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Since I can't send you all a Christmas card and our family Christmas letter, I thought I'd share it with you here! A special thanks to Alexa Ferris for taking such fabulous photos of our family this year!
A very Merry Christmas from us to you this
year! Though we started out the year
struggling in many ways, Our Father in Heaven has blessed us in more ways than we
can count. We have been filled with
peace and come to a better understanding of God’s plan for our family.
In January, Jason lost his job working at a
residential addictions recovery house for adults. In March he was offered a full time job, working
at Walmart, in shipping and receiving, with every Sunday off. With no other prospects at the time, Jason
took the job. To our surprise, he loves
it. We could have never anticipated what
a blessing it would be to Jason, and our family, for him to land a job working
at Walmart. When returning home from
work, he’s happier than he’s ever been.
In May, Jason was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum
Disorder, an Anxiety Disorder, and ADHD.
The process of receiving these diagnoses included an assessment by his
primary care doctor, who then referred him to a specialist. The specialist interviewed Jason, Renae, and
Jason’s mother in order to obtain past and present information about education,
work, relationships, social situations, etc.
Jason was then put through adaptive and cognitive testing.
To some, these diagnoses may come as a surprise,
and are perhaps unbelievable. To others,
they make complete sense. But after
struggling for years in the work place, at home, and in other social and
sensory overload situations, Jason is very confident in the specialists’
diagnoses. He is thrilled to finally
understand himself better. All areas of
his life have improved, as he’s learning to function at his best.
Renae is busy at home. Her days are spent taking care of the house
and homeschooling the four kiddos. In
March, she started blogging professionally at http://everystarisdifferent.blogspot.com. Renae provides Montessori-inspired activity
ideas, free educational printables, and support for families with children who
have developmental and social-emotional disabilities, along with those who have
special dietary needs. Shortly after
starting her professional endeavors, she was approached to join in a
partnership with Russian blogger, Anastasia at www.montessorinature.com. This has been an incredible experience for
Renae. She is also in the beginning
phases of writing her first book for parents of children with special needs. It is her hope to finish it by the end of
2015 and then move forward with publishing.
Dinomite turns 8 in January and has decided to be
baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It has been a great blessing to watch Dinomite mature. He has always had such a strong
desire to choose the right. When he was
little and first diagnosed with autism, we didn’t know what to expect, or if he
even could be baptized. He has grown so
much in the past few years.
This year Dinomite has mastered reading and LOVES
it. He picks up pretty much anything
with words and reads it. When it comes
to learning, Dinomite loves zoology, geography, and history. Outside of the classroom he continues to love
all things LEGO, animals, knights & dragons, superheroes, and sports.
Bulldozer turned 6 in August. He has made unbelievable progress in the
areas of fine motor and sensorial skills this year. Due to his autism, Bulldozer has always struggled
in these areas. He’s also made
advancements with reading and writing. When it comes to learning, Bulldozer loves
earth science, astronomy, and meteorology.
This year, Bulldozer has developed a
new love for food, now enjoying burritos, Kalua Pork Roast, hamburgers and
more. When it comes to play, he loves
all things Star Wars. Bulldozer also loves video games and anything
LEGO.
Princess turned 5 in July. She continues to astound us every day. Her developmental pediatrician is amazed at
the progress she has made recovering from past trauma she experienced, prior to
her coming to our home. Princess’ Reactive
Attachment Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder behaviors are now
manageable without medication.
HOORAY! When it comes to
learning, Princess is brilliant. She can
pick up any children’s picture book and read it with ease. Her math abilities are that of a 2nd
or 3rd grader. Princess loves to
write. When not learning new things, Princess continues to love all things Disney Princess related, especially Elsa
from Frozen. She also enjoys playing
with her My Little Pony figures, LEGO duplos, and dress up.
Sunshine turned 3 in November. This year has been quite an adventure with
our little girl. Early in the year Sunshine was officially diagnosed with Mild Cranial Facial Microsomia. In the Spring, Sunshine had her first
developmental pediatrician appointment. We
were definitely not prepared for all we learned that day. Sunshine is developmentally delayed and meets
criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder. Due
to neglect and possible abuse, prior to her joining our family, Sunshine has Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder and Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD). Sunshine’s last diagnosis of the day was a Sleep
Disorder. Since Sunshine came to us, she has
struggled with eczema, unexplained rashes, gagging and vomiting. In July, Sunshine was diagnosed with 14 food
allergies: beef, peanut, egg, soy,
sesame, dairy, corn, oats, banana, citrus, berries, melon, tomato and
celery. They are not life threatening, like Bulldozer’s 30+ food allergies, but definitely affect Sunshine in big ways. We know we still don’t have all the pieces to
the puzzle, when it comes to understanding our little girl, but for now we’re just
working with what we do know.
Despite so many struggles, our little girl continues to be
a ray of Sunshine in our home. This fall
she joined her older siblings during learning time and LOVES it. Her favorite subject area is art. Sunshine loves to play with LEGO duplos. Her favorite playmate is her big brother Bulldozer. They definitely have a special
bond. Sunshine is well versed in Star Wars
and superheroes and seems to love them as much as her brothers. She also loves “Anna” from Frozen.
We are so thankful that despite their own
struggles, our four children are healthy and happy. When we have prayed for answers about how to
better serve the needs of our family, we have received them. With those answers have come the means to
provide, peace, contentment, and a clear understanding of the Lord’s plan for
our family. We never planned to have
four special needs children. We did not
know about Jason’s disabilities when we married. We certainly never planned to have two
daughters with Reactive Attachment Disorder.
But the Lord knew all of this. He knew the order in which everything
needed to happen, and when we needed to know.
For that we are thankful. May you
be able to count your many blessings this holiday season, as you look forward
to a new year filled with hope and love.
Best
wishes,
The Eddy Family
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