Leaving on a jet plane.

Packing my stuff for a short visit to Utah. Love going to CK Editorial meetings. And, amazingly enough, I am enjoying flying. I used to have to take anti-anxiety drugs to fly - I would be severely anxious and filled with panic and have the worst time controlling my fear once it began. When I started traveling for scrapbooking, the fears seemed to subside and I no longer needed the medication. It is interesting how things like that can change. Fears can be overcome. In my case, I think part of it was simply that I was flying so much more than in the past. The other part was a combination of attitude-adjustment, finding something I was so passionate about, and last but not least, getting myself set up with some regularly scheduled anxiety medication. Taking medication has been the right choice for me.

It is so cool to look forward to trips without a cloud of fear and anxiety hanging over me.

We met with Simon's pediatrician this morning for his 3-year check-up and a general chat about his autism diagnosis. It was nice to check-in with her, let her know where we are at with the things we are planning to try (such as the diet) & get her feedback, and talk about her role in this whole thing. She is a very traditional doctor, with not a lot of experience in autism...but willing to be a sounding board for us as we encounter different things along the way. We mainly see her role as being a resource for us...making sure that we are not heading down paths that can ultimately be harmful to his health (in a quest to lessen symptoms, etc.). She was comfortable and welcoming to that idea.

So much about autism research and information has been parent driven - parents trying things, passing the info onto friends and then onto doctors. There is a whole network of parents...such as where the diet came from...who are attempting to educate and acheieve changes in the "treatment" of autism. So much information. So much to absorb and learn.

And for us, we are just taking it one day at a time. Simon is doing well at school. He has been putting additional words to his "more please" phrase...such as now he will say, "more beans" or "more juice" or "more such & such." That is moving in the right direction. You go Simon!

And by the way, I loved reading your comments from yesterday - thanks for taking the time to post.