6 MONTHS??? REALLY!!!

Can you believe it? It's been 6 months since we brought Jelly Bean home!! And oh my goodness how things have changed! Noah is a different child! Just a few examples of how our lives have changed!

Noah now...

• goes to bed on his own now!
• sleeps in his bed all night!
• gets upset much less! When he does get upset, it's short lived!
• doesn't bit his nails anymore! I can actually cut his fingernails again!
• doesn't have the impulse to squeeze your ears off anymore!
• is more independent!
• plays more independently!
• is more imaginative in his play!
• is more social, especially at church!
• And one of the most amazing things we've seen , one thing I never expected having a dog could change, Noah will eat a donut! That sounds so crazy, I know! But not only will he eat a donut...he eats it with his fingers!!! Before Jelly Bean, the only way Noah would even consider eating a donut was if you either cut it up and he used a fork or if you held it for him! That is a huge thing for him!! I never in a million years would have thought having a dog would help my child eat a donut!!

All these things don't sound like anything you would have ever thought a service dog could help! I never dreamed that Jelly Bean would rid Noah of some bad habits! The truth is, the reason those habits have disappeared is because Jelly Bean is keeping Noah comfortable! He's not suffering from anxiety anymore! Noah has become so much more secure in himself and his surroundings all because of a dog! Sensory issues are resolving, impulses are diminishing, fears are gone! All through our fundraising I kept telling people this dog will help Noah remain calm, minimize his meldowns, disrupt his behavior, keep him safe in public. But this dog, Jelly Bean, has done so much more! He's given Noah such freedom! Not freedom to walk across a parking lot not holding mommy's hand...a freedom to be who he is! Who he is on the inside! Behind all the fear, anxiety, and impulses. To be Noah! Getting a dog, gave me my child! And it gave my child a chance to live his life to the fullest! I never realized how much of Noah was hidden in fear! Thank you God for giving me this child to care for, to love! But thank you God for allowing him to love life freely!

I can't believe how wonderful this adventure has been! And it's only just begun! Our lives have changed so much! I thank everyone that helped make this dream come true for our family! We are so very blessed!

Randomness!

Just wanted to share some random pictures from the past 6 months! They are not in any particular order!

Noah and Jelly Bean snoozing on the couch!
What a comfy pillow!

Snuggle Bugs!

This is our good friend Joel, He was diagnosed with ALS in June of 09. Jelly Bean loved going to visit Joel in the nursing home and would climb in bed and snuggle with him everytime we were there! Jelly Bean knew where we were as soon as we'd pull in the parking lot! Joel told me the last time I got to visit him that Jelly Bean being there was such great therapy for him and made him feel better! Joel passed away earlier this month. RIP Joel!

He's so goofy! You can see his personality so much in this picture!

Snugglin' with his boy!

Look at me...I'm Jelly Bean!

CHEESE!

Shhh! Don't tell the Pastor, they are both sleeping in church!!

Hey Mom! Mom, mom!! Could you get up...I gotta potty!!

Hanging out at the ball game!!

Just me and my boy! My Best Friend!

The Power of Prayer

I'll start by saying, I know this update is long overdue! I do apologize for not keeping this site up as well as I'd hope to. But rest assured that 'no news is good news!' Noah and Jelly Bean are doing great! Their bond is getting stronger every day! Jelly Bean sticks with Noah every where they go. He always has an eye on his boy. He loves to play 'hide and seek' with Noah. Even though Jelly Bean is not a 'search and rescue' trained service dog, he does know how to find his boy! And he knows what it means when you say, 'go to your boy' or 'where's your boy?' Noah (joking) told us the other day he didn't like hiding from Jelly Bean, cause Jelly Bean can always find him!

Jelly Bean is very in tune with Noah and his moods. He seems to know when Noah needs him by his side and he's always there for that comfort. Noah loves to squeeze JB's nose and I've learned when Noah's upset, I can ask him, 'do you need a squeeze?' and he'll go to Jelly Bean and squeeze his nose (gently) and then kiss his nose. Jelly Bean will usually return the kiss and all is well! Others have seen Noah grab JB's nose and often say, 'he's going to hurt him' or 'you shouldn't let him squeeze his nose like that' but I tell them, this dog is trained to tolerate a lot. He knows his limit and if Noah pushes it, JB will just move away from Noah. He won't leave Noah's side but he will get his nose out of Noah's hands.

They truly are perfect for each other! Our family has been so blessed to have Jelly Bean as a part of our family now! He's not only Noah's service dog, he's his best friend. Jelly Bean listens to anything Noah wants to tell him, he plays whatever game Noah wants to play, he's Noah's pillow for naps, he loves Noah like no one else can! I love Noah with all I have in me, but the love that Noah and Jelly Bean share is so special! It's truly a God thing!

I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every person who made this miracle happen! From those who volunteered their time, donated food, helped decorate for fundraisers, made monetary donations, whatever it was you did, but most importantly those who prayed, Thank You! If it wasn't for every one's help, we wouldn't be where we are today.

I have said more than once...Jelly Bean was born for Noah! When we first started the process in August of 2008 Jelly Bean wasn't even born! But from day one of this process, Jelly Bean was prayed over. I believe the fact that he's been prayed over and prayed for before he was even born has been the sole reason that we've had such success with Jelly Bean. Jelly Bean has been great since the very moment we got him! If you never believed in the power of prayer before, I must strongly suggest you give it a try now! It's amazing what can happen if you just pray about it and believe it will happen! So I Thank God for giving the best dog in the world to my Noah!

For those of you who believe in prayer, please continue to pray for Noah and Jelly Bean, don't stop praying just because they are doing well. Pray that they continue to do well together and pray for the health of both of them! 2009 was the 'healthiest' year Noah has ever had. And 2010 is going to be even better!

For anyone interested, we can still always use a little help with caring for Jelly Bean! His food and required maintenance medicines are not cheap every month. So if you are interested, feel free to contact me at pittil8@aol.com and I'll let you know how you can help!

Thank You again for everything you all have done for Noah and for our family! I pray blessings for each of you! I may not know your name, I may never meet you, but God knows who you are and He's seen what you've done!! You will be blessed for it!