Jackson's Graduation

2 weeks ago, Jackson "graduated" from the morning school that he has attended all year.  He will be moving on to full day special needs preschool at the local elementary school next year.  I know that is exactly what he needs - to be with teachers and specialists that are more qualified to work with him- BUT we will miss this school and these teachers SO MUCH!! They have been wonderful to work with and you can truly see how much Miss Dawn loves her students (and vice versa!! I swear Jackson has a little crush on her ;)  I started crying at the end of the year picnic when she started telling me how much Jackson has touched her heart this year and how she wishes she could have him again next year. I'm tearing up again just thinking about it!!

Anyway, here is a short video from their graduation. Jackson was (predictably & understandably) very upset by the crowd and noise, but with one of the teacher's help he got through the song.  He is on the far left.  

WW: 28 Weeks

Easy GFCF Banana Blueberry Pancakes

As I mentioned earlier, we are working on transitioning Jackson to the GFCF (Gluten-free, casein-free) diet.  So far, these pancakes have been the biggest hit. I make them in bulk and freeze them that way I can just microwave a couple for him for breakfast each morning. He's eaten them every morning for the last few weeks.

One box of Bisquick's gluten-free pancake mix makes about 20 medium sized pancakes.  Jackson eats 2 a day so this recipe uses the whole box and lasts us about a week and a half.


Ingredients: 
1 box Bisquick GF pancake mix
2 cups of Almond Milk (or other milk substitute- rice milk, soy milk, etc)
4 tbsps vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp GF vanilla
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 medium banana, pureed

 Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl.

I love my griddle. It makes it so much easier to cook these in bulk! I heat it up to about 350* and use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to measure out each pancake. As soon as the edges are brown, you can flip them.  I have noticed that with this mix (maybe w/all GF mixes?), the top doesn't bubble like I'm used to with "normal" pancakes.

When the pancakes are done, put them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. I usually end up with about 3 layers of pancakes.  Make sure to put wax paper between each layer.  Then stick the whole thing in the freezer for about 30 minutes to "flash freeze" them.

I usually clean my kitchen during that time. Then all I have left to do is to bag them and put them back in the freezer!  It takes me about an hour total (including waiting for them to freeze) and saves me a lot of time every morning.

This post is linked to:
Tuesdays at the Table
Slightly Indulgent Tuesday
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Dr. Laura's Tasty Tuesday

Getting to Know You

1. have you ever gone to see a movie by yourself?

Yep.  Sometimes I need a few hours out on my own and going to a movie by myself is the perfect escape from real life :) 

2. would you rather go through a tornado or a hurricane?

I am SO scared of storms, it's ridiculous! But I guess I would have to say hurricane.  Tornadoes pop up quickly and there really is no escape, but with a hurricane at least you can see where it's headed and evacuate. 

3. have you made summer vacation plans?

Just one trip "home" to Alabama to see our families.  Other than that we will be spending lots of time at the beach and the local water park.  There are definite perks to living on the coast!

4. what's your favorite accessory?

Honestly, I haven't had much time lately to focus on me- I've been too busy buying things for the new baby and planning Jackson's birthday party! So the only accessory I've been wearing recently is my wedding ring :)

5. have you ever been thrown a surprise party?

No I haven't but that's alright.  I'm not much for surprises if they involve lots of people- I'd rather know so I can make sure to have my hair & make up done! That sounds vain, but if I don't know something special is happening then I am probably running around in jeans & a tee, hair in a ponytail, with nothing but some lipgloss on.  

6. are you friends with your neighbors?

Nope.  I'm friendly with them- always a wave or head nod when we walk out- but I really would rather not try to be friends with my neighbors.  I don't want anyone showing up when my house is a mess or I haven't showered that day (ha!).  Plus I've had a few incidents where our neighbors liked us but we didn't really care for them and that is seriously AWKWARD.

7. what's the last movie you saw in the theater?

Either Suckerpunch or Red Riding Hood.  I can't remember which was last. 

WW: Beach trip- Tybee Island

My fabulous Mother's Day

I had the BEST Mother's Day this year! We got up early and went to church (which IS a treat, because my husband doesn't usually want to go with me) and then we headed down to Jacksonville for a nice lunch.  We wanted to go to the Cheesecake Factory (my all-time favorite restaurant), but it was SO packed! I have never seen that many people waiting outside to get into a restaurant- and we got there 15 minutes after it opened!  The funny thing is, there are several really nice restaurants in that area and none of the others even had lines.

 We ended up going to Maggiano's Little Italy and it was DELICIOUS.  Seriously, some of the best Italian food I have ever had. Plus they gave me a flower since it was Mother's Day AND they gave us a free appetizer when they found out it was our first visit!  Then we got some to-go cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory on the way home.

Jackson was SO sweet and well-behaved the whole day.  He kept kissing me and tried to hold my hand all through lunch :) And when we got home I found my present- a Cricut Expression!! I spent the afternoon playing with it!

Going Gluten and Casein Free

I've been doing a lot of research lately on the GFCF diet and the positive effects that it can have on people with autism.  For quite a while I have put it off, because it is hard to implement, it's expensive, a lot of food is hard to find (our Whole Foods is an hour away),  you have to be SO strict about it (kids on it can't even use certain school supplies because they use gluten in playdoh, some kinds of glue, etc) and many other reasons.

BUT I have finally decided that this is something we need to do.  It's an experiment of sorts-one that needs to last at least 6 months- but hopefully we will see at least SOME results before then. Even the smallest improvement would make me happy, but I am really hoping Jackson might start talking.

In case you don't know, gluten is a protein in wheat and casein is a protein in milk that are causing health problems for some people who basically cannot digest these proteins. They can experience stomach problems, skin rashes, hyperactivity, self-stimulation, and other issues that many children with Autism Spectrum Disorders have.  (Trust me when I say that is a very vague description of the issue and there are MANY books and websites dedicated to more information about it). We have thought Jackson was lactose intolerant and have been limiting his dairy and giving him Almond Milk instead of cow's milk for over a year now.  His tummy troubles have gotten much better since then, but hopefully he will improve even more when we completely eliminate it from his diet.

We haven't started the diet full-time yet- we will start after he gets out of school and we get back from visiting family. So far I have been researching appropriate foods, finding out which stores near me carry what & what I can order online, and I've bought a few things for Jackson to try.  So this month we will be experimenting and next month Jackson will no longer be eating gluten or casein.

 So far he really likes Pirate Booty Veggie Puffs and he even ate a grilled cheese tonight made with GF bread and rice vegan cheese! He is a very picky eater so I was surprised he even tried them!  I also made a batch of GFCF blueberry pancakes to freeze for his breakfasts this week.  He hasn't actually tried them yet, but I did.  I thought they were pretty good but next time I am going to add some pureed banana to make them a little sweeter.

I know this wasn't the most interesting post ever, but I want to try to keep up with our progress and any improvements that Jackson makes as well.

WW: My first pillowcase dress

Random Thoughts

So much is going on, I think this is the best way to update without boring you all to death :)

• I had my glucose screening last week and I failed it so I had to go in for the 3 hour screening today.  It was miserable. The drink is even nastier because it is twice as sweet AND they only had fruit punch- which I hate.  Plus they took blood 4 times so I look like I've been shooting heroin because of the bruises and needle punctures up and down my arm!
  
  
• We had Jackson's IEP meeting last week.  He is officially going into the Special Needs 3 year old Pre-K program at the local elementary school. We met with his teacher and got everything set up.  I'm excited but also nervous!
  
  
• My due date is August 9th. Jackson's first day of school is August 11th.  Someone tell me how that is going to work?!
  
  
• I made The Pioneer Woman's apple dumplings tonight for dessert.  I figured I should have a really good dessert tonight just in case they call me tomorrow and tell me I failed my glucose test :(
  
• I made this outfit for my friend's daughter's 1st birthday.  It's hard to tell in this picture but the tutu is all pastels- white, yellow, pink & lavender.  

Sooo...what randomness have you been up to lately?