A new year for Hayden!

Happy Birthday Hayden Grace!!!!

March 22, 2010... a new beginning for Hayden!

Not only is today her 2nd birthday, it is the beginning of a whole new adventure for Hayden. Today, Hayden celebrated her first day being gluten (which includes all wheat, oat, barley), casein (dairy - milk, cheese, and yogurt), peanut and soy-free. We celebrated with tasty GF brownies! Yum! They were a hit all around the McCurdy household.

Hayden had blood testing that determined sensitivity to 96 common foods. On a scale of 0-3 (3 being most sensitive), Hayden tested a 3 for gluten, wheat, rye, peanut, cow's milk, cheese, and yogurt. She rated a 2 for lamb and soybean and a 1 for barley, beef, coconut, egg whites, baker's yeast, green peas malt, and mustard.

Why are we testing for food sensitivity and dramatically altering her diet? I read a book called "Disconnected Kids", written by the creator of a program philosophy called "Brain Balance". The thought process is that certain people have challenges fully digesting nutrients in the stomach. These foods, not fully broken down into usable nutrients, enter the bloodstream and travel to the brain. They cloud the brain like opiate drugs, causing the individual a myrad of negative effects, including lack of concentration, comprehension, processing and verbal expression. The gluten free/casein free diet has proven quite successful with many autistic, ADHD, Asperger's and other sensory processing disordered children.

While still not fully accepted by the medical community, we are fortunate to have an amazing pediatrician on our team who thinks outside the traditional box. She, like us, is learning with Hayden. We decided per her recommendation and my interest in testing Hayden for her sensitivities, esp. recognizing that Hayden's condition, albeit different, shares many similar characteristics of autism. Needless to say, the results of the bloodwork excited me. Finally I feel like we are being proactive rather than reactive with her condition.

Hayden was quite ill last week, suffering a head cold that developed into bronchitis and sinusitis. She didn't sleep for days because of her struggles with breathing and not feeling well. Her fever climbed to 104.7 by Friday evening and although the congestion finally loosened up a bit on Sunday, blood drained from her nose all day yesterday and today. The positive in the past week is that Hayden began eliminating milk products from her diet before we officially began the diet (milk and congestion are not the best of friends).

The amazing observation with this cease of milk (casein): Hayden, for the first time we can remember, tried to really play with Hailey in the bathtub last night, focusing on 1 toy rather than grasping at whatever was around. Later, she truly played with mommy, holding eye contact and laughing with me. Today, even more improvements - when Aunt Kelly came over and walked into the living room to say Hi Hayden, Hayden looked right at her and gave her the biggest smile! Even Aunt Kelly was amazed! My favorite moment, one which I will cherish forever, is when Hayden crawled over to me while I lay on the floor, rested her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes. She opened them, smiled at me, then closed them again before taking a nap. The sweet gesture of my little birthday angel made my heart melt even more for my little girl.

Is it worth the 2 hours I spent wandering the aisles of the store today, reading every label of each item I picked up? If I can continue to have moments like today, I will read every label of every item in every aisle of every store I enter. Do I believe this new diet will cure her? -no, but do I think it will help bring Hayden out of her little world and be more a part of ours? - I have to believe it with my whole heart.

So, happy birthday my little Angel! I can not wait to see what we learn this year!

"Life's not about waiting for the storm to pass... it's about learning to dance in the rain." - Vivian Greene

...or in my case, learning to run in the rain. For many who have known me over the years, they know I am a runner. I am a better than average runner. I don't run races just to finish. I almost crave the pain when the legs and lungs scream out, begging to quit, but the mind tells them to shut up and dig deeper. Yes, over the years I have won many races, set course records, and sacrificed many a potentially fun Friday night to wake up before daybreak the following morning, just to experience that pain again. Why, you might ask? Was it because I loved it so much like a sweet addiction that I couldn't stop? In a word, no.

For years I ran because I could. I knew I had a talent, yet did not know it's purpose. I would run repeats around a lonely track in the scorching summer heat, freezing rain and even sleet, hating every step, yet pushing through it all. I learned that racing wasn't about finishing first, it was more about how I controlled myself mentally while out there - did I stay positive or did I try to talk myself into quitting around the next turn? With some people, they use their career to define who they are. With me, it was my running. I watched what I ate and drank to help me perform, viewing my body as a machine which God gave me. I, however, continued to question why God would give me this talent. What was I supposed to do with it?

I continued to run over the years, even through pregnancies, miscarriages and a slew of ovarian cysts that would sideline working out for months. Running became a part of me. When I could not run for any length of time, I became like a caged animal, needing to release pent up energy, but having no way to escape. Often my husband would send me out the door telling me not to return until I ran it out of my system - lovingly, of course, for he knows me better than even I know myself.

In 2008, our world forever changed with the birth of our second daughter, Hayden Grace. We ventured into unfamiliar territory that most can not even begin to relate to. Physically and emotionally David and I were drained after night upon sleepless night with our little girl. We visited almost ever speciality doctor in the books searching for why our precious baby was so sick, refluxy, and not developing like a "normal" baby should. During this time, I would drag myself out for a morning run, even if the night before we were at urgent care with our little one for an ear infection, fever, congestion or pneumonia.

In the Christian song, "While I'm Waiting", John Waller sings the line "I'll be running the race even while I wait". I would replay that verse in my head when I ran like a mantra. My body and mind were exhausted from all we had been going through, but my soul stirred with the lyrics. I connected with God as my feet moved over the trails. Some days I would run through tears, others through anger and frustration, but I continued to run. I craved my time alone with my Heavenly Father on the peaceful stillness of the trails. I felt as if even the deer knew my reason for being out there, for they didn't flinch when I passed by. I finally began "to dance".

I still wonder why God gave me this talent. Perhaps one day it will be revealed to me, just like a revelation about why He made our sweet Hayden as she is. Today, though, I will dance (or literally, go for a run in the rain).

Look what I am into now...

Mischief, Mischief, and More Mischief....