I was thinking today and I realized something. Emmett both loves and hates stickers, all at the same time. I know that probably sounds weird. Emmett absolutely loves to get stickers and stick then to anything he can, including his entire body.  At the same time, if there is a sticker on something and he didn't put it there, it's not tolerated......at all. He compulsively has to remove any and all stickers or labels from any food items.  Yesterday, he had a thing of TicTacs. The first thing he had to do was remove the stickers/labels from the container. He also can't stand labels on bottles of water of pop.  For example, if Lizze has a bottle of Coke (the drink not the powder), as soon as she's not looking,…

For those of you out there addicted to Call of Duty Black Ops 2 online multiplayer, it's double XP weekend.  This means that you can level up twice as fast and get better weapons and gear.  Is it wrong that I'm looking for a place to have the boys spend the night?? I never get to take advantage of double XP weekends. Having kids that require my undivided attention doesn't really allow me to spend any quality time on XBOX Live. Any guys or girls out there finding themselves in the same predicament? I mean, come on.  It's friggin double XP weekend people.  Does anyone feel my pain? This site is managed via WordPress for Android, courtesy of the @SamsungMobileUS Galaxy Note 2 by @Tmobile. Please forgive any typos. I know…

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, especially since I live in Ohio.  However, we haven't had TV for many years so keeping up on the weather is harder than it once was.  We got this nice winter storm blowing through right now that has made the roads and absolute nightmare. Some of the main roads are getting better as the city is getting caught up but I think we managed to dodge a snow day by only a few hours.  The weather began just after school began this morning.  It's bad enough that I wouldn't bring Emmett with me to pick up Elliott.  I had to leave him kicking and screaming at home with Lizze,  which I'm sure isn't doing her migraine a bit of good.  I'm also the only…

Today's meeting brought with it a new team member. The Department of DD is now officially involved once again. This affords us the potential for more services. It also adds another person to the mix and the mix already contains a great many people. We are refocusing on Gavin’s medical issues because they are clearly the most pressing. The team is focusing on addressing those issues first. Gavin isn't currently living at home so the boys are no longer in imminent danger from his outbursts and violent behavior. He's doing well with his Grandparents so there no immediate concern about him having to return home. Once we can address the medical side of things and hopefully get him stabized, we can move forward with the mental health issues. Some of…

How many of you have asked yourself, will this ever get easier? I for one, was asking myself that very same question this morning.  Mr.  Elliott Richard was more than a handful this morning.  Lately, he's been flat out refusing to listen to what we tell him to do.  Today,  he refused to out his socks and shoes on.  I had to basically drag him out to the van when it was time to go.  When we got to the school,  he refused to leave the van. It probably took 10 or 15 minutes to convince him to leave the van and head into the building. I was pretty flustered to be honest.  Elliott's not the kind of kid that's looking for a reaction.  I really think that he's just…

I wanted to take a few minutes and update ya'll as to where we stand when  it comes to Operation Hope. For starters,  Gavin seems to really be doing well at Lizze's parents.  I'm not entirely sure why that is but I do know that the expectations are different there than they are at home.  For one thing, they don't have to worry about his impact on the other boys.  We've always said that life would be very different if Gavin were an only child.  The fact is that he isn't an only child and we have to be very careful when he is around his younger brothers. As far as residential placement goes,  I'm really beginning to feel like it's never going to happen. Gavin needs residential placement for…

I was wondering if any of you ever find yourself having to either raise your voice or actually yell at your autistic child? I realize that this may be a sensitive issue for some but I'll be the first to admit that I'm guilty of of both. Since Gavin's been gone and Elliott's been really struggling, I find myself having to raise my voice to him,  simply to get his attention.  Even worse, when he doesn't listen or flat out refuses to comply, I'm guilty of losing my cool and yelling at him just to get him to stop the whining and do what he's told.  I hate doing that and I'm trying really hard to find my reserve of patience but sometimes it just doesn't happen.  The reason I…