotted Amelia. She had one of the rings. I have never seen charlie act the way he did. He has had his fair share of meltdowns, and toy destruction behavior. But this was something different. He let out this scream. I can't put my finger on it, but it was a mixture of frustration, anger, and terror. He ran over to Amelia and snatched the ring out of her hands, leaving her confused and hurt. She obviously started to cry, I picked her up and comforted her. I looked up to see charlie with all the rings on this fingers, smiling, and whispering something. He had this crazed look in his eye. It was like giving a drug addict their drug of choice. It was a very surreal moment.
It's moments like that, that slap me in the face. Its a slap of how our life isn't normal, and how it never will be normal. I won't have the little boy who plays with his sister, then as they grow up he picks on her, and then protects her. But I'm okay with that because our life with Charlie is a blessing in disguise.
Charlie has taught Brian and I to live in the moment, and has also taught us how to have a great deal of patience. I would never give up our life in a million years. Even if someone offered me a normal life, After all what is normal anyways?
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Officaly Us
Since July 22nd 2009 we have been working with Early Intervention for Charlies developmental delays. We have been having different therapists coming into our home and doing observations on Charlie to see if he met the criteria for ASD- Autism Spectrum Disorder. His therapist- Mary comes out twice a month (every other week) to "work" with Charlie. In reality it's just play. Trying to teach him to go from one object to the next.
On January 19th 2010 the ESD officially Diagnosed Charlie with ASD. We are now in pursuit of a medical diagnosis from OHSU.
Through out these months none of our questions are getting answers, just more questions. I know that some questions will never be met with an official answer though the ESD, So we are venturing into the medical side, which scares me to no end.
I do not trust most Dr's. and for good reason too. I believe that Charlie is the way he is today because of a Dr. Not making the correct decision. In the end Charlie was the one who paid dearly. For those who are reading this, that know Charlie- you already know this part of the story so you can skip it. For those new to our life, read on!
A little back ground info.
Through out my pregnancy with Charlie I was really ill. Could hardly keep anything down, constantly throwing up. When I had Charlie, we solely relied on Dr's. and Nurses to tell us what is best for our son. Charlie did get the HepB vaccine at birth, and every vaccine until the age of 4 months. I had feelings of not wanting to give him so many at one time, but because the Dr. charlie saw and the nurses reassured me that nothing would happen, I threw caution to the wind, and believed them.
When Charlie was 4 months old he got his scheduled Vaccinations. I asked if it was safe, since he was just getting over a cold, and was reassured that he would be fine, and just give him Tylenol for any discomfort. This was the point in time where I should have grabbed my baby and ran. But I didn't. I stayed. They injected the poison into his body. That night charlie was extremely ill. He got Vaccinated on a Friday and that weekend was hell. I remember calling and talking to the on call Dr. and they said to bring him in on Monday. From Friday to Monday his head grew 2 cm. We found this out at the check up apt. on Monday morning. Our ped. was concerned and we went to the hospital to get a CAT scan done because there was concern of hydrocephalus. Nothing was found. After that pivotal moment in time Charlie battled for his health. Every week he had a different illness. He either had Pneumonia, or double ear infections. The kids was always on some sort of Antibiotic. From 4 months to 9 months we had a standing weekly apt with his Dr. because there was always something wrong. Every Wednesday we went in. Every time I went in, I asked about vaccine reactions. During his well child visits I declined all Vaccines and would question reactions and tell them I felt the Vaccine did this to Charlie. The Dr. Assured me it wasn't the Vaccines. "The Risks are low" she would tell me. My answer? "Just because they are low doesn't mean it can't happen."
At around 9 months Charlie's Dr. left the practice, and we weren't able to follow. This was a blessing. We got a new Dr. for Charlie, and things started to improve. The Dr. agreed that it was a Vaccine Reaction and Charlie's healing began. In January of 2009 Charlie's Dr. -Dr. Mooney, led on that Charlie should get evaluated through the local Early Intervention Program for his delays. At that time I was 6 months pregnant with our second child- a girl- and going through school. I promised her once I had the baby and was out of school (Baby was due in April, School was done in June) I would have him Evaluated. Each Visit she would ask if he had been evaluated yet, the answer was always no. My husband Brian Finally called in June and got Charlie in for Evaluations.
It wasn't until after we had our daughter did we realize how much we missed out on Charlie's baby days. There are moments when we look at our Daughter now- who is 9 months old and is saying Mama- and we are so incredibly happy that she is growing and functioning, but also sad because we never got to go through these things with Charlie. It puts his life into perspective. Our baby days with charlie were full of fear, anger, sadness, and confusion. Don't get me wrong there were defiantly happy and joyful moments, but the majority of his babyhood was spent sick, and fighting off illnesses, that he shouldn't have gotten....
Through out this ordeal I have been able to grow stronger, and stand up for what I believe happened to our son Charlie, and will continue until the day he is able to stand up for himself.
This is a blog about Charlie. About his life, his struggles, his accomplishments and our struggles and accomplishments as a family.
On January 19th 2010 the ESD officially Diagnosed Charlie with ASD. We are now in pursuit of a medical diagnosis from OHSU.
Through out these months none of our questions are getting answers, just more questions. I know that some questions will never be met with an official answer though the ESD, So we are venturing into the medical side, which scares me to no end.
I do not trust most Dr's. and for good reason too. I believe that Charlie is the way he is today because of a Dr. Not making the correct decision. In the end Charlie was the one who paid dearly. For those who are reading this, that know Charlie- you already know this part of the story so you can skip it. For those new to our life, read on!
A little back ground info.
Through out my pregnancy with Charlie I was really ill. Could hardly keep anything down, constantly throwing up. When I had Charlie, we solely relied on Dr's. and Nurses to tell us what is best for our son. Charlie did get the HepB vaccine at birth, and every vaccine until the age of 4 months. I had feelings of not wanting to give him so many at one time, but because the Dr. charlie saw and the nurses reassured me that nothing would happen, I threw caution to the wind, and believed them.
When Charlie was 4 months old he got his scheduled Vaccinations. I asked if it was safe, since he was just getting over a cold, and was reassured that he would be fine, and just give him Tylenol for any discomfort. This was the point in time where I should have grabbed my baby and ran. But I didn't. I stayed. They injected the poison into his body. That night charlie was extremely ill. He got Vaccinated on a Friday and that weekend was hell. I remember calling and talking to the on call Dr. and they said to bring him in on Monday. From Friday to Monday his head grew 2 cm. We found this out at the check up apt. on Monday morning. Our ped. was concerned and we went to the hospital to get a CAT scan done because there was concern of hydrocephalus. Nothing was found. After that pivotal moment in time Charlie battled for his health. Every week he had a different illness. He either had Pneumonia, or double ear infections. The kids was always on some sort of Antibiotic. From 4 months to 9 months we had a standing weekly apt with his Dr. because there was always something wrong. Every Wednesday we went in. Every time I went in, I asked about vaccine reactions. During his well child visits I declined all Vaccines and would question reactions and tell them I felt the Vaccine did this to Charlie. The Dr. Assured me it wasn't the Vaccines. "The Risks are low" she would tell me. My answer? "Just because they are low doesn't mean it can't happen."
At around 9 months Charlie's Dr. left the practice, and we weren't able to follow. This was a blessing. We got a new Dr. for Charlie, and things started to improve. The Dr. agreed that it was a Vaccine Reaction and Charlie's healing began. In January of 2009 Charlie's Dr. -Dr. Mooney, led on that Charlie should get evaluated through the local Early Intervention Program for his delays. At that time I was 6 months pregnant with our second child- a girl- and going through school. I promised her once I had the baby and was out of school (Baby was due in April, School was done in June) I would have him Evaluated. Each Visit she would ask if he had been evaluated yet, the answer was always no. My husband Brian Finally called in June and got Charlie in for Evaluations.
It wasn't until after we had our daughter did we realize how much we missed out on Charlie's baby days. There are moments when we look at our Daughter now- who is 9 months old and is saying Mama- and we are so incredibly happy that she is growing and functioning, but also sad because we never got to go through these things with Charlie. It puts his life into perspective. Our baby days with charlie were full of fear, anger, sadness, and confusion. Don't get me wrong there were defiantly happy and joyful moments, but the majority of his babyhood was spent sick, and fighting off illnesses, that he shouldn't have gotten....
Through out this ordeal I have been able to grow stronger, and stand up for what I believe happened to our son Charlie, and will continue until the day he is able to stand up for himself.
This is a blog about Charlie. About his life, his struggles, his accomplishments and our struggles and accomplishments as a family.
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