been a while...

Exhaustion and focusing so much on Mikeys therapy and the girls in general has prevented me from logging onto our actual computer much this last month..
that in addition to the fact that Mikey has now claimed the PC as his own and seems to be able to navigate the internet to find games without any problems at all...
he only calls me for help if he comes across a game which requires the keyboard, but even now i see him becoming more capable with the arrows and spacebar than i imagined possible in such a short space of time.

Tonight i have a moment to log in and update as mikey has been sick.
he's been fighting infection after infection thanks to the new onslaught of children he's interacting with first hand and second hand through Annabelle's preschool attendance.

Mikey has always had a persistent cough when running around or exerting himself... but he's had the cough increase in occurances in the last few weeks while recovering from his illnesses and for the 3rd time has had a projectile vomit due to his coughing.

I've spoken to the doctor 2 weeks ago pertaining to this but he seemed uninterested... i will be making an appointment with mikeys paediatrician to discuss this further as i believe it's the beginnings of asthma and would hate to be in an unprepared position should his asthma turn volitile one day this winter - like it did when i was 4 years old so many years ago.
My mother watched me come just minutes from death/suffocation as doctors ignored me on a hospital bed because they couldn't hear me wheezing - the situation was that my throat was so shut tight that no air was getting in, therefore no wheezing... a paediatrician in tune with the spirit walked by my bed and stopped, opened my mouth and saw it was blue and saved my life.
I do not want that experience to repeat itself again with my child, and with the knowledge i have of asthma there is no reason it should.

So back on track.. it's 2:18am and i've made up a new bed for mikey after cleaning up the vomit... and i've put a vapouriser in his room as while he was in the bath he didn't cough at all - an age old remedy of humidity helped his cough stop...
heres hoping it works!

on the development front... Mikey reminds me every day of his disability with his mumbled words, his screams in protest and just general lack of understanding...
he has progressed which is wonderful... but sometimes it's hard to escape the way he convulses as he moves his head... or the abstract way in which he dances in front of his sisters and makes odd noises...
every few days i find myself thinking 'wow... so this is my life'
not in a selfish manner... but just thinking about how my own child is growing and what role it plays in my adult life... a role that i didn't think about in depth ever, or ever imagined would happen... noone thinks as they're growing up "i wonder if i'll have a disabled child"

I wonder all the time about Mikey's life as an adult, in the same thought i wonder about his life in 2 years time.

As we approach his 4th birthday i'm reminded about what Dr Don Adsett said 2 years ago when he diagnosed Mikey's autism.
when we asked him what the prospects were of 'recovery' he said that in 2 years, we might find that mikey has developed more and caught up to a more high functioning level, if his speech developes then we could be looking at merely aspergers....
and as i look at mikey now, and i think about his defiance with speech therapy, his defiance with sensory programming and occupational therapy... i wonder how much all of this therapy will advance him... or more to the point... i wonder if without it, would he decline and become severe?
i am grateful for the efforts that his OT and ST put into helping Mikey to reach his potential...

Concerns...

Adam and I have a large concern right now for Mikey's growth... he seems to be losing weight and it seems that his muscles are wasting away and his arms and legs are getting thinner...
we are going to look at a probiotic formula of some kind which can assist in restoring childrens appetites...
if this doesn't work... we need to look seriously at his oral sensory problems as this could be part of the problem.
this is a discussion for Coralie his Occupational Therapist...

i had a thought, could all his speech now be overexhausting his mouth causing him to only want liquids?
it sounds ridiculous... but i just dont know anymore... and so many random things seem to collaborate with Autism to make sense so... i guess it's worth asking that question.

in general mikey is still his gorgeous self...
very happy most of the time, and apart from hitting his sister or anyone who takes his toys... he's not doing too badly in all other areas..

infact, i've been informed he's a right little artist - above average.