After a day and a half without Emmett,  we were reunited.  He was so cute as he went around the house announcing his return. I snuggled with him for a little bit tonight before he went to bed. Bella decided that she didn't want to be left out of the snuggling. :-) This was posted via WordPress for Android, courtesy of Samsung’s Galaxy S III. Please forgive any typos. I do know how to spell but auto-correct hate me. Please join our Autism Help Forums Look for "Autism Help" app at the Google Play Store

Elliott just arrived home after a 15 hours car ride.  I got the biggest hug in the history of hugs.  We have squishy couched and he is fast asleep with a big smile on his face.  I'm soooooooo happy to see him.  I don't do well away from by kids,  especially Elliott. These past four days have been killing me but I'm glad he was able to go and I'm even more glad that he's home once again. :-) This was posted via WordPress for Android, courtesy of Samsung’s Galaxy S III. Please forgive any typos. I do know how to spell but auto-correct hate me. Please join our Autism Help Forums Look for "Autism Help" app at the Google Play Store

In my last post,  I mentioned that Gavin was beginning to have a tantrum.  Well,  he definitely had a tantrum. Tonight,  he actually banged his head so hard into the wall that he left a friggin hole. You heard me right.  He made a whole in the wall with his head. This has never happened before. He's sleeping now but we'll have to do something about this in the morning.  Luckily,  he didn't seriously hurt himself. With the news that Gavin will not be medically cleared for placement, anytime soon,  I'm not sure what it is that we are supposed to do. This was posted via WordPress for Android, courtesy of Samsung’s Galaxy S III. Please forgive any typos. I do know how to spell but auto-correct hate me. Please…

I just got a phone call from a very,  very homesick Elliott Richard. He will be arriving home,  sometime shortly after midnight. My mom said that all of a sudden he became really upset and she wanted him to talk to me so that he might feel better. Truthfully,  I couldn't understand a word he was saying but I knew he was very clearly distraught. I'm pretty sure he's physically exhausted and emotionally drained from the 13+ hours he's been in the car today so far.  They encountered very heavy traffic leaving New York this morning.  So much so that as of 4pm this afternoon,  they had only made it to New Jersey. All I can say is I'm really,  really excited to get Elliott back tonight.  I promised him…

We just arrived home and I'm taking a short break to touch base with all of you.  Don't you feel lucky.  :-P We received the results all the testing that has been done,  with the exception of today's biopsies.  Basically, everything has come back normal or within normal ranges. The chromosomal microaray came back negative on all 2000+ genetic disorders. This is great news and I should be happy, right?  Well,  yes and no. The truth is that while it's great that everything came back negative,  at the same time it's beyond frustrating. I say that because we still don't have any answers. The only things that was confirmed today is that Gavin has marked autonomic dysfunction. That translates to significant autonomic dysfunction.  The reason for all the tests was…

Well,  Gavin survived the biopsies.  This is what actually happened.  First of all,  the doctor was absolutely fantastic and turned out to be the same guy that did his lumbar puncture last year. Basically,  the entire process took about 45 minutes. Gavin was in full dramatic form while we were there but did pretty well overall.  :-) They took a total of 3 biopsies all together.  Our extensive from his upper leg,  le from his thigh and one from his ankle.  Prior to doing anything,  Gavin received one shot of lidocaine in each of the three sites.  He freaked out over the lidocaine injections but most of it, as I said, most of it was drama. The way they take the biopsies is a bit under pleasant but at least…

The other day we did the I feel guilty because......post and people really poured their hearts out.  Today I wanted to change things up and help you realize all of the things that make you a great parent.  Sometimes it's nice to hear out loud or I writing what you do so well.  There's nothing wrong with bragging a little about what makes you a great parent.  :-) So without further ado..... I'm a good parent because..... I'll go first. I'm a good parent because I love my kids more than anything in the world.  I'm a good parent because I do my absolute best to help and provide for the every single need, even though I don't always succeed. I'm a good parent because gave up my career to…

In case you ever need perspective,  spend a day in the pediatric side of the Cleveland Clinic.  The amount of suffering I've witnessed in the many kids I've encountered today is so completely heartbreaking that I simply don't have the words. I've seen several kids that have undergone brain surgery and bare the obvious scaring. I'm horrified by the treatment some of these children are enduring at the hands of their parents. These parents aren't even trying to hide it. I know I'm not the only person noticing this because others look on in horror as well. Look,  trust me when I say that I know what it feels like to be overwhelmed lost and tired. The last thing I want to do is judge anyone because I don't know…