Adam's Story

Last Friday, KARK did a story about a national study that ACH will be participating in studying all types of developmental delays, including autism. Mal called to see if they could interview Adam & me, and of course we were happy to help! (Anything to be on TV, right?) They came to the school and taped the interview on the playground. You can watch it here:

http://arkansasmatters.com/media_player.php?media_id=123041

Adam was a little afraid and didn't want me to let him down. He did let me put him in the swing, and they got a cute shot of Evan pushing him. Evan, of course, was hamming it up for the camera. He would slide down the slide and look at the camera to say, "Want me to do it again?". Then he would throw the ball to me and turn to the camera and say, "I throw the ball to my Mommy!"

I told the reporter as we were leaving to try to make me sound halfway intelligent, and I think the piece turned out really good! I told Jeff I only wish I hadn't used the word "devastated". We know what devastated feels like, and compared to that, this challenge with Adam is so do-able. If I had to do it over again, I would say this is difficult, or maybe challenging, but definitely not devastating.

Adam, by the way, is doing great. We continue to see progress daily, and are amazed at how far he has come in such a short time. Every day we are hearing new words (today's new word was "helment"--he was playing with a Star Wars toy), and he is making much better eye contact. This weekend during Emma's soccer game, he was playing Ring Around the Rosie with Evan and some of the other siblings and having a ball. Amazing! Two months ago he wouldn't have cared to participate.

Last week we saw a Neurologist at ACH who said she does not see any evidence of a neurological disorder, but wants us to go ahead and do an EEG and an MRI (under sedation) just to rule things out, so we are working on getting that scheduled. She was a little concerned about the tone of his legs and his "toe walking" and wants Frances Allen to go ahead and do a PT evaluation--they will be doing that this week.

Today, he moved to a new room at school so that he and Evan are separated to help encourage him to be a little more independent since Evan tends to do most of his talking for him. (I think Evan tends to do the talking for most of the class.) His new teachers went on and on about how great he did and how sweet he is--they love him already!

We continue to be amazed at God's provision for our family. Thank you to all who are praying for us, and please keep Adam and his continued progress in your prayers. We do have a long way to go, but as Jeff's Dad used to say, "This is a starting point. We can get there from here".

Happy Birthday Jeff Johnson!

Can you tell that Evan enjoyed his dessert?

We celebrated Jeff's 41st birthday on Monday with dinner at home (take-out from Carino's), and Hot Fudge Sundae's for dessert. Yumm!! Jeff and I both love the theatre, so for his birthday I got tickets to see Les Miserables at The Rep for next Friday night. (We'll be looking for babysitters.....hint, hint....!)

More exciting, we were also celebrating his "halfway through nursing school" day! Jeff is doing great in school, and I'm truly amazed at how he juggles family responsibilities with school and studying. If you ever see him at the park, driving carpool, picking up kids from soccer or Taekwondo, or even standing in line at the grocery store, he's likely to have a stack of index cards with him so that he can squeeze in some study time at every possible minute. He and Emma often study together at the dining room table, and most mornings he slips out of bed at 5 a.m. for an hour of quiet study time before our busy days begin. I could go on, but he wouldn't want me to. Although I must let you know that he is an incredible man of courage and faith, and he is my hero. Happy Birthday Jeff Johnson! I love you!

(Emma took this video, and her videography skills are a little lacking, but it should give you a good idea of a typical night at the Johnson dinner table. Notice Adam & Evans great table manner. We're still working on using utensils.)

A Beautiful Weekend

What a beautiful weekend! On Saturday, Emma had two soccer games. After last week's game, Jeff decided that it would be a long time before Adam & Evan were invited back to a soccer game (let's just say it is not safe to try to watch a soccer game and two toddlers at the same time), so we took turns this weekend. Jeff & Ethan went to the morning game, and I went to the afternoon game. We lost both games, although the 2nd game in Bryant was close and the team is improving every week. I know we have a win in our future!

Saturday evening, Emma and I went on a trek to find something for her to wear to church on Sunday. Let me tell you, finding styles appropriate for a soon to be 11-year-old in Junior sizes is quite a challenge! I bet she tried on 20 outfits and we did finally come away with something cute and that didn't make her look 16, but I was worn out by the time we were done!

We went to church on Sunday, and managed to sneak in a quick nap after lunch while Adam & Evan were napping. (Jeff and I love a good Sunday afternoon nap!). Then, Emma had two school projects to finish up while Jeff took Ethan to ride his new dirt bike. We spent most of the afternoon outside enjoying the beautiful weather. Adam & Evan spent the afternoon jumping in the Jump 'n Slide, and Emma joined in to "supervise". After a late dinner of Jeff's gourmet fish sticks, everyone was in bed and out like a light by 8:30!

Tomorrow begins another busy week with a special birthday to celebrate!

Happy Birthday EE!

Our Ethan Man turned 6 last Friday! We celebrated on Saturday with a great party at Chi Chi's house. Ethan's good friend, Ema Hill, was born just 4 days before him. Since they have all the same friends (they are in the same classes at both church and school) we had a combined party. The kids had an awesome time riding horses and just running and playing around "Linch Land". Thank you Chi Chi & PJ for your hard work to make this a special day for Ethan and Ema. It was AWESOME!

If you’ve spent any time with Ethan then you probably already know that he is without a doubt the sweetest child on earth. Ethan is all boy, but he loves everybody and is never afraid to say it or show it. He’s so funny and just a joy to be with. He is a nurturer like his Daddy, with a tad bit of stubborn like his Mommy. He loves: guns....hunting....archery....army stuff....bazokas....Star Wars....light sabors....4 wheelers....motorcycles....riding his bike....and oh yeah, did I mention any kind of weapon? Jeff and I are not sure where it comes from, but we are sure that he is going to be a lifetime member of the NRA. He and Jeff have the same conversation every day...."Daddy, have you ever shot a 22? What kind of guns have you shot? Have you ever shot a BB gun? What have you shot with a BB gun?" We are thankful that he has Uncle PJ and Uncle James to be his hunting buddies someday!

Happy Birthday EE! We love you!!

Adam

We had our first visit with Adam's team at the Frances Allen School last Friday. They have completed his evaluations and developed a plan for him that we are really pleased with. We could tell from our visit that they spent a lot of time evaluating and observing him and that they got a really good picture of his needs. He will start this week going to occupational and speech therapy, both three times a week for 45 minutes each time. He'll also have 1 hour a week with the developmental specialist, and a set of goals that the teachers will be working on in the classroom. They also suggested that we move Adam & Evan into separate classrooms because Evan is talking for Adam. (Actually, I think Evan is talking for everyone. Ms. Lea told us that she had to remind Evan three times that day that he was not the teacher!). They think that this will help Adam become more independent, and that being in a room with kids just a little older will provide some better role-modeling for him. They will also start working on potty training! They were so encouraging and all feel that Adam is going to make great progress. What an relief and answered prayer!

Please continue to pray that Adam will respond to the therapy and continue to learn and grow. We know that God has great plans for our little man and can't wait to see what He has in store!

Soccer Weekend

Emma has been playing soccer for 3 years and LOVES it. This year she joined a new soccer team, and is doing really well. We spent last weekend in Memphis for a tournament. The girls played three games and although the outcome of the was not good, Emma played great. In fact, she started each game and was rarely taken out for a rest. She ran pretty much non-stop for all three games. She is so tough! Check out her team website for a schedule: http://www.eteamz.com/98white/

This was our first time to stay in a hotel since we became a family of six, and it was quite an adventure. We pushed the two queen beds together to make room for two Pack-n-Plays and at 10 p.m. Saturday night, Adam & Evan were both jumping across the beds yelling "Jump Party! Jump Party!". I'm sure our neighbors enjoyed it!

Jeff's cousin Tracey and her family drove over from Nashville to spend the weekend with us. Their son, Ford, turned two in August and is absolutely adorable! We don't get to see them nearly enough and wish these cousins could spend more time together!

Adam & Evan's New School

Adam & Evan started their new school last week. (Don't they look cute with their new backpacks .... Thank You Ms. Julie!) We had some rough mornings with lots of tears. Evan complained every day....... "I don't want to go my school. I want to go my house!".... all the way there. I'm happy to report that I left this morning, and although Adam was looking pretty sad, there were no tears. I've figured out the trick with Evan is to NOT feed him breakfast at home so that he is really hungry by the time we get there. This morning he started his "I don't want to go...." routine, until we pulled up in the driveway and he thought about breakfast. He immediately started saying "I want to eat....I want to, I want to!"

I have shared with many of you that they started their new school, Frances Allen School, due some developmental delays that Adam is facing. Frances Allen is a developmental preschool with a wonderful reputation. Adam will be evaluated next week, and will be receiving developmental, speech, occupational, and physical therapy. We feel very blessed to have gotten a spot at Frances Allen so quickly. Amazingly, Jeff and I have already seen a difference in Adam's speech and social interaction in the past week. We are very encouraged and know that he is going to make great strides there.

Thank you to all who have been praying for us over the past few weeks. We are so thankful for our wonderful family and friends!