Halloween/Fall Pics by Raquel Leeper Photography

Halloween Costume 2011

a hotdog!

Acting Out

So hoping that I don't have a future bully on my hands. Matthew has been kind of naughty the past 3 days at school. He's been pushing/pinching. Not sure why he is acting out like this. In a way it's a good thing because he's becoming more social, but of course I don't want a little bully for a kid either. So hopefully with a little discipline with nip this in the bud real quick. Not sure if he's doing it to his only friend from early childhood or what, but the kid is big and could knock him on his butt if he wanted I suppose. Then again, I do want my child to stand up for himself if he is picked on....

Mother Warriors by Jenny McCarthy

Just finished the book today. I've read 2 books now that she has written because of her own fight with her son's (Evan) autism.

Just wanted to point out a few things from the book that I found quite interesting.

Jenny McCarthy feels it's the vaccines that cause autism and with the right diet and biomeds, a child of autism can be cured.

Of course not every child responds to this source of treatment.

In my own personal experience, birth to 3 and early childhood has helped Matthew. He really has come a long way. But naturally, I still worry about him dearly.

I'll never forget when he was about 1 1/2 years old, and was so withdrawn that he didn't want to be touched. He never said "mama or dada" when he was a baby, he was anti-social... he didn't really talk until he turned 3.

I am very fortunate that I was blessed with the mild form. I don't know what I would have done if Matthew had seizures or the leaky gut thing, so I've never had to go the gluten-free case-in free route. Very very lucky.

Onto some interesting statements taken directly from the book:

The first is like a cry to the people that basically states, kids with autism were put on this earth for a reason. They are basically like the "canaries in the coal mines." Canaries were taken into coal mines with the miners in case a gas was present and canaries would get weak or die as a tell-tale sign the miners needed to get out now. Autism kids are the canaries of today showing us we better start fixing this planet before its too late. The world is too full of toxins. Kids with autism are the ones to show more signs of sickness before we get sick. We need to live in a cleaner world.

Another important note is that people shouldn't have another kid so that kid can grow up and take care of the kid with autism when the parents die. No sibling should have to endure that task.

She also points out how quick people are to judge. If someone sees a kid acting out and the mother has no control in calming the child down, people instantly think what a spoiled brat that kid is and what a terrible mom she is. Let me tell you, it's not easy. People need to open their eyes up and think what it's like to live with autism.

Vaccines. Yes... the main point of the book is the vaccines. Now, over the summer my anatomy teacher tried to say

there is no direct correlation between vaccines and autism. Since the mercury was removed, there should be a decline in autism not an increase.

After reading this book, I beg to differ. Traces of mercury can still be found in vaccines. What if mercury isn't the culprit, what if it's something like aluminum? Drugs do not come in a one size fits all syringe. What if Matthew was silently sick on the inside and that's what caused this. He was a low birth weight when he was born and he was constantly sick.

Kids shouldn't be vaccinated when they are sick. Same goes when you get a flu shot, if you're sick, you can't have the shot. You never know if someone is sick with a weak immune system.

The saddest part of the story was the insert from a mother who's son died after they did everything they could to "fix" him. He died at 12:26, a symbolism to the day he was given too many vaccines on Dec 26th and his father commented "geez, that many shots could kill an elephant." It did, it killed their son.

1st Homework

So Matthew finally brought home his 1st homework of kindergarten tonight. Granted, I seen homework that Phoenix used to have to do but it only seemed like a couple of books he had to read.

Tonight Matthew brought home 5 books he has to read, plus a couple of papers he has to do. These all have to be done 3 times over the weekend. Wow.

Well for some reason, I figured it'd go awful. But it didn't. It went well. We still have to review it 2 more times but still....

I am so grateful that Matthew has come to enjoy books. As a baby/toddler he hated books and reading.

After he began the birth to 3 program and got into Early Childhood, he started opening up to books and reading. We have quite the collection.

Yes, he still loves the video games, but he still loves his Mommy reading to him at night. :)

Daddy + Mommy + Matthew

A sneak peek from the day of our Christmas cards pics.... obviously not the one we are using. :)

Toothless

Matthew lost his very first tooth today!

9/5/11