Meeting Dr. Waddington

My blog title sounds like a book. :)

We had such a positive experience at the doctor today that I HAD to blog about it and share with others. There are still doctors out there who believe in the power of alternative treatments and don't push pills. What a relief!!

A week ago I saw an ad in the paper for the new Dr. Waddington at Memphis Medical. After reading the ad I was so very compelled to make an appointment for Natalee that I did--right then and there. Strange for the planner in me but I felt prompted to just do it. The phrases in the ad that most piqued my interest for our little gal were "specializes in neurological and developmental disabilities" and "pain management." I just really felt like he might understand Natalee and be able to help her.

Here's the thing about Natalee--to the "naked eye" she appears fairly typically functioning. For the most part she is. However, in areas we thought she was caught up in, we are now again seeing delay (physical ability, processing speed, communication skills). She's developed a stutter ("I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna...play cars"), her baby brother passes her on the stairs, much of what she does say are direct quotes of information we've taught her previously (which sounds great unless she says them at the wrong time), and her "think time" to follow a command is getting longer and longer. At night she fights constantly moving legs and tight spasms in her ankles. She fatigues easily and seems "delicate." It sounds like I'm picking on her, huh? I'm really not. There's so much she does wonderfully--she loves her baby brother, she's a good helper, she's a good eater, loves to color and read, is quick to learn with direct instruction, she's mostly cooperative... That said, I'm a firm believer in the power of early intervention. I'm not a "wait and see". Let's not wait and see if her hours of sleepless nights because her muscles are tight and spasming go away or she "outgrows" them...let's try to help her NOW. Let's not wait and see if her stutter gets better on it's own (when we could actually be allowing her to ingrain it further)--let's talk her through it now and help her move past it.

Anyways...

I made an appointment. And 2nd guessed myself the whole time we were in the waiting room. My inner conversation, "this was really silly...he's going to tell me she's "fine" & that I'm overreacting...I shouldn't have come...he's going to want to write her a script for the rest of her life and I'm going to have to tell him no...."

And when he came in the first thing he did was ignore me and talk to his patient. Score 1, Dr. W. Then he said hello to me and asked me to tell him, MYSELF, about Natalee's history--her birth, her ears, her allergies, her delayed development, where she is now. Score 2, Dr. W. And he LISTENED to every word. He didn't make me feel silly because she's mostly typically developing with these few hard quirks we can't get past. He didn't dismiss me. He cared. 3 point shot, Dr. W.

Then he had Natalee lay down while I sat right with her (gave me his seat so I could be part of the process) and started manipulating her. Immediately found a huge knot at the top of her spine, tightness in both sides near her ears, some chest and shoulder issues he worked on. While he worked (for 30 minutes) on her alignment and tight areas he visited. And the more we visited the more things he pulled from me and started pinning together. Then he asked if I'd ever heard of Restless Leg Syndrome. And I thought, "oh great, here comes the prescription for lifelong meds and another diagnosis." Wrong. Here came an explanation of how muscle spasticity and RLS often are connected--some problems that come from the brain development (she did have a tightness in her skull he felt was preventing her brain from growing...now that he's stretched that area it's just like us filling the empty file drawers--mommy has work to do!) and some problems that usually come from a magnesium deprivation. Ummmm, magnesium? Okay. Apparently magnesium is very important for complete muscle relaxation--without it people often experience RLS and, when coupled with a brain malformity or damage, a more serious condition (for example, muscle spasticity).

Not having anything to lose I bite the bait (he's got me VERY interested by this point, and is still manipulating Natalee)--how do you get magnesium? Leafy green vegetables and nuts....and I'm thinking, "oh crud...how am I going to get her to eat those? nuts maybe, green leaves.....nada." And then he says...(drumroll), magnesium can also be easily obtained through Epsom salt. Put a pound in her bathwater tonight--we'll see immediate results...may not completely "fix" her spasms but she'll feel better. Do it again tomorrow and she'll feel that much better. 4 times a week until her levels are up, then 2-3...maybe forever. She could have magnesium shots but he didn't recommend it unless the less invasive suggestion (salts) doesn't completely alleviate her symptoms. Couple the magnesium with plenty of sunlight because she needs Vitamin D to absorb the it into her blood and then bones...add in manipulations to keep her aligned (which we may someday be able to dwindle or phase out)...and we may very well have a whole new child. He said in his limited years of practice he's helped 25-30 people who are in complete remission from RLS. Seriously? That's it? Magnesium & sun...maybe an adjustment once in awhile? Slam dunk, Dr. W.

I'll admit--it sounds too good to be true. But he was so confident...not haughty or know-it-allish...just confident that he thought he could help her, that I feel very trusting of his knowledge. So we left without a prescription (YAY!), grabbed some Epsom salt and dumped a pound in her bath water, let her soak 20+ min, lotioned her up well when she was done, and sent her to bed. Now, we'll pray it's true, try not to be frustrated at the doctors (including the neurologist that we loved) that dismissed us and didn't tell us about the power of a simple thing like MAGNESIUM, and thank God for Dr. Waddington.

I'll try to update in a week or so and let you know how it's going. Be excited...we're feeling VERY encouraged!

Family Pictures

For the benefit of my non-Facebook blogger friends (miss you Mrs. Bish!) here's a collage that I made of our family pictures that we recently had taken. The sitting fee and CD with full copyright of all the photos was a Mother's Day gift from my thoughtful husband (& kids!). Our pictures are courtesy of Kristin Wood Photography!

Oh, here's a few others just for fun!

This Week...

I've done great with my fast. I'm amazed at how much willpower I can have. Even leaving the room when Mike's watching TV and turning to the Bible instead of the computer. I'm REALLY enjoying the Bible.
The rest of the week, though, Satan's worked extra hard at me. I'd planned on feeling serene, peaceful, and all put together when the fast was over...
Instead, every time I turn around I'm being tested with a new challenge & God's watching my reaction while Satan jests me further to get me to respond with anger or sarcasm. SIGH
So, the blog that I thought was going to be about how I could live radically--adoption, homeschooling, perhaps using my gift to homeschool adopted special needs kiddos (whew, did I just say that out loud!?)...is instead about how every.time.I.turn.around. Satan's whispering in my ear that I can't even handle living NORMALLY with 2 children, so HOWINTHEWORLD could I ever live radically with more?
But I'll keep praying, reading, studying, praying, talking, praying and going forward....
But in the meantime I've gathered myself enough to face the children that are in this house now...
the 2 year old who peed her panties while I was downstairs changing laundry...
and the 1 year old who had enough gall to sit in the puddle and splash!

:) These are the moments...I'll miss someday!

Conviction

I've been convicted lately of spending too much time on "worldly" things. Not "bad" things, just time wasters. I feel like I'm not being a good steward of my time. As a result I'm taking a 7 day fast from TV and Facebook. That might not sound like a lot to you but it is to me. A sacrifice. And I wanted to be sure I didn't substitute those 2 things with something equally as worldly, so I've decide to start a 90 day Bible reading program that should help fill those empty minutes that I'm not spending with my little darlings (I mean, I could clean but....). :) A friend is doing a 90 day reading program with online accountability, but I chose not to do that for 2 reasons: (1) when I get on the internet (which you are required to do weekly) I get sidetracked--coupon searching, swap shop looking, etc and (2) while I want to be held accountable I don't want to get myself discouraged, which I have a tendency of doing--if I get off track I'm going to try to get back on...that simple (I pray). I printed this schedule off and am praying my way along. I read a book (more about it later--thanks Shonya) about wanting your children to thirst for the Scripture, God's word, and realized that, I myself, first need to (1) have deeper knowledge of the Scripture and (2) thirst deeply for it myself!
So, please be an encourager, hold me accountable, lift me in prayer, and, if you dare, join the journey...

Happy Birthday, Xavier Micheal!

Xavier's first birthday recap:

Woke up in his own bed (yay, Xaber!) and had biscuits and gravy and banana for breakfast.
Played for 2 hours at the park with Jace (the birthday cousin!) and Tyrell (& Natalee, Lizzie, Kiana, & Easton).
{mommy left her camera in the car the whole time!--stink monkeys!}
Came home & had sloppy joes with cheese and applesauce for lunch then took an hour nap (too short!).
Helped mommy make his birthday cake (yum!) while sissy was still sleeping.
Took a sink bath b/c "helping" was very messy!
Played and whined until mommy gave him a snack and put him back in bed for a nicer longer 1 1/2 hour nap!
Daddy was home when he woke up & shortly after Lauren came and saved him from the house and took him outside with Natalee.
Played sand (he's warming up to it!).
Posed with the cousins and big sister.
Ate delicious homemade pizza (Xavier's favorite!) and watermelon (serious lack of veggies today) for supper.
Opened presents (he wasn't that into it).
Blew out his 1 candle.
Did cake & ice cream.
Played.
Got his REAL present from Grandma Num--the Mustang (he, he, he!).
Lounged with sissy.
Relaxed and went to bed (almost an hour & a half late!).

Happy FIRST Birthday, Xavier Micheal Beeler!

Xavier Turns 1

At this time on this date last year my labor was beginning. I was relaxing in the hospital with Mike wondering about meeting my new little man. He came much quicker than anyone dreamed he would and by the time our parents got the call that they thought would say "It's almost time, go ahead and come," we were actually saying, "He came so quickly and he's already here!"
Xavier Micheal was born on 6-24 at 6:24 a.m., weighing in at 7 lb 4.2 oz and 20 1/2" long. He was born with his cord wrapped but was not blue (praise God) and was perfectly darling with chubby cheeks.


Today Xavier Micheal is a walking machine! He began walking steadily 2 weeks ago and hasn't quit yet. Rarely does he get down to crawl anymore and can almost run on his two stubby legs.
He's 20 pounds & 30" of solid BOY and always has a bruise or a bump on his head (walking wounds!). Just last night he climbed up the large Little Tikes slide we have and fell off, blacking his eye.
He's afraid of nothing and we call him Scamp.

He LOVES his sister and she LOVES him--they constantly look for each other and are becoming wonderful playmates.



















He is hot and cold and can throw a horrendous temper tantrum. The best medicine for those are to walk away--don't coddle, give eye contact, or talk nice--just walk away!
Xavier is techno-savvy and dives for anything electronic--computers, cell phones, remotes, mp3 players, printers, etc.
He cares not to be told no and would rather try to ignore you when you do (that doesn't fly well around here!).



















He takes 1 nighttime bottle and that's all, but still has his pacifier.
Recently we've begun "sleep training" and so now he climbs the stairs with his sis at night and lays down in his bed like a big boy. Often Mike or I sit in there to read while they drift off but they've become very self-sufficient at going down alone (however if they aren't super tired at bedtime you'll hear them giggle and giggle and jump around in their beds--the sweet sounds of sharing a room!).
He has 6 teeth (4 on top, 2 on bottom) and is trying to get more.

He can be a great eater--he can also be extremely picky. I never make anything different for my kids than what's on the table and often he'll choose to not eat at all.

He loves wheels--cars, trains, trucks, bikes, etc & can pedal little riders with his feet very well.
He's a pro at the mini trampoline that has a handrail to hold and loves to swing outside.
Daddy built him a sandbox for his birthday and he's not in love...but it'll grow on him.
Xavier Micheal--God knew exactly what He was doing when He gave us you. You are an absolute joy to be around. Quick with a smile when you want, so totally lovey and snuggly, and ornery as any boy could be. We love you so much, Big Guy. Happy Birthday!! Love, Mommy & Daddy

Potty Training - Day 2

End of day 2:
Woke up dry in the morning and from nap.
Stayed dry all through church.
Total of 3 accidents.
Still unable to have a successful #2 on the potty.
GREAT progress for 2 days!!

Potty Training Miss Priss

Make sure you scroll back down and look at the pictures I added to Xavier's 11 month post!

Now...on to the potty training.
Our first day ended in 7 hits and 7 misses. We set the timer and went every 10 minutes or so (that's a lot of pottying!!). We had 0 #2s on the potty (which means 2 in our panties) but woke up dry this morning and yesterday at nap! Just now she came to me and had started peeing in her panties but stopped herself. That's progress, right? We're using panties with plastic pants over them for during the day and pull-ups for nap and night. I've already done a load of "panty laundry". Overall, I'm proud of her--she's sitting on the potty like a big girl, our fits have been minimal, and she seems to care. Compared to a week ago when I asked her "Natalee, are you going to wear panties?" and she replied "NO, Natalee wears diapers!" I think we've made progress!

It won't let me type between my pictures--most of them are self explanatory...the 2nd one is Natalee sacking up her diapers!!

Rounding the Corner to 1 Year

Xavier Micheal is rounding the bend to ONE YEAR OLD. (big tears!)
He's such a cross still between a baby and a little boy.
He can throw horrific fits.
He "gets" humor & likes to be funny.
He can say a lot but chooses to grunt.
- says "mama"
- "dada"
- "NENENE" (Natalee--and always as a loud exclamation!)
- "NONONONO!" (always as an exclamation)
- "up"
- "go-go"
- "yum-yum"

- Phrases we've heard once or twice but not since: amen, thank you, banana. When he speaks it's very clear, however he prefers the grunting (I DON'T).




















He wears mostly 18 month clothes--the pants are baggy but 12 mo are too short.
He's in size 4-5 shoes and size 3 diapers (still!).
It seems he's slimming down a smidge and shooting up...his hair is still not growing much. :)
He's determined and headstrong--willing to take on his sister (yikes!).
He's dangerously adventurous (climbing, romping, crawling over whatever--hence the constant bruises on his head).

He's dirty--somehow always. Or sticky. One or the other.
He's understands 'kiss,' 'clap,' 'stand up,' and lots of other command type phrases.
His kisses are open mouthed and sometimes tongue-y, but he loves giving them.
He's lovey--loves to snuggle, be held, be played with, rocked, and (ahem) butt into mom & dad's bed in the middle of the night.
He's *almost* walking. Taking steps, getting braver, cruising (almost running) along furniture.
He's turning ONE in a few short days. Be.still.my.heart.



















We love you Xavier (Xaber-do, Dufer-do, Xabie, SCAMP!). Don't grow up too fast.

Need TIME!

OH how I need time to give updates on my sweet children. Pictures & videos and the like...
but 'tis about bedtime so a few short bullets will have to do!

Xavier

• said "bana" for banana tonight
• is pulling up and letting go (& he claps for himself and puts his "so big" arms up--he's just mere inches away from taking off!
• is being a very. finicky. eater
• is transitioning from formula to whole milk (and LOVES it)
• is undergoing serious signing/speaking training--he's a GRUNTER (frustrating!)
• has lots of bruises on his forehead (see above bullet about pulling up!)
• drinks great from a sippy cup but isn't completely weaned
• still gets up in the middle of the night--we are weaning the bottle from this wake-up routine! (pray for me!)
• loves his sissy, mommy, & daddy and clings tightly to us
• can throw a MEAN, ugly tantrum
• wears 18 month clothes, size 4 shoes & size 3 diapers
  

Natalee:

• is talking in full sentences
• is beginning to refer to herself as "I" instead of "Natalee"
• has taken a slight interest in her wardrobe
• can completely undress herself
• kicks off her shoes like a teenager (instead of sitting down and unstrapping them)
• is having a hard time transitioning to no socks, no pants (bare skin of summer!)
• has grown a full shoe size!
• wears 2T-3T shorts/pants and 4T or XS little girls tops, size 8 shoes
  
• has been biting again :(
• will start potty training on May 27th, much to her absolute dismay--this will be the last facet of her babyhood (no bottles, no binkies, no diapers!)

As you read through the above changes in our sweeties please notice that Xavier is giving up formula (@ $21.00/week) and Natalee's giving up diapers (@ $30ish/month). YAY! I'll be using my extra earnings on...........RISING GAS PRICES! Oh well.....