Saturday, June 23, 2012

One Step at a Time...

Over the past few months we've noticed an increase in odd behavior from our oldest daughter Willow. She chews on her clothes, put toys in her mouth, licks non food objects like bathtubs, poles, pools and has even unscrewed the lightbulb from a lamp so she could suck on it like a pacifier. She refuses to eat her food unless it's ice cold, only takes cold baths or showers and will spend hours a day washing her hands.

Recently we took her to Chuckie Cheese and she ran into a little girl. The girl fell over and Willow just kept going. She doesn't actively seek out other children to play with. She loves her sisters and her cousin and will occasionally play with the children at her speech therapy office if she knows them. She has to see a child 5 or 6 times before she'll consider approaching them. She's obsessed with blocks and puzzles and will spend her entire day playing with them if you'll let her. It often takes us calling her name 10 or more times before she will acknowledge you. I expressed some concern to her speech therapist and she recommended seeing her pediatrician about getting her an evaluation to see an occupational therapist.

I brought her in for an appointment with her pediatrician who immediately agreed to an occupational therapy evaluation. She then asked if we had ever done the MCHAT test with her, which we hadn't. The MCHAT is the in office test for Autism. The give you a sheet with a bunch of questions and you circle yes or no depending on fix your child does and activity or does not do it. Once you've finished your pediatrician will tally up the score. If your child fails the test they most likely fall somewhere on the Autism Spectrum and will need further testing. Willow failed the MCHAT.

Now our understanding from doing some research is that the MCHAT has a high false negative rate but a false positive is pretty rare. We're taking her to see a pediatric neurologist to have her evaluated so we can get an official diagnosis. In the mean time she's had her occupational therapy evaluation and she'll be starting as soon as the pediatrician and her insurance approve it which will most likely be in the next two weeks. This is going to be a long road but we're getting closer to her getting the help that she needs.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Cruising for Giveaways 6/17


Enter to win a BabbaBox from BabbaCo and then hop along to find other great giveaways!

Welcome to Cruising for Giveaways Hop! This hop is brought to you by Charisma Media!

Cruising for Giveaways

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Kids Activities with BabbaBox Review and Giveaway


Summer is here! If you're not already a full time stay at home mom chances are your kids are out of schools and you'll be spending more time together at home. I'm sure that some of are at a loss as to what to do with them that's fun, educational and creative. Have you ever pulled out your craft box and realized you only have a Popsicle stick, some glitter and a couple of jingle bells? What are you supposed to do with that?

BabbaBox by BabbaCo solves your problems! BabbaBox is a monthly subscription service that includes everything you need to keep your kids engaged and have fun while learning. Each month there is a new theme and your box will have four components - create, explore, story tell, connect.

Crushing for Giveaways 6/10

Welcome to Cruising for Giveaways Hop! This hop is brought to you by Charisma Media!

Cruising for Giveaways

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Protect your home with LifeShield

Are you looking for a way to protect your home 24/7 but are turned off by the idea of big, costly, and impersonal security companies? With LifeShield Home Security you'll find the peace of mind you're looking for. LifeShield has partnered with nationally recognized security brand Protection 1 to provide their customers with superior home security services to protect your home and family.Together, they protect over one million customers in the US with certified experts in all 50 states.

LifeShield wants to make home security easy and affordable for all of their customers. I know that being a stay at home mother doesn't necessarily mean that you actually stay at home. Most of our days are filled with doctors appointments, therapy sessions, play dates, lessons and errands, which leave little time in your busy days to wait around for someone to come and install your security system. LifeSheild understands and came up with a great way to fit installation into your schedule. They offer a DIY security system! That's right, you choose exactly where you want your sensors, install them yourself, and set your own codes. The entire installation should take less then an hour and requires no tools. LifeShield makes set up easy by including a setup DVD with every home security package. You can even purchase your kit online!

With LifeShield you can protect your home and loved ones for as little as $6 a week. What are you waiting for buy online and start protecting your family today.

This is a sponsored post on behalf of LifeShield Home Security through a partnership with Blog Friendly PR. Please see our disclosure policy for more information.