Trash is a toy

Since Ryan was born there has never been a toy that really keeps Ryan's attention or serves as a distraction.

Ryan has always made toys out of straws, spoons, phones, xbox controllers, DVD cases and DVD's, cups and more. Most of these things he hurries and grabs quickly and sometimes when you are not looking.

Since Ryan has started walking he has dubbed the recycle bin in our house his own toy bin. He will walk around with, play or scatter empty cereal boxes, empty milk cartons, and all of the many other items in a recycle bin.

The other days I caught Ryan running around with an empty metal can. Naturally I took it away and was upset cause he could have really cut himself on the sharp edges.

Ryan screamed and cried when I took it away from him. His reaction was as if I just dashed his hopes and dreams. It took him a good 10 minutes to calm down.

I just had to tell this little blurp about him because in years to come I would like to remember how silly Ryan is.

My 18 month old baby who is a toddler

So I of course meant to post this August 13th so it is overdue but I wanted to mark the milestone (it is little but significant to me) of Ryan turning 18 months. I feel he has been a toddler since he could walk but I think 18 months is an age when others might consider him a toddler.

Ryan is such a fun little boy. SUCH A HANDFULL. He is mischievous with his little giggling and looks. Ryan gets into everything and almost never listens to me when he completely knows what I am saying. He knows he is cute and will abuse that power he has of cuteness. He screams and squeals when the littlest thing doesn't go his way or he doesn't get what he wants. Ryan is getting some molars so the past couple weeks have been filled with screaming, slight fevers, rash around his mouth and lots of bowel movements. Ryan has been fitting into 2T and 24 month clothes for the past 3 or 4 months. He absolutely LOVES, LOVES balls. Anything that is the shape of a ball or is a ball he says the word and then rushes to play with it. Other than that there aren't many toys that really make him very excited or keep his attention. He is usually like a tornado going from thing to thing. Ryan looks more like he is making a mess on purpose when he plays rather than actually playing with toys. Ryan has the most adorable little face and when he smiles it is as if it emanates happiness itself. I guess both my boys have magical smiles.

The biggest and greatest thing about Ryan turning 18 months is that when Brody was 18 months he was evaluated and diagnosed with delays in communication and social skills. That was the start of everything for Brody. Things gotten worse after that. Those delays made him at risk for Autism. So for Ryan, since he was born, we have been playing the waiting game. At 12 months when children are suppose to have at least one word if not more Ryan was sort of saying "dadda" but it was tough to tell cause children also repeat constant sounds and "d" is one of them.

But at 18 months Ryan can say "ball", "daddy", "dog", "shoes", "more", "please" and "bye" all of those words are not really pronounced exactly the way they are suppose to sound but with those last three words he also does the sign for them. Ryan can sign drink, please and more. There are children at that age that can speak in sentences but Jake and I are just happy to have a child who can say some words and is daily trying to say other words. He loves people and other children so we are happy as well to see his social skills. When you have a child with autism each additional child you have has a 50% chance of also having autism. We didn't know these stats till after Ryan was born cause we didn't even think Brody had autism till after Ryan was born cause some of the symptoms for Brody happened just last summer. Jake and I feel very blessed and thank the Lord everyday that perhaps with Ryan we won't have to work so hard for each and every word and eye contact.

Hope everyone enjoyed the shirtless and snotty pictures of our little Ry guy!!

Globe and family reunion

This weekend was the Miller family reunion. It was at a camp ground that was between Young and Globe. It was special because though Jake and his siblings are all Millers they are not that close to the Miller side of the family. The explanation is length but suffice it to say it was lovely to have them reconnect and meet all of his relatives.

Our children do not to over-nights. Since Brody has been out of a crib in the past two years we have probably only been out of a crib a few nights and that is including this past Saturday night. Ryan has only been overnight somewhere other than his crib 2 nights and that was when he was 4 months old and at that age babies sleep good almost anywhere.

Lets just say my kids sleep better at home!

I didn't want to stress about everything cause well I figured it wouldn't be a fun night. Brody did better than expected but Ryan had a hellish time....okay he was fine, he was happy to be awake from 1 am to 4 am...it was Jake and I that suffered.

We stopped at a Travel Lodge in Globe and then went onto a campsite on Saturday and then came back and stayed Saturday night.

It was an interesting time just cause we NEVER go out of town and though Globe isn't exciting plus it is only about an hour or so away from our house it was strange to stay in a hotel. Brody was able to cope with the change by a portable DVD player and his Buzz Lightyear tent. Then after buying a huge ball for Ryan at Walmart for $2.50 he was having a really fun time throwing it around the hotel room.

I didn't get a picture at the family reunion because it was to chaotic with the boys running everywhere to even snap a picture but I got some in the hotel room and a couple views from our hotel room. The boys would get mad when Jake would leave the room to load and unload the car but then I would have them look out the window at him and then they would smile and giggle.

I know it is lame that we don't go anywhere but after this little trip Jake and I realized that there are lots of things we want to do once our kids are just a little older and traveling is one of them.

P.S. Hopefully this is our last trip in a little car (again, not that we go anywhere). We are eager to have a car that can better fit our family!!

Another hair cut

This time it was Ryan's turn

I wasn't able to take a good before picture cause I forgot but here is a pretty recent one

Then after (about 30 minutes after the screaming and crying stopped)

There were a couple other fun shots from yesterday and today

Playing with cousins

Playing with brother

How nice

How nice to have husband who fakes a family emergency so he can go home 2 hours early cause he just can't stand one more night of coming home to kids who are already asleep.

It probably had more to do with frustrations at work cause his department at Apollo Group might close and his manager is in refusing to admit it.

But it was nice to be doing dishes at 6:45 pm and see him through the kitchen window Jake playing with his two little boys and all three of them - Jake, Brody and Ryan have the biggest smiles on their faces and laughing as if they were at Disneyland.

Someday his schedule will change and he could very likely be home every night for dinner and bedtime but for now moments like that are rare so it just warms my heart.

Family is such an amazing blessing!

Brody's daily cocktails

Brody sure does love his drinks. Lately he hasn't loved it as much due to the fact that his lame and mean Mommy (me) keeps mixing up cocktails which includes his sugar free juice or non-dairy milk and some of the following (which he needs to have all in one day):

Liquid multivitamin 7.5 ml (so strong that a few drops in every drink)

Vitamin D (4-5 drops)

HTP (break open the capsules) 4 capsules

Cod Fish Liver Oil (1 teaspoon)

Probiotic (1 capsules a day 25 billion CFU's)

DMG (1 pill crushed a day)

These are part of Brody's daily supplements and vitamins that help his body to improve in his brain and digestion. Doctors are finally catching up to what many parents already know - children with autism have physical symptoms that are related to the mental disorder. The Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center have had more conferences about the relation.

Brody has a sensory issue with food so a multivitamin is perfect cause he doesn't get enough nutrition. Vitamin D helps his immune system which has always been poor which for the first 3 years meant constant ear infections and lots of colds. Cod Fish Liver Oil helps his body absorb the nutrients he gets from food. The probiotic helps put the good bacteria in his body because his 13 doses of antibiotics in a year and a half that is old pediatrician prescribed killed off all the bacteria in his body thus resulting in a yeast build up in his gut. The DMG is to get his body ready for B-12 shots that he will get sometime within the next 6 months to a year. The HTP might sound strange to some who might be familiar with it - especially 4 pills a day. But HTP regulates a persons serotonin levels which affect appetite, mood and sleeping patters among other things. Brody has issues with all of those things. Children with autism have problems with seretonin.

Brody has had most of these supplements (some are newer additions) since November of last year. Lets just say I feel it helps the real Brody start peeking through. He is happy, content, less tantrums, looks healthier, saying more words, bowel movements have become regulated, eye contact is better and just in general seems better.

This is all part of the biomedical approach. For us it is no cure, no dramatic change, just little by little and bit by bit the boy I was meant to have is slowly working his way back to me!!

My little Ryan

Ryan is will be 18 months in just a few weeks! I swear time speeds up for the second child. I cherish that first year and now I just hold him for five seconds before he is desperate to jump out of my arms and run off and chase a ball. He is so adorable and he just cracks up everyone around him.