Merry Christmas

We are having a wonderful Christmas and hope you and your family are doing the same! We attended Christmas Eve church service, put reindeer food in the yard for Santa's reindeer, made homemade popcorn out of non-GMO corn kernels, and watched Polar Express. When the kids woke up this morning they were overcome with excitement. I made gfcfef pancakes with honey and then the kids opened up their gifts. They spent the morning playing and we plan on staying in our pajamas all day and watching Christmas movies. Our Christmas dinner is going to consist of baked ham, gfcfef mac and cheese (this is a first so I'll have to let you know how it turns out), roasted potatoes, and broccoli.

Why Mason Is Healthier

It is almost embarrassing to say but I feel like I finally did things the right way with Mason. By the time I was pregnant with Mason, I was fitting all the pieces together with Haiden and Ella. So instead of typing a long story about all the things I did differently, I thought I'd make a list. Here it goes:
1. Only drank water
2. Didn't take any medicines (not even Tylenol)
3. Ate very well (So maybe the cookies at Marsh bakery don't count, but that was the worse thing I ate.)
4. Didn't vaccinate (Educate yourself people!)
5. Breastfed until he self weaned at 14 months (I never thought I'd be one of "those" people, but I totally am!)
6. Made all my own organic baby food
That's it! Here are the differences:
1. No colic
2. No jaundice
3. No major illness until two weeks ago (had a 24 hour bug).
4. Has met all developmental milestones
He lights up my life!

Saving Ella

Now that we have Haiden in a good place, it is time to focus on our little princess, Ella. I've mentioned it before and I'll say it again, I believe Ella was also damaged by vaccines. By the time Ella was born, we thought Haiden was damaged by having too many vaccines at once, not realizing that I didn't make strong babies, and that my kids couldn't handle ANY vaccines. I remember the day I went into the hospital to have Ella and the nurse asking me if I wanted her to have the Hep B vaccine. I had an unsettling feeling about it and told the nurse my fears. She said, "If you get the Hep B now, then that will be one less at her 6 week appointment." I thought, "Yea, that's true" and signed the consent form. A signature I'll regret for the rest of my life.

By 48 hours of age, jaundice had set in and she had to stay in the hospital an extra day and was sent home with a billy blanket. By 2 weeks of age she had RSV. By 4 weeks of age she had her first ear infection and was on her first round of antibiotics. By 8 weeks of age she had her second ear infection and had her second round of antibiotics. At her well baby visit I agreed to one, just one, vaccine. Two days later she stopped breathing twice, was in the hospital, and sent home with an apnea monitor. (If this would of happened in her sleep instead of my arms, she could of died and it would of been called SIDS.) I still hadn't put it all together and didn't realize the vaccines were causing all these traumatic illnesses so at her 3 month visit I agreed to one, just one more, vaccine. Four days later, Christmas Eve, she was throwing up all day, and we spent Christmas Eve in the hospital because she was dehydrated. Oh, and she had another ear infection. At four months of age she had her fourth ear infection and was put on more antibiotics. At five months of age she had her fifth ear infection and at six months of age she had her sixth ear infection. She also had a constant runny nose and "colds". I finally realized that her little immune system had been destroyed and felt that vaccines contributed to that so I stopped after 4 vaccines and I am forever grateful that I did. After a constant runny nose and colds for six months, Ella was no longer sick but the damage was done.

By now she had been diagnosed with hypotonia (low muscle tone) and still couldn't roll over. (The same girl that was holding her head up on her own at two weeks, all of a sudden had low muscle tone.) I contacted First Steps and physical therapy was started within two weeks. She started to make huge improvements but once we started "real" food, she would throw up or gag. I contacted First Step again and occupational therapy was started within two weeks. Soon we started Craniosacral Therapy and Ella stopped gagging and throwing up. By now she was dismissed from Physical Therapy too. At 18 months of age, when speech was not progressing, I had a speech evaluation and speech therapy was started shortly after. We also put Ella on a gluten/casein free diet. Within a month her language skyrocketed and she hasn't stopped talking since.

Like I said, the damage was done. Being born with a weak immune system, then having vaccines destroy it, not breastfeeding (which I regret giving that up), then antibiotics that strip all good bacteria away from your gut (which 80% of your immune system is in your belly) equals a huge yeast problem also known as leaky gut. A lot of "doctors" won't recognize leaky gut or yeast overgrowth as a real illness but my real homeopathy doctors do. Having yeast overgrowth and leaky gut can lead to a lot of emotional problems which is were we are at with Ella.

She is so smart, loving, helpful, independent, and has the best sense of humor but also so unpredictable. She can be happy one minute and the smallest issue can make her little world fall apart. It is also not easy being the middle child and only girl in the family so we've really been working on behavior modification. She gets a ton of one on one time with mommy or daddy and when she starts to break down we now remove ourselves from the situation instead of removing her. After almost a year of behavior issues with her, last week, was the best week ever! The only change I made was her breakfast and I can't figure out if that has something to do with it or not. Instead of gfcf/egg free waffles or pancakes with honey or real maple syrup, we had organic sausage or bacon with fruit. The change was awesome! The entire household felt less tense and more relaxed. (My husband actually wanted to be home.) Well, I haven't been able to go to the store to get more sausage and fruit so yesterday and today she had waffles with honey. Yesterday was totally exhausting and I felt like we took 10 steps backwards. After an amazing week last week, what in the world happened?! Could it be the food? I guess we will see.

Below is a picture from this past weekend playing out in the snow. She had so much fun!

Haiden's PT Conference

In November we had Haiden's parent/teacher conference and I am so proud to share it with you! On the conference form Haiden's teacher, Mrs. Beard (whom I love), wrote "Haiden just lights up the room. He has such a neat personality. He has a lot to offer!"
She went on to add that "he begins work promptly, stays on task, is willing to ask for help, takes pride in his independent work, demonstrates good handwriting (thank you hours and hours of O.T.), follows directions promptly, demonstrates good self control, assumes responsibility between school and home, gets along well with others, is courteous and has a positive attitude, and cooperates with supervising adults." The only negative comment was that "Haiden will sometimes talk off subject." This comment didn't surprise me at all. That boy is able to turn any conversation into a conversation about football! I am so proud of my little man! He has always been such a fighter and he has fought his way out of autism! Never give up hope!

Trying to Stay Ahead

Between taking care of three little ones, babysitting two other little ones, drum lessons, gymnastics, my photography business, taking care of the house, cooking on a special diet, the holidays, and keeping up with the day to day tasks of life, I've been neglecting my blog! There has been a lot going on in our house that I want to share so bear with me the next few weeks as I try to catch up! In the meantime, here is a picture of my beautiful children at Grandpa Dean and Grandma Jeanne's house!

My Favorite Green Smoothie

When we were on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (and didn't know that Haiden was sensitive to almonds), I spent a lot of time at Georgetown Market buying almonds and cashews in bulk. I feel in love with this store because they have a juice bar. My favorite drink from there is called Tine Dream. Since I am unable to make the trip as much I decided to try my own version of the Tine Dream. I was pretty darn proud when it tasted just like the one they make at Georgetown! What I love most about this drink is that the kids even like it, especially my anti-anything-green guy...Mason. Put organic spinach, organic bananas, frozen peaches in a food processor or blender and start blending. Add coconut milk kefir (loaded with probiotics) and apple juice. Enjoy!

So, so yummy!!!! If you decide to try this please let me know what you think.

Fall Fun

What's been going on with the McKinney's this past month?
Haiden lost his first tooth! He was so excited too! For a sensory kid, I was shocked. He has been wiggling it around for weeks and then came up to me and asked if I would pull it. I grabbed a tissue, counted to three, and pulled. His eyes got really big and he was a little freaked out by the blood but no tears. We went on a trip to Stony Creek Farm in Noblesville. This place is great and if you are looking for a family friendly pumpkin patch with lots of activities for kids, this is it!

They had a tractor for the kids to play on,

a maze made out of straw bales,

and a giant jumping pillow that Haiden loved.

They also had a hay rides, a kid friendly haunted house, food, a pumpkin train, and zip lining!

When we carved our pumpkin I got this picture of Haiden and just loved it!

Mason helping carve his first pumpkin.

Ella helped out too. Even though she didn't like the smell and wouldn't touch the "goop" inside, she liked helping scoop it out.

So just a few years ago this would of made Haiden throw up. Now he is being a comedian.

We then took the kids trick or treating. This can be difficult because we know they are going to get a bunch of junk that they can't have, so my husband and I take care of that problem :)

I can't believe we are into our 2nd week of November already! We will be heading back home to Tell City for Thanksgiving and I can't wait to visit with family and friends.

I'm also excited to share a new green smoothie that I made and the kids even liked it!

My Grandpa

My Grandpa went to a better place last week. Although our hearts are broken and we miss him dearly, we have so many wonderful memories. It has been difficult explaining everything to the kids. Ella and Mason are too young to understand but Haiden is just at that age where he understands but is really confused. With Haiden being so literal and seeing me a wreck, he has had a hard time. I told him that Gramps is with God but when he saw Gramps at the visitation he said, "You told me Gramps was with God so why is he sleeping in that bed?" Before I could think of an answer Haiden said, "Oh, is he dreaming that he is with God?" I said, "Yes."

I was able to speak at Grandpa's service and I am so happy that I did. Below is what I said:

There are not enough words to describe one of the greatest men I have ever known. My grandpa had so many admirable qualities. He was a strong man, very giving, caring, helpful, gentle, hard working, loving, courageous, full of wisdom, and a man of God. He always made us want to be better without even saying a word. Though I think he was most proud of being called a devoted husband, a father, a grandpa, and Gramps. He loved his family unconditionally and always put his family first. We were his world and he always let us know that. I am so grateful for the wonderful memories he made. From our trips to Florida, sporting events, plays, holidays, birthday parties, or just hanging out, he was always there. We will always hold these memories in our hearts. While trying to find comfort in Grandpa's passing I found this poem. As I was reading it I knew it was what Grandpa would say now that he is with the Lord.

You can shed tears that I am gone but please smile because I have lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that I'll come back but please open your eyes and see all that I left.

Your heart can be empty because you can't see me but please be full of the love we shared. You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday but please be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember me and only that I'm gone but please cherish my memory and let it live on.

You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back but please do what I'd want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

Grandpa we will miss you so much. Thank you for always being there, thank you for the cherished memories, thank you for being the best Grandpa in the world.

It's the Little Things

One of the many perks of being a stay-at-home mom is that I am able to have lunch with Haiden at his school! With Ella in preschool two days a week, Mason and I went to lunch with our big man. I walked out of there with a huge smile on my face for many reasons.
1. As Haiden was walking with his class he saw me, turned to his classmate, and said, "Hey look, there is my mom! Hi Mom, I am so happy you are eating lunch with me today. Oh, and there is my little brother, Mason."
2. As they walked into the cafeteria, two of his classmates yelled, "Haiden, Haiden, sit with me!"
3. While sitting at the table Haiden was having a "typical" conversation with his peers!
4. When it was time to go Haiden was in a hurry to be with his friends and took off. He then turned back around and said, "Hey, I want to give you a hug."
There were so many things about this short 30 minutes that made my heart swell. The fact that he has formed meaningful relationships with peers is HUGE! The fact that he keeps conversations going back and forth and on topic is even more HUGE!
Haiden has no idea the leaps and gains he has made in the past 4 years, but I do and that is why I am crazy obsessive about educating people on autism recovery. It's possible folks!

GFCFSF Afternoon Snack

A favorite snack for my kids! We just call it trail mix.

Puffed rice, GF Envirokidz cereal, slivered almonds, dried cranberries, dairy free chocolate chips

Happy Birthday Princess!!!!

My baby girl turned 3 this past weekend! A huge Thank You to Liza Gardner for making this fabulous cake!

Daddy's girl

Mommy's Princess

She felt a little shy when everyone sang Happy Birthday!

"Ella, how old are you?"

"I'm THREE!!!!!!"

She loves her bike from Grandma and Grandpa Kleeman and her helmet from Granny and Gramps!!! Just yesterday as she was riding her bike for the 3rd time that day she stopped, turned around, and said, "Mommy, I just love Grandma!"

The kids with Grandma and Grandpa McKinney

The kids with Grandma and Grandpa Kleeman

Dear Ella,

I can't believe that you are already 3 years old! After 2 years of being sick most of the time, you had a year of perfect health! You have such a fun personality and are full of life! You are also a little mommy and love to help out around the house and with your baby brother. Mommy and Daddy can't get anything by you because you are always very attentive to everyone around you. You love to play with your babies, color, draw, dress up, ride your new bike, and play with your brothers. You also started preschool this year and you love it! Your teachers tell me that you are a very sweet girl and such a good listener. You have the best laugh in the world and I love when you are happy! I can tell by your strong personality that you will probably get whatever you want in life. Mommy and Daddy love you so much!

Salad of the Year

I have a favorite salad that I eat almost everyday for lunch! The best thing about my kale salad is that is it HUGE, filling, and without feta cheese only 300 calories! Plus it is loaded with vitamins and minerals. Organic kale, dried cranberries, slivered almonds, red onion, cucumber, tomato, olive oil, lemon juice, and sea salt. Delicious!

So my family is getting pretty tired of eating the same thing week after week and with our busy schedule it is very hard to cook from scratch every night. So this week we tried something new and I think it was a hit.
I found these Alphatots at Whole Foods and the kids thought they were great! There is only 4 ingredients too.


Then I made a Swiss Steak in the crock pot. I used organic tomato sauce, organic worcheshire sauce, and about a tablespoon of brown sugar. Mixed it all up and put in the crock pot with an organic round steak from Moody Meats.

Voila! A new, easy, and tasty dinner.

Of course I had to add this picture because he is just too darn cute. He is now walking without support and is so proud of himself!

Allergy Elimination

We are taking a homeopathic approach to helping our little princess! We have found a wonderful chiropractor here in Brownsburg who does allergy elimination using the Bioset method. So yesterday was our first visit and we found out she is allergic to eggs, sugar, chicken, and dogs! I was shocked! I thought it was dairy and food dyes but I was wrong. It doesn't help that we have a 100lb lab but the good thing is we don't have to find him a new home. With allergy elimination the belief is that with treatment they are able to remove the allergy. She still may have a sensitivity but not a full blown allergy. We also found out that she has a yeast problem but I had that feeling this entire time. It was recommended that Ella take the supplement Yeast Redux. Have any of my biomed friends tried this? Did it work? They also recommended a yeast free diet which will be torture for our little princess.
I get so angry thinking how all of this could of been prevented. The warning sign was there after she received the Hep B shot when she was only 24 hours old. Unfortunately we were just making the connection between vaccines and injury with Haiden. I thought I was doing a positive thing by spreading the vaccines out but I really wish I would of known then what I know now. She never would of been injected with all of those toxins!
This is such a controversial topic and so many people cringe over it but it needs to be talked about. I'm 28 years old and by the time I was 3 years old I had 10 vaccines. Today a 3 year old will have almost 30 vaccines! What research is being done to see if this is safe? What kind of information is being taken from the mother to see if her child could be at risk? Was the mother a breastfed child? Was the mother on a bunch of antibiotics growing up? What kind of toxins has the mother been exposed to? All these things need to be talked about!

Kido Update

Mr. Cool! Now that Haiden is playing football he thinks he is a tough guy. While I was taking his pictures he said he couldn't smile because he had his football jersey on. :)
Other than the boat load of homework each night, 1st grade is going great! Haiden loves school and loves learning. When he gets home from school we do homework (which is a juggling act with two other little ones) and then he likes to go play in his room. I think he is just destressing from the day and likes to be left alone for awhile...don't we all. He has three neighborhood boys that he plays with almost every day. I love it! They play for hours and I think they would stay the night if we let them. Keep it up Haiden! We are incredibly proud of you!

Oh Princess Ella, how you control the mood in this house. When I picked her up from preschool this week her teacher said, "She is just the sweetest thing!" Wait a minute are we talking about the same child? :) As long as she is good in school, then I can handle her being a little terror at home. Although, I think I have FINALLY made a connection to her bi-polar like behavior. We have tried to removed all artificial coloring from the kids diet but sometimes we slip. I never thought much about it until I knowingly (I know, stupid) gave her something that was artificially colored. The next day she was a hot mess! So I told myself that I was going to make sure she didn't get anything that had artificial coloring. It seemed like last Wednesday and Thursday were rough but then she was AWESOME until yesterday (Wednesday). Well I found out that every time the kids go potty at preschool, they get a skittle! Ella's teacher told me that Ella was going to the bathroom 4-5 times in the morning and she thought it was just to get a skittle! I didn't think this would be an issue because we send in all her food but I guess I was wrong. So as she was a hot mess all morning today I blamed the skittles. :)

My little Mason man! You are wearing your momma out now that you are a climbing maniac! We can't turn our backs or he will be on top of the dining room table, climbing up the couch, throwing himself off the couch, in a drawer, in the trash, pulling dirt out of the potted plants, pulling all the toilet paper off the roll, getting all the glass tuperware out and banging it on the tile, turning the TV on and off, splashing in the dog's water, trying to eat the dog food, climbing on the brick fireplace, pulling the gate down to get up the stairs, trying to slide under the gate at the top of the stairs, climbing in the toybox, and flushing the toilet over and over.

This week he has also started walking so we are in trouble. :)

My life is filled with so much joy because of these 3 amazing children!

Mason's First Haircut

With Haiden and Ella recently having their first day of school, I thought I should add another first...Mason's first haircut. I loved his long, curly hair but it was getting a little out of control. Now he looks like a little boy, not my baby, but he will always be my baby :)

He continues to be amazing! Never sick, always engaged, and meeting milestones. Our only child without immunizations but yet our healthiest.

Ella's 1st Day of Preschool

Ella started preschool this week! I had mixed emotions about this. I was happy for her and this next step in her life but I was terrified that she would get kicked out. :) (Those of you who know Ella, know this could happen.) I pictured a lot of crying, refusing to listen, not playing with other children, and a phone call from her teachers. Despite my fears, Ella was "awesome". (Yes, awesome is in quotes because that is what Ms. Shannon said.) I am one proud momma!