Little Miracles



One of my favorite parts of having kiddos with some special needs is that things that would just be ho-hum suddenly turn into little miracles.  In the past couple of months, I've seen lots of little miracles with my boys. I'm not sure what to attribute them to, but I will say that the time correlates with when I started using the doTERRA oils my friend, Mindy, sent to me.  Things just got easier once we started using them.

CJ and Liam are where we've seen the most marked improvement, but Byron will often call me at work and ask me which of the oils I gave him to keep in his desk he needs for this or that. His anxiety is down tremendously even though his work load is up. He's sleeping at night, and waking feeling more rested. The list goes on.  Anyway, I digress. I wanted to talk about CJ and Liam.

CJ has gotten so that he asks for these silly oils by name. He got hold of my doTERRA magazine and read it cover to cover one night. He studied it in depth and created his own wish list for which oils he wants for himself.  He really likes the inTune because he doesn't have homework when he uses it. I think that's probably because he can focus on work and get it all done in school.  He also loves the Balance and Citrus Bliss, both of which help with stress and worry.  Balance is calming for him, and I see a difference in him when I apply it as his ADHD meds are wearing off.  In the evening, I give him some lavender or Serenity and it does help him sleep. It doesn't resolve all his sleep issues, but things are certainly better.

Liam has completely stopped with several of his sensory seeking behaviors.  In fact, things are so good that there hasn't been a single Poocasso incident in nearly two months...maybe more!  We've been able to clean up his room, repaint his walls, and make his room into his own fun little sanctuary. I still need to put the color paint on there (colonial blue!!), but that should happen sometime next week.  He isn't running through the house systematically dumping everything in sight. HE IS EATING HIS MEALS!  I sometimes still have to put a hand on his lap to help remind him to sit still, but he's eating foods he wouldn't even consider before.  He is going to sleep and staying asleep until it's actually time to wake up.  The biggest moment with him came yesterday as the missionaries were sitting here. One elder said, "What's different with Liam? He's so different from when I first met him a few months ago? He's following directions and I can understand so much of what he says." That missionary was exactly right.  Liam's words can be understood often without even being in context and by people who don't know him very well.  My friend, Anne Marie, even understood him over the phone!! This is huge!! Turns out this little dude has a sense of humor and loves to crack little jokes.  I love these miracles I'm seeing with my boys.

The oils have done other things, too.  So far, I've seen all of the following things in my own experience:

• Strep throat wiped out in minutes...at least the pain and fever
• Toothache totally gone
• Teeth whitened
• No more witching hour when I remember to keep the diffuser on during difficult times of the day
• The dog had an accident on the floor and I mixed some lemon with baking soda. The odor was gone and the house smelled GREAT!
• All sharpie and other writing came right off the walls
• Lavender applied to a boiling water burn pulled the pain out instantly
• Headaches totally gone in minutes
• Muscle aches and pains drastically minimized
• Asthma attacks are almost non-existent
• The only illness any of us got was when Rachel got strep. I attacked that with onGuard toothpaste and it went away almost instantly.  Schools and church have been germ cesspools, but we've avoided it. (knocking loudly on wood)
• A friend had a daughter with warts that they'd been fighting for a long time, and the warts were gone within ten days of applying the oils
• Byron says he's more relaxed
• Sore throats disappearing quickly

There's more, but I can't remember it all. I'm just amazed by what this stuff has done for my family and feeling very blessed to have it in our lives.  I love how little miracles just happen all the time around us.

Just Plain Happy

 

 

My children amaze me every day. Whether it's some stunt they've pulled that's so insane that no one else on the planet could have thought it up, or coming up with some deep thought that far surpasses my brain's capacity, or...well, whatever it is that kids come up with, I'm always amazed.

Like his siblings, Liam never disappoints in the amazing accomplishments category.  It seems in the past couple of months, he's managed to do things that I never imagined would be in his immediate future.  The other day, we were at the park. There is a slide there that has a series of tubes that turn as you go down it so that they can propel you down. Liam came up to me with tears in his eyes and showed me his finger. He looked me in the eye and said, "Hurts. The slide did it."  I immediately understood what he was trying to tell me and was able to console him before sending him off giggling into the crowd of other small children destined for playground injuries. For any other kid, this scenario would be a typical day at the park. Kid goes to the park. Kid gets hurt at the park. Kid tell Mommy about his injury. Mommy kisses it. Kid runs off playing.  In Liam's case, though, one of those steps is usually missed. Usually the part where he verbally tells me what is wrong never happens. Usually I have to guess and hope I get it right.  The fact that Liam recognized that he was hurt and could tell me that AND how he got hurt is huge. 

Reading. Liam is trying to read. I taught him how to sound out letters and he's doing it. Obviously it has to be fairly simple words, but he's getting the concept faster than I can come up with new words. He's memorizing them almost instantly, so I'm constantly searching for new words to challenge him with.  The fact that his school has taught him all the letters and the sounds they make has made my job of teaching him to actually make words that much easier. The fact that he understands the language needed to explain it to him is truly miraculous.

NO MORE POOCASSO!!!!!  This is huge for Liam. We used repetition, pictures, songs, dances, everything you can imagine and FINALLY Liam has his sensory issues under control enough that he is no longer doing disgusting things in his room.  His walls have been stripped, everything cleaned and perfected, and all that's left to do in there is a final coat of lovely, clean colonial blue paint.  He's so delighted with his new wonderful space and we're all grateful that he's past that particularly yucky phase of his life.

Lastly, this kid is just plain happy.  There's no other more appropriate word to describe him. Even though his language is limited, he just lights up a room when he walks in. He's delighted with life and every single detail of it. He will knock you over with a hug when you walk in the door, giggle in spite of himself at everything new, find joy in every toy, and give more love than anyone could ever imagine possible for such a little person.  Liam is joy.  Pure and simple.