Hearing passed

Our speech and language pathologist for Ginja suggested we have her hearing tested to ensure no concerns, as she has over sensitive ears and is really soft toned with her speech. So I made sure we all got a full eight hours of sleep. Dad wasn't able to get time off for the appointment so I was ready for the worst appointment ever (when family dr looks at her ears we have to pin her, she goes into meltdown) so I was ready for a nightmare appointment to occur. We went to Heritage Hearing Clinic in Pembroke, they set aside an appointment for two audiologists to work with her. Much to my surprise they were amazing with Ginja, she didn't fuss, fight or cry once!!! I sat back and watched them in action, they didn't give her a minute to doubt and allowed her to play while conducting the tests. So she is definitely hearing us:) The audiologist performed words with Ginja while she was in the sound proof booth, the other audiologist was with her and she pointed to the pictures each and every time and the audiologist said she could not turn the volume any lower and she was still hearing extremely well. That explains her over sensitivity. So step one done, rule out hearing issues. This week we also did the one hour intake with Ottawa Children's Treatment Centre and have been referred to the next step which is the Getting Started program where they will give us strategies for day to day life and start therapies. That call will take about 6 weeks to receive and then we will be seen in about 4-5 months. That is discouraging to me as a mom, as early intervention shows the best results. They are the ones who decide if a psychological assessment would be beneficial. So I have been looking into our options, I even called McMaster Children's Hospital where my oldest was born and they are at an approximate wait of 12 months, better but still not good enough. Fiancées family is seeing if their family doctor who is also a paediatrician can see her and our last resort is to take her to Energing Minds in Ottawa for a private diagnosis, which is not covered by OHIP and we can only claim $1000 per year, so there would still be out of pocket fees for us, but is the quickest route to services and a diagnosis. 

Above is our beautiful Ginja waiting to enter her hearing test. So time to flip the page and keep on trucking :D

Ignited

Yesterday I attended the local autism group with Ginja. Before entering that room I knew she had autistic tendencies, when the doors opened it was like we were pulled right into the group and had been attending all along. No judgements were passed for her frequent meltdown and screaming events. In each one of the beautiful children I saw characteristics of my Ginja. I felt relieved and understood. Each one of the other parents knew exactly where I was because they at one time were in my place. They had all waited for a diagnosis, they all know my every day life. They knew how to make me laugh while I sat in My chair observing and watching the door to make sure my and their flight risk children didn't escape. I sat there taking it all in, and it's coincidental that group occurred on Sunday  because it was like "church" for me. For a while deep down I knew Ginja showed autistic tendancies, the drs pushed back and told me to wait it out she would come around etc. As I sat there I was happy to be a part of an unspoken understanding, and within myself I found peace knowing I was right for trusting my gut instinct. In that moment I became angry at the health care system for thinking it was ok to make children wait 18-24 months for a diagnosis. In that moment I decided I would not wait patiently and I became a determined momma bear. I came home and researched my butt off, staying up until 3 am with our sleepless Ginja. This morning I started calling. Now I wait for a few returned calls, and know I have an option for private diagnosis that could be majority covered by insurance within the next couple of months! I will not stop fighting for my kids and yesterday ignited a new flame. 

Under the weather

I realize it has been a few weeks for posting, the entire family had the flu that turned to the winter cold and to finish it off I ended up with food poisoning! We still have the lingering cough and runny nose but I can handle that! We saw the speech and language specialist and had Ginja's assessment completed, her understanding is at an age range of three and a half so she is on target for that, and expressive speech is delayed but that was what got us the diagnosis to start with. Tomorrow we meet with infant and child development worker to do the intake process and get more help while we wait the 18 months to get into CHEO. So we are the steps to answers. 

Wedding! So I have decided to go with alternative flowers. I will be making flowers from material like chiffon, silk and a few other materials. That took care of the how to preserve my bouquet and saved us a ton of money on our floral budget. I may still choose some fresh baby's breath but will incorporate a lot of twigs, lace and burlap in the centrepieces. 

Look what I won from Julie Keon, www.juliekeon.com !!! I am so excited to attend this awesome show, she is doing a seminar on writing your own vows. We will be fortunate to work with her for our wedding as we have confirmed her as our officiant. Now we have to just pay the deposit for our photographer that I finally decided on!!! I had decided prior to seeing their work in person but are going with BH Photography based in Almonte, Ont. After seeing their work and talking to them at the bridal show in Renfrew, I knew I wanted to book them and they embraced our idea of a first look. Then on the Monday following the show I received an email telling me that I won their $500 off giveaway! I could not have been more excited!! Check out their awesome work www.bhphotography.ca

I am getting more and more excited as we start to prepare the details and finalize our vendor list. It also reminds me there is so much work to be completed. Look for my future posts on with some how tos! 

Something new

Recently I have found that sitting down to make a meal plan ends up with a regular set of meals, so I wanted to try something different. Boy was it a hit, Lil man are all his food as usual, same for Daddy. Coco picked out all the broccoli and ate that first, and Ginja well she are what she felt like before she was up in the kitchen asking for George which happens to be curious George cartoon on netflix. This is the repeat cartoon of the week. For those who don't know Ginja is being referred for autism. At 3 speech is minimal, potty training is a complete regression, meltdowns are frequent and nothing can help her. She has now started telling us no touch, which can rip any parents heart out. She is affectionate on her terms, noises cause her to cover her ears multiple times a day. She will escape anything (safety door covers, double stacked baby gates) and a fascination with lights. This are just a few of what had us urging the doctors that something just wasn't right. I have a friend who has been a huge help through this process, JK has been there as a sounding board for me, she is a mom to three autistic children, we had a play date and she saw the things I saw in Ginja. She has offered so much help and advice. I appreciate being able to text or message her for help, knowing how chaotic her days can get with therapy, and everyday life of her household of 6. So JK when you read this, Thank you for being there. You gave me strength to push back against the doctors and bring out the momma bear and I know how I feel when Ginja is having a hard day, and knowing you face this with each of your children and are still there to help other parents. You are a Super Momma bear. Thank you, those two words can't express the gratitude I have for your friendship. Our next step is our visit with the child and infant development worker on Tuesday, which is the start of our path to answers and help. 

Family Handprint Art

Over the Christmas Break we decided to do a few activities for the family and for our home. I am a Pinterest lover (might need rehab!!) and I love all the amazing ideas, so we tried out this handprint Family sign for our living room. This was a super easy project and all you need is a canvas (size dependant on your wants) I picked ours up at Dollarama for $3, I already had paint in the house and we also had painters tape and brushes on hand. So this project cost is $3, and the kids had a blast painting their hands and stamping on the canvas. Black handprints are Daddy, green are Lil Man, pink belong to Ginja Ninja, red for Mom and purple for our baby girl Coco. The part that took the longest was ripping the painter's tape to make letters, I would think you could use vinyl letters if you want something exactly the same and crisper. I rate this project a 1/5 for difficulty, if you have wee ones they may require some help from Mom or Dad :) I rate this a 1/5 for cost as well. 

Wedding Planning

Yesterday I attended the wedding show at Garrison Petawawa. To say it was busy would be an understatement. For the first 4 hours of the show it was packed! They had a walking fashion show, tons of awesome vendors and some good food to try. I fell in love with the deep fried macaroni and cheese bites! We have booked our venue, invites have been purchased, a preliminary guest list has been created, DJ is booked , dress purchased, bridal party chosen and so many more details are in motion. I finally chose my bouquet and that will remain a surprise but my girls will be carrying gorgeous flowers from Kevin's Flowers and he generously gave me the display bouquet that is their bouquet.

Simple and elegant, the roses will be cream or white that is still undecided. I really wish there was a way to share their amazing scent. After smelling these roses I know why the term was coined "Stop and smell the roses." 

As you can read a lot of the details have already been decided on, except the photographer! Not because I don't think the photographer isn't important but the exact opposite. Photography is SO important because after the meal has been consumed, the drinks are no longer flowing, the dancing has ended, you hang up your dress, you dry your bouquet and you look at your pictures. I also do not want to have to sell my first born to afford these images. I know the extend of the work that goes into amazing photography, it's not just take out the camera, shoot a few shots and presto amazing images. I enjoy photography as a hobby, so I know the cost of a quality camera, education, time in the editing room etc. So I am extremely stuck because I expect a certain quality but I also don't want to spend a mortgage on a wedding. Local photographers are charging about $3000  and to me that is a small fortune, considering I really want our wedding to cost us about $5000. I think of $3000 and what I could do with that amount of money.  I have been very laid back for most of the planning, so far from bridezilla, but when it comes to photography I have certain expectations. I want the details remembered, the dress, the accessories, I want his reaction to me in my dress, the decorations, our rings, our guests and all the other things that will blur by me on our big day. So the hunt continues...

Good food and Great Company

Yesterday I drove with a friend to Ottawa to shop at Costco. The drive is about two hours from the military base we live on. People look at me like I am a crazy person pulling around an extremely overfilled cart!! I consider myself frugal and I know a good deal when I see one. So I grabbed our usual purchases Kirkland brand wipes, Kirkland diapers, their toilet paper is a must! 2.5 dozen eggs for $5.99 that is almost what I pay for a family pack of 18 here. So after shopping I know Costco has an affordable menu but I have a hard time after being in the store with that many people who cut you off or walk in front of you or decide to let their children to sit and read a book in the middle of the aisle, with no parent in sight, I am usually at the end of my patience level by then and can't be bothered to fight for somewhere to sit to have a cheap meal. So my friend and I decide to try a new place that I have heard rave reviews about. 

This is an amazing chicken burrito at Mucho Burrito in Ottawa. It's a party in your mouth with seasoned rice, black beans, stir fry veggies and a generous amount of chicken topped with medium salsa for me. I then dipped it in some of this delicious smoke and fire sauce.

My friend and I also ordered a plate of Nachos to share and to be honest the plate of nachos are the best nachos I have ever had and no way I could have eaten the platter to myself after my very filling delicious burrito. 

Makes me drool thinking of it again! The gentleman that served us was extremely helpful when we told him that it was our first visit. It was an affordable meal considering how good it was. For two chicken burritos, two waters and a tray of nachos the total was $33sh. I would rate this a 5/5 and a definite try for those who have never been. I will be returning