Updates :)

It's been a busy couple of weeks for us lately. Mike is very busy with work and working a lot of OT to make some extra money for Christmas that is fastly approaching, and Gabe and I have been busy with school. Gabe is doing really, really well at school and seems to LOVE going everyday. His Special Ed teacher has started him on a reading program in her class, and he is going to the regular kindergarten class every afternoon for a few hours. She says that he does really well in the regular room and doesn't seem over-whelmed at all by all the kids or activities they do. He does have an aide who attends with him, so that probably helps a lot. He has trouble stay on task and needs someone there to guide him if he gets distracted. We are very happy with where he is at school right now and are so very proud of him! I can't wait to see where he is in a few months!

We are going Wednesday to see the DAN! doctor for our 3 month visit to see where we are going from here. I am almost certain that we will end up deciding on the SCD diet, as Gabe seems to have very severe yeast (candida) over-growth issues in his gut. 
Why you ask? 
Well, in August, we cut back drastically on his carb and sugar intake. He was probably getting less than 5g of sugar/carbs per day. The result was a HUGE outburst of speech and language development. He was coming up to us spontaneously saying, "I want to swing" or " I want a drink", whatever it was he wanted he could find the words and ask without ANY cue or prompt from us. It was nothing short of shocking and amazing to us.
What changed? 
He started school and we slacked off on monitoring his sugar intake. We weren't really certain that the sugar-free diet was what caused the increase in speech until he regressed back to where he was before now. It's really dissapointing and stressful. I hate regression, just the thought of it makes me get chills. It's like the worst nightmare you could ever have and a constant fear of a parent with a child with autism. Candida also sucks....it is such a viscious cycle. You kill/starve it off and think you're out of the clear, and then it comes back to bite you in the ass again. I am %100 for sure that if we completely got rid of the Candida, that Gabe would be well on the road to recovery after. I just cannot figure out how to get rid of it forever. I feel so terrible depriving Gabe of snacks and drinks that every other kid runs around eating and drinking in front of him all day every day. I know, I know, I shouldn't feel bad because it's what is best for him. Yeah, I get that, but it still SUCKS! I know that it is what is best for him and that I need to be strong for him and do the SCD diet, but there is a part of me that mourns that loss of normalicy for him. I want for him to be like every other kid who can get ice cream from the ice cream man when he comes through the neighborhood (even though they are probably serial killers or pedophiles- kidding, kind of). I would love for him to be able to eat the greasy, deep fried fair food when we go every year like I did when I was little (even though it is TERRIBLE for you). I want all of that for him, but I also know that if I don't help him get better, then he will never have a shot at living a "normal" life as a functioning member of society. I want to see him get married, go to college, have kids (but NOT vaccinate them!), and be happy.

Does anyone else have these thoughts? It's so hard, but yet so rewarding being a parent of a child with autism. I would never trade one moment with Gabe for anything else in the world. 
He is my world.