Week 2

This week has been packed full of blessings. My cup is overflowing with joy and excitement! The progress that Hannah has made is so unexpected that it drowns out the hard times.

This week we noticed that Hannah was putting her seatbelt on herself. Now, we just say "buckle up!" and she does it! It turned out to be perfect timing because GA has a seatbelt law and it can be the primary offense. The PO-PO busted me without mine but my three lil chillins all had theirs on and were sitting up so nicely. He thought he was going to kill a few birds with one shot but not this time! I just decided to revel in the irony and enjoy the fact that my sweet daughter who has always struggled with fine motor skills is actually putting her own seatbelt on!

She has been doing her primitive reflex exercises so cooperatively this week. She is making our job so easy! One exercise in particular we call "elephant" because she has to get on all fours and move her head up and down in a timely manner. Her back is supposed to be straight and she is not suppose to drop her shoulders. As of a couple of days ago she is doing it perfectly! Soon, Amanda, the director of BB is going to test Hannah's primitive reflexes and perhaps some of our hard work will pay off because some of the reflexes may be gone which is what we want. We know we are getting close with the Galant reflex because she is not peeing in the bed as much as she did before.

Friday, she ate her first Jelly Belly! She liked it and ate about 10 more. Before she would not even touch them!! She is not supposed to have much refined sugar but it's so wonderful to see her enjoying the things that other children (and adults) enjoy. In fact, today in church, Steven, Abby, and I were eating tic-tacs and I offered one to Hannah. She ate it! Amazing!

On the downside she is picking her sores and making them bleed and wiping the blood on her pants...yuck! Monday, I had just changed her clothes to go out and she snuck back into her bedroom and did it again. There was blood all over her pants. I was angry and said, "What the hell!!" (unfortunately, I admit that with all the stress over the years, I have picked up a profanity habit that I am trying to break). Now, she says "What the heck!" and giggles. Apparently, I have said "what the heck" enough that she picked that one up instead of the other one. She is totally trying to push my buttons.

And to top off the week she was lying in my lap this morning and said just as plain as day, "I love you." I couldn't believe it but there was no denying what she said. I tell her that all the time and sometimes I have her repeat after me and when she is compliant she says, "I yu-you." This time it was spontaneous and not repeating after me and completely unsolicited and so clear..."I love you"! I can't tell you how much that energized me to press forward and work harder on her home program. I want more of the real Hannah!!

There have been some hard times this week as well. She doesn't have any social boundaries. She throws balls at people's heads at Jumping Jelly Beans. It's hard to make her stop. She is just trying to play. Most people are really sweet about it but it causes me a little anxiety. She honks people's noses and it hurts! She hugs strangers (which is kind of sweet). Unfortunately, one lady in the restroom didn't think it was so sweet, because she said "Excuse me??" in an admonishing tone. I told her that I was sorry but Hannah has Autism and she cut me off and said "hmmph" and stuck her nose in the air. Hannah was just trying to say 'hi' in her own way. The lady just walked out and I wanted to kick her bum on the way out but I held back. She must live too far in the country to have ever heard such thing as 'Autism'. Poor her. Steven comforted me by reminding me that I don't know what she was going through and I needed to just be gracious. I tell my kids that all time but I needed it that day.

Today we went to Dekalb Farmers Market in Decatur, GA because we heard that the organic produce and nitrite-free meats were very reasonably priced there as well as having a variety of non-preserved, no-msg, bla bla bla packaged food there. I'm trying to follow the nutritional guidelines that BB has laid out for us. That place is unbelievable! It was like an international extravaganza of food. I bought cumin for 55 cents! There were people everywhere (very popular place). It was a 45 minute drive but I saved so much money that I'll probably go once-a-week.

Thank you all for your prayers and words of encouragement and tears of joy that you have shed for and with us this week! We love you, friends!