Autism... Who knew?

It is 4 in the morning, I feel like crap and can't sleep. So here I am blogging, which I have totally neglected for a month. I totally blame that on facebook which has taken up the little time I spend on the computer each day since I joined. Uugh. Too many things to do in a day.
Since I posted last, we have taken our 6 year old Gavin up to the Child Developmental Clinic at the UofU for some testing. He ended up being diagnosed with PDDNOS, which stands for Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified. It is a developmental order in the same family as Autism, Aspergers, Rhetts, etc. The best way I can really describe it in lamans terms is that Gavin is basically high functioning Autistic.
In the past, people have referred to Gavin as "naughty" or maybe even thought of Mike and me as bad parents. Now I feel like we have some clarification. Other people with Autistic kids, can surely understand our situation. I feel like I can breath a sigh of relief. I know what we are dealing with now, and can intervene in a better way. Before I was always frustrated with Gavin and myself as a parent. I didn't know what to do or how to handle him. I was doing my best, and some of it worked, but now I know more what to do in any given situation.
Gavin is such a sweet natured little boy, and so concerned over the simplest things. He is so beautiful on the outside, that people who see him don't always understand why he acts the way he does. Getting to know Gavin on the inside takes a special person who is willing to really get to know him. I thank all his teachers at his school and my close friends and family who have loved Gavin from the get go, before any of us knew what was going on with him.
In other news, we have been trugging along with life. Lily has 2 state qualifying times for the State Swimmeet so far. She has 2 more meets to shoot for more state Q times, so we'll see how they go. She is so close on so many of her races! She's only 8 though, so she has 2 more years to qualify in her age bracket!
Halle is 11 months now. She isn't walking on her own yet, but is cruising around the furniture. Lily still holds the record for being the youngest walker in the fam, having started at 11 months. Though Ella and Halle started Crawling younger than Lil did.
Ella started swimming lessons after she turned 3 and LOVES it. She just completed her first set and is excited as heck because her best friend Lauryn is goig to be in her class next set. Yay!!!
I'm adding pictures that I have taken in the past month to this post, which are already on my facebook, so if you read my facebook account, sorry, some of these are repeat photos.
I'm having some mid-January spring fever. I got a new jogging stroller and made my poor gilrs sit in it the day it arrived to go for a walk while Gavin rode his bike. We have only gone jogging with it twice since then becuause the air quality has been so poor.

the spring fever rubbed off on Gavin and Ella

Vader and George's first excursion out of the hutch since we got them. George figured out how to unlatch the hook after that and he kept getting out and digging a burrow under the hutch. Vader is so fat and lazy that he never hopped out of the hutch. Chasing George around the yard to put him away was interesting though. He's a pretty smart rabbit.
My sad attempt at making Ella a cute birthday cake for her family party. Stacie trys to help me with these things, but I'm a lost cause.
Lily on her new rollerblades. she's pretty good at it.
Halle has decided that riding on carousells is a favorite pastime of hers.
Gavin likes the carousell too as long as he gets to sit on the dragon.
Halle loves taking a bath. Another swimmer coming up the ranks.
Halle loves to interrupt Lily while she is practicing piano. One day, Mike just put her in the high chair and plopped it in front of the piano. Halle loved it. I'm not sure Lily did though.
Ella and her best friend Lauryn. They can't get enough of each other.
Ella's first day of swim lessons. She is so excited and is borrowig one of Lily's swim caps. It pushes her brown down and makes her look like she is scowilg at the same time she is smiling. So funny!
Ella modeling her new swimsuit for her first day of swimming lessons. Her little bum looks so cute!
Ella learning her back float with her swim teacher
Ella (on the left) and her new friend in her swim class waiting for their teacher to start class. Too cute!
My new dark hair as of Feb. 7. Thanks again Marisa