So, Little Man's phone broke in an attempt to put a password on it to protect it from friends. Ironically, the need for a password brings me a bit of very bizarre twisted joy simply because that means he has friends to protect his privacy from. The demise of his phone broke my heart. K-Man would call this "broken logic". On said phone, there were 56 pages of a "Choose Your Own Adventure" style book and several chapters including character development of "Murder At Mayberry Mansion", a thrilling and enticing tale written by the very amazing kid I sit here writing about. In addition, he had already composed a trailer and an entire episode of "Stop Motion" Lego film using photography, where you move each piece ever so slightly in each shot and play all the photos together creating a menagerie of art that before your eyes that has suddenly become a movie! His talent never ceases to amaze me. Anyway, I sat down to create a recovery email, sick over the thought that he lost all of those original pictures. When doing so, good ol' Google popped up this blog and it smacked me in the face. I simply can not believe I haven't updated since K-Man's 10th birthday. He's 12 people. 12. Now, that's sad. So much has happened in the past 2 years it's unreal. We all know that I'm long winded (only because I think details are important), but I'll try to keep this a decent length.
Shortly after Kaden's birthday....surprise....his name is Kaden, Hurricane Matthew barreled through and destroyed EVERYTHING. We lost our home, cars, sentimental items, pictures, property, a lot of his equipment, and we had to say good-bye to our goats. It was beyond heartbreaking walking into waist high water and watching his Lego's float and observe the mold growing on his stuffed animals and books. We knew we'd never be able to return. After Department of Natural Resources brought us back by boat to try and retrieve our most precious items if they could be retrieved, the flood waters just continued to rise. We found refuge in a shed/garage/apartment space and stayed for three months. Kaden slept on an air mattress with a joyful heart. He sat at a small table and played with his Legos that were donated by his PT/OT team, and continued to smile. It was difficult for him as all change is, but he continued to thrive for the most part. He became very ill a few times and continued some of his "Kaden" things, but we discovered some new stuff too. Kaden saw his mitochondrial specialist in Florida and followed up with his geneticist in Florence. He's also seeing a phenomenal pulmonologist (lung doctor). We've added and replaced some doctors. He has a new cardiologist (heart doctor) and a rheumatologist (joints and cartilage), a developmental pediatrician (she specializes in autism and is amazing), and a neuropsychologist (she help other's understand our incredible son's intricate brain). His existing team was his pediatrician, 2 neurologists (brain), endocrinologist (metabolism, blood sugar, growth), and gastroenterologist (stomach). With the hard work of this team and the open mind of a handful of them, we've finely tuned Kaden's mitochondrial cocktail which is basically special vitamins, his medications, and essential oils to help him thrive and grow. Since we've converted his g-tube to a g-j tube (feeding tube), he's gained weight and height. The autism diagnosis has helped many people understand him and has opened up a lot of resources for him. We approach situations differently and our methods prevent meltdowns. We work around Kaden, but life is amazing.
We've been blessed with a beautiful home, in a safe and pretty neighborhood. We have an amazing nurse and nursing agency. Our neighbors are incredible and loving and excepting. Kaden's teachers through the homebound curriculum are two women that show such amazing love for him that by far surpasses any education and love he could receive in a public school environment, and are nothing short of angels. For socialization, when everyone is healthy, we attend a co-op. For the most part, they too, are incredible. We've explained to Kaden that everywhere you go in life, there will be mean people and people that say hurtful things. There are so many people that don't realize what Kaden goes through every single day. He would love to make more friends and I'm sure he will when God see's the right people fit. You've got to be pretty special to fit into Kaden's world. He's so intelligent that a lot of children have a hard time keeping up with him. He's incapable of lying, most likely due to the spectrum, and doesn't understand metaphors. Now, he can withhold information, but the child can not blatantly lie. It's nice. He is annoyed easily and likes a quiet environment. Oh, the joys of a tweenager. His siblings and family understand him, and he rather enjoys their company. Cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents... they make him happy. He also cherishes my dearest friends and they're like our family. His God-mother Shannon, ensures he experiences life every time she visits. She even took him deep sea fishing with my hubby! Over the last two years he's had to deal with a lot of loss and change. He lost his Sunday school teacher, my dear friend Amanda. Her loss was felt deeply in this house. I was under the weather and she helped brighten my days for so long. However, we were also reunited with Kaden's original Sunday school teacher, also named Amanda, and that was a joyous occasion for us. His current Sunday school teacher is also named Amanda, so it can be confusing by name only. Three women with beautiful souls that at some point have filled his soul with laughter, acceptance, strength, positivity and joy. We are so blessed. Most of you know he wasn't supposed to make it this far, but he continues to fight. We're convinced he always will.
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| 11th Birthday |
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| With your friend |
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| On the boat with Daddy |
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| A special day with God-mother Shannon and siblings |
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| 12th Birthday |
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| Special Memory |
To our son: I know the words "You make me proud" are said often, but sometimes the written word is different. You make us feel proud to be your parents. Your honesty and integrity are rare. You know how you told Daddy that not all super heroes wear capes? Well, the same goes for you. We love you more today than yesterday. Thank you for allowing us to be part of your world.- Love, Momma and Daddy
