Brookes Christmas 2012

It has been awhile since my last post on Brooke. As Dr. Brown has said, progress will be very slow. But yet, there is progress.
 Our family always celebrates Christmas on Christmas Eve. The gang all arrived at our house about 3:30. Brooke was in good spirits, saying "Merry Christmas" or somestimes "Happy Christmas". Grandma had recorded a few Christmas shows on the DVR and Brooke was content watching them for awhile. I had to go into the back bedroom to finish wrapping Christmas gifts. When I finished, I came into the living room and Brooke ran onto the back porch. I asked her if she wanted to go swimming. Bad joke, she took me serious and starting taking off her shirt saying "swimming". I stopped her and told her it was too cold to go swimming. She understood and grapped my hand and said "come on" and pulled me back to the living room. She stood in front of me, took my hands and started pulling me in a circle while singing ring around a rosie. She actually got most of the words right, only missing a few. After the 2nd time of we all fall down, Brooke climbed on my back and said "horse ride". I got on my hands and knees and holy crap this kid is heavey. After 10 feet I told Brooke horse is tired. She gets on her hands and knees and says to me "you ride". OK, I get on Brookes back, supporting most of my weight, and she takes off. After 3 feet she collapes and says to me " I can't do it". So we get up and she walks over to Grandma, sitting at the kitchen table. She graps grandmas hands and pulls her into the living room. Brooke shouts "hi-ya" and proceeds to start wacking Grandma in the boobs and stomach with karate chops. Grandma tells Brooke this game is too rough and goes sit down. Brooke turns and yells "kar-at-tee" and grabs one of the guys in the room and starts wailing on him. He stops Brooke and tells her this game is no fun and sits down. Just by chance Brookes little sister Lila walks up behind Brooke and Brooke catches her in the stomach with a karate chop. Lila reels backwards 5 steps and falls on her butt. She gets up crying and Brooke runs and hides behind the chair. Cora says to Lila "Did sissy hit you with a karate chop? Come sit over here so you don't get hit." I walk over to Brooke and tell her its ok, just don't be so rough. Probably not the smartest thing I ever told Brooke. Because when I walked into the kitchen to get a piece of ham off the stove, Brooke snuck up behind me and smacked in the back with a karate chop. Just about sent me sprawling on top the ham. I then took Brooke into the living room and gave her a karate chop. "Ouch" says Brooke, then another karate chop "ouch". I told Brooke "that doesn't feel too good, does it, so don't be so rough." Brooke doesn't understand just how strong she is. That was enough karate for Brooke.
  After the karate battle, we all went to start eating. Brooke got a few pieces of ham and started watching Sponge Bob. When I finished, I went in with Brooke. I said to her " look there eating crabby patties." Brookes response "I love crab patties." Cora then tried to get Brooke to go potty before we opened presents. Brooke kept saying " I don't have to potty." Well after a 10 minute struggle getting Brooke into the bathroom, Brooke won. I told Cora this just isn't worth the fight, so Brooke escaped. I then told Brooke it was time for presents. I took Brookes hand and said "lets get the presents." Unfortunately, Brooke hadn't forgotten the potty battle. She laid on the floor and wouldn't budge. I literally picked her up and carried her into the bedroom and showed her the presents. The bathroom was quickly forgotten and Brooke said " presents." I told Brooke to help me put them in the garbage bag. She comprehents very well, and started putting them in the bag. She just didn't stop when the bag was full. I told her the bag was full and to carry it to the living room, which see did. Brooke has to be watched closely with presents, they are all open game to her. But when she is given a pile to open, she only opens her own. When she opens them, she tells you what each one is. "Sponge Bob" which was a sponge bob pillow, "Moose hat" which was a plush moose hat, clothes, self explanatory, and "horsey" , which was a stuffed horse.
After the gifts are opened, no one gets near Brookes gifts, except the clothes. She picks each one up and carries them with her, until Cora tells her that she will put them in a big gift back so they are safe.
 The night is starting to wind down, but is not over until we have played hide-n-seek in the house at least 30 times. Brooke even took her turn going in the kitchen and counting, with Cora's help, until we all hid. The last time we hid, Brooke said "you hide with me", so I hid behind the recliner, with Brooke climbing on my back.
 It was then time for the party to end. Unlike in the past, Brooke leaves with no problem. Of course, Brooke is carrying the big bag of presents. Linda and I waited on the front porch until the girls were all loaded. Before getting in the car Brooke yelled to us across the yard "Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas." Yes Brooke, it was a Merry Christmas. Your progress may be slow, but it is definately heading in the right direction.

It has been awhile since the last update on Brooke. As Dr. Brown had said in the beginning, progress will be slow with some regression and some progress. That has been the case.
 About 2 months ago Brooke started on trans dermal chelation. This is rubbing a creme on a part of her body that gets the toxins out of her system. Dr. Brown had said you would see the biggest changes in Brooke once he started the chelation therapy. Once again, he was right. Brooke still has a long way to go, but she is so much mentally brighter and speaking so much more. Sometimes she wears a kids old western pistol and holster. She calls the guns her "cowboys". She goes around saying "yee haw", shoots the pistol, holds it up and blows the imaginary smoke away from the end of the barrel. Last week we took Brooke to Kansas City for blood work at Dr. Browns office. Every time we got in the van from a travel break, Brooke would say "Seat belt on", and look to make sure we all did. After one break at a quick stop, Brooke got a bag of candy she couldn't open. She handed the candy to me and said "help me".  We always spend the night at Motel 6 in Lawrence to break up the trip. The motel gives you credit card type door keys. Brooke looked at the key card and said "Pizza". There was a picture of a slice of pizza on the card. In the motel room, Brooke would shut off the lights and say "good night". Then she would turn the lights back on a say "Good morning". The next morning we went to Dr. Brown's office. This was the first time Brooke said " hello" To Dr. Browns receptionist Eli. When it comes time to draw blood, I hold Brooke on my lap, with Cora and Grandma Linda helping hold also. The blood draw lady, Evet, said she could tell Brooke was feeling it a lot more this time, and that Brooke was also calmer.
 On the way home, we stopped at the Clay Center Zoo. Brooke saw the play ground and took off running to it. I was right behind her. Brooke is not shy. There were 4 or 5 little kids playing in the sandbox. Brooke ran up to the sandbox, stopped and said to the kids, "this is my Dad", talking about me. There was one little girl that wanted to be friends with Brooke. She started running to the slipper slide, and yelled over her shoulder to Brooke, "Come On". Brooke ran after her and went down the slide behind her. The little girl walked up to me and said, "Are you her Dad?" I told her that I was Brookes Grandpa. The girls had a great time playing, then it was time to leave. Brooke reluctantly said "good-bye" to her new friend, and got back into the van for the final ride to Concordia.
 Last night Grandma and I went over to Coras to look at the walls in Brookes room. Cora wants to paint them and they are not in good shape. Brooke had a piece of trident gum in the wrapper. She opened the gum and threw the wrapper on the floor. I told her to pick up the wrapper and put it in the trash. In the past saying that to Brooke wouldn't work. Last night she actually bent over, picked up the wrapper and ran to the kitchen with it. The garbage can had been moved, so Brooke to the wrapper in a boot Maybe not a garbage can, but close enough. "Give me 5 Brooke" and she slaps you on the hand "high 5" She does high 5 alot. Brooke then walked over to me and handed me a DVD, and said "Dora". It was a Dora The Explorer DVD. The DVD wouldn't work. Brooke gets very frustrated when a DVD won't play. She hit the TV screen, pushed me and said "stop it" when I tried to fix the problem, and finally laid on the floor and was crying phony tears. Not really crying, but acting like she was. After her little tude was over, she went over and got a different DVD. She handed it to me and said "chicken". It was a Chicken Run DVD. I do think the little girl can read. Thankfully, this DVD worked. Brooke impressed me when watching the show. When the chickens were running, she would say " run, run, run". There was another time when the farmer was marking the chickens scorecard for laying eggs with check marks. Every time he made a check mark, Brooke would say "check, check, check". When one chicken was about to get its head chopped, Brooke covered her eyes and turned her head away. Many times in the past when it was time for me to leave, Brooke would have a meltdown. The last few times I left Brooke, I would say to her I have to go home, give me a kiss. She gives me a kiss, says good-bye, and continues watching her show.
 Tonight after work I went over to Coras house to look at the walls in Brookes bedroom again. When I arrived I heard Cora say " Brooke!!!" Brooke had squatted in a bush to take a pee, but had forgot to pull her pants down first. Brooke was wet. Doesn't happen much, but accidents still happen. Aunt Racheal was there, and told Brooke "Grandpa won't hug you until you get cleaned up". Brooke ran right passed me and went into the house with Cora. About 5 minutes later she comes out of the house, running towards me with a big smile on her face. She stops right in front of me, looks me in the eyes, and says to me " I'm all cleaned up". She then gives me a great big hug.
   As I said earlier, Brooke is doing so much better, but still has a long road ahead of her. Chelation therapy is very slow, usually taking 1 to 3 years to complete. Slow, but well worth it. One of Brookes teachers recently told me that she has seen many autistic children, but she thinks Brooke is one that is going to beat the odds. I couldn't agree with her more.