Bagpipers on parade

Grandpa and the Mystic Highland Pipe Band at the Harp & Hound pub after the
St. Patrick's Day parade in Mystic... YAYEE! GO GRANDPA!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trcddm0pdAE

"What?"

Post-Easter candy mutilation. Short film by Dana. Enjoy!

Pasta Fagioli

Aaaaah. The best part of ham really is the bone!

1 ham bone, some meat still on
bay leaf
1 tsp peppercorns
any leftover ham, chopped
2 carrots, diced
5 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 onion chopped
1 can cannelli beans, drained
14 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 package choice of pasta (traditionally my mil's always used ditalini but we used Tinkyada's gfcf rice bran "pasta" shells)

Place ham bone in a large pot and cover with water (about 2" to cover), peppercorns and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer approx. 3 hours. Cool.

Remove bone and pick off any bits of meat still clinging. Strain out bits of fat, the bay leaf and peppercorns. Place meat and soup back in the pot. Add the rest of the ingredients except pasta and simmer minimum 1 hour. If you want to pretend you're eating something that won't raise your cholesterol, skim off foam and any fat bubbling to the top.

Cook pasta according to directions and serve alongside. Most people just throw the pasta in to cook with the rest of the soup but I don't like my pasta mushy or my fagioli soup congealed so I keep them separate until serving.

Even my picky daughter likes this :). Alex will lick the bowl clean. Enjoy!

Update - end of March

We had Alex tested for heavy metal toxicity as, for whatever reason, the bodies of children on the autism spectrum have a lot of difficulty naturally getting rid of them. You don't realize how many/how much toxic metals are out there and we're exposed to every day. I found out arsenic is actually used to "treat" wooden playground equipment (did you ever wonder why termites and carpenter ants don't touch the stuff?). No one thinks about unleaded/leaded gas any further than how much it costs a gallon but think about what we breathe in as it gets spewed out the exhaust pipes of cars, trucks, etc. I could go on and on about WHERE the metals are coming from but that's another post.

Alex's levels of toxic metals were alarming. We started him on chelation... a chelating agent gets introduced into the blood stream (via IV) and the agent's molecules bond with those of things like arsenic, mercury, lead, etc. then the package gets flushed out via the liver/kidneys.

The thing with chelating is that it stirs up all sorts of nasty stuff that before had been doing just quiet but steady damage over time. It's not going out without a fight.

Alex became a nightmare to be around. Violent enough that too much time in school was spent being restrained rather than getting any learning done. He started head banging, tearing things, kicking, lots of hitting himself and others. I had to warn his sister to pay attention and "read" him... if he looked like he was going to go bonkers, then she was drop all and leave the room else she became a punching bag target. We've stopped chelating for the moment (just until we get results back from blood tests to see his levels of minerals/good metals and liver function) and put him on Abilify. He will absolutely have to finish chelating but we might be saving that fun for the summer months now I think.

Lots of autistic kids are on this for aggression issues and it has helped them. Abilify, however, is a powerful anti-psychotic. It's given to people with extreme forms of bipolar manic depression or schizophrenia. I know I shouldn't feel so but finally caving and putting him on "something" feels like I've failed him.

I would like to note that some people will immediately refer to the "danger" in chelating in reference to a case a few months back of an autistic boy dying during chelating. What most do not know is that the boy died because he was given the WRONG chelating agent that also removed massive amounts of calcium from his system resulting in cardiac arrest. THIS IS NOT THE CASE WITH ALEX.

The funny thing is he *loves* his DAN doctor. Even after blood draws and IV's, he follows her around until she gives him a full both-feet-off-the-ground "monkey hug."

Remember moi?

As Dana says to her bus driver Joe, "Wuuuzzzzzzaaaaaaaaaapp?!"


There is no flippin way it's already the end of March! Yes, yes. I've been totally lax with the blog. It's been a mad roller coaster ride since right before Christmas so the blog took a backseat or otherwise got forgotten in the mess. But I'm back! (for now)

Will start with Easter, of course. Very quiet afternoon home with grandparents from Mystic and Aunt Betsy. Grandpa John treated the neighborhood to an impromptu bagpipe concert. It sounds really cool actually echoing through the trees. He'll be marching in the Mystic Parade on March 30th with his pipe and drum band (in full Scottish uniform too boot!). We'll be there to cheer him on.

I took about a dozen eggs and blew out the yolks for the kids to decorate. Yes, makes them much more delicate to work with. But Dana (and I) like it better this way. Alex doesn't give a hoot... he'll break the egg whether it's hardboiled, blown, fresh, whatever. In his view, eggs are for eating... anything else done with them is a waste of time. I colored one for him anyway... the wierd green thing with eyeballs. It's supposed to be Larry The Cucumber from Veggie Tales in his "Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" outfit. Well... Alex liked it :). Dana colored a bunch and so did grandma Cathy. The pic was taken right before Ani (our cat) kidnapped one of the little yellow chenille chicks.

Dinner was ham with an orange-rum glaze (yes, most of the rum made it into the glaze), mashed potato and parsnips, cranberry-pineapple sauce and sauteed green beans and mushrooms. The best part... tomorrow I get to make pasta fagioli with the ham bone!!!

"Exciting Action in a Bottle"

These are called tornado tubes. You can find the special connectors (you provide the 2 liter plastic soda bottles) in most educational product stores or online from various vendors. They're actually pretty neat. Alex, here, illustrating how to make the vortex. Keep the bottom steady and quickly swirl the top half. Stop moving and whaalaa. You can add glitter and food coloring. Though the glitter eventually disintegrates and makes the water cloudy.

Alex got his first dose of secretin via IV this morning. There are many articles on this hormone treatment that affects the gut and the brain. We're hoping to see more language from him. Connectedness is already coming along. At home and one to one in school anyway... there are still too many distractions in the outside world his eyes seem to glaze over, shutting the informational overload out.

Some things he's been doing lately...

He so funny the other morning. I was waking them to get ready for school. A bleary eyed Alex said, "Sleeping. Go away" and pulled his blanket over his head. Before he would have just shrieked. When he finally came out from under the blanket and I said, "Good morning, Alex" he goes, "Good morning, Mommy."
"Let's go to the bathroom. You can flush the potty."
He smiled, said, "Hold hands" and he grabbed my hand as he made his way out of the room. When he saw I was going to take him to the bathroom downstairs, he stopped me in front of the second floor bathroom, "This one!"
"No, Alex. We're going to use the one downstairs."
There was a soft "Ok" then he stopped me again before we went down and climbed on to my back. "Piggyback!" He earned that one so I caved. When he hits 50 pounds though he's doodoo out of luck no matter how much he talks!

I was looking for something in the spice cabinet one afternoon. I felt him tugging at my shirt. "Mommy?"
"Hmm?" (distracted)
"MOMMY!"
"What?"
"Upstairs computer."

When I was on the phone and he wanted my attention because he needed help getting something out of reach.
"Mommy!"
"What is it?"
(pointed to the cabinet with the dishes) "Bowl."

The best part is he loves to play with Dana. They toss the Jack Skellington head from his costume back and forth, especially in a dark room. He runs up to his sister with it when he wants to play. "Dana!" gives her the head. "This is Halloween!"

"Boys & ghouls of every age..."

From left to right behind Alex... Kara, Alyssa and Linda (his teachers at the school).

I spotted the Jack Skellington costume at the Disney Store when we picked up Dana's Snow White costume. Jack from "The Nightmare Before Christmas" has been Alex's all-time favorite character EVER. And he's watched the movie so many times I think I've memorized all the lines myself. So, when I spotted it, I was not going to leave the store without it. I wasn't sure if Alex would wear the head... it's kind of clunky and looks absolutely ridiculous sitting on top of the wearer's head... but I figured Jack takes his head off in the movie so it should be fine even if Alex carried it around in his arms. Note: when Alex was about 3 years old, Dana had a Jack Skellington doll and Alex (after having watched that scene in the movie) promptly tore the head off. He now has 18 inch tall plush Jack and Sally dolls he goes to bed with... and having learned that Jack can only reattach his head in the movie, has not tried to take off his doll's head.

I wish you could have seen the look on his face when he was sitting on the couch watching the movie and I put the Jack doll next to him. I tapped his shoulder, he turned his head... and JUMPED. He grabbed Jack and gave him and kiss. I waited a few minutes then I put the Sally doll next to him and tapped his shoulder. *laugh* He jumped again. This time though after grabbing Sally he looked past me and around the couch to make sure no other movie characters would pop up to surprise him. :)

Anyway, soon as he saw Dana trying on her costume, he went up to me holding Jack and said, "On. Help. On." :D He completely understood the idea of a "costume."

Well, he understood part of it. While "trick or treating" when people would yell "Jack!" "Jack Skellington!" "The Pumpkin King!" Alex's eyes would widen and he'd look around like, "WHERE?!?!"

I (and his teachers at school) didn't think he would tolerate the head piece since he is still a bit defensive about anything on his head or being touched there. But he insisted (and his teachers
finally had to pin it to his costume because it kept falling over his face). And the first time we got it on him and Alex saw himself in the mirror... he totally cracked up.

He now carries Jack's head around with him at home.

If it's in my room at night, however, I move it to where I can't see it. The thing glows in the dark.