Jan 2012 and Alexander's diagnosis part 1 of (who knows)

We've been sick sick sick the past couple of weeks and busy busy busy to boot. I've been wanting to do a big update on here but the list of things to add just keeps getting longer. So here's the list and I'll elaborate later. (I've put a couple of posts on my Living Up blog since Christmas if people are interested to see what I've been up to personally. Basically you gotta check both blogs if you want the full scoop.)

Uncle Brian going on mission to the Phillipines
Johnson family Thanksgiving visit
Alexander preschool news (with 'artwork' uploads)
Jacob general update
Kevin's kayak trip
Christmas (events and gift list)
General year summary and family new years' resolutions 
Derek's wedding and Brown extended family visiting
And last but not least, Alexander's Developmental Diagnosis

I'm sure the last item is the topic of most interest to many of you so I'm going to start there now. Alexander had an appointment with a Developmental Pediatrician at Marcus Autism Center on Friday. The doctor officially diagnosed him with Autism Spectrum Disorder. They'll be mailing me a full report in a few days so I'll have more info about exactly where he falls on the spectrum and things like that when the report comes. Basically though, this diagnosis isn't telling us anything we didn't already know about our little boy. It does, however, open up a whole lot of options when it comes to our insurance covering therapy and applying for the Deeming Waiver. The doctor has "prescribed" Alexander going to school 5 days a week instead of just 3 like he is now because routine and consistency will be the best thing for him.

She has also given us a second referral (the first referral is a looong story) to the feeding program at the Marcus Center. She's diagnosed him with a concurrent feeding disorder, which means it's a separate issue from his Autism although the two could be related. Apparently, Food Selectivity is the medical fancy term for being Uber-Picky. I'm enjoying finding out the "official terms" for these things. I'm planning on becoming an expert on all things Alexander (and Jacob) health related in my life.

Anyway, Jacob is officially demanding my attention so I'll try to write more about this later. That's the basic rundown though. Family and friends can feel free to leave questions in the comments or email me or call me. Can't promise I'll be able to answer everything because I don't know everything yet myself. I'd appreciate prayers for me and my family as I begin the hoop-jumping process in earnest. My To-Do list just got HUGE. :-) Also, here are some links where you can find more general information about the topics we're focusing on lately...

http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/asd.cfm
http://www.marcus.org/
http://www.choa.org/Menus/Documents/Marcus%20Autism%20Center/reference/applyDeemingWaiver.pdf
http://www.georgia.gov/vgn/images/portal/cit_1210/26/56/46098632Katie_Beckett_Manual.pdf

Oh, and a picture for the heck of it...