It was about 11 years ago when I met Lizze for the first time.  A few weeks later in was introduced to little boy not much older than a year. About 11 years later and I'm witness to his 12th Birthday.. Happy Birthday Gavin,  we love you so very much.  :-) This picture was taken shortly after Gavin and I fist met.  He was pretending to drive my brand new truck.  Much has changed since then but I cherish those memories dearly.  Please feel free to wish Gavin a happy birthday.  I know he'll love hearing from all of you.  :-) Posted from WordPress for Android

Lizze and I noticed that a brand new tube of bubble gum flavored,  Sponge Bob toothpaste.  Gavin has denied any involvement in the case of the missing toothpaste.  However,  he is the only member of the Lost and Tired family that has a rather long history of doing things like this. He has, at many times in the past,  secretly stashed things like toothpaste and other non-food things that he likes to eat or drink. Anytime this has happened in the past,  Gavin continuously denies whatever it is we question him about until we discover the evidence in his possession.  The problem with this is that we don't know what we should do.  I mean,  do we assume that he's lying and error on the side of safety or do…

Something that I have learned over the past 11 years of special needs parenting is that moving forward is sometimes, easier said than done. This is one of the reason why it's so important that we not lose sight of the fact that baby steps will still get us to our destination. For the Lost and Tired family,  moving forward has never been easy.  Something always seems to come up and we have to shift priorities,  so it's difficult to really ever make progress or move forward. One of the best lessons I have learned is that every little victory,  no matter how small,  is just that.....a victory. Having said that,  we have gain one of those victories. Dr.  Reynolds has agreed to see Elliott for his anxiety.  His first…

As I'm sure you are aware of,  Autism can be very challenging,  for both the person touched by it and their family.  But what happens when the person affected by Autism has other health/mental health problems as well?  This is commonly known as a comorbidity. In the case of the Lost and Tired family,  our 3 boys with Autism have other health/mental health issues.  Some of these additional challenges are minor in nature,  while others are deemed much more serious and tend to interfere with everyday life. Some of these issues facing the Lost and Tired family are,  ADHD,  OCD, PICA, Primary Immunodeficiency, PFAPA (a rare fever disorder),  Schizoaffective disorder, asthma, anxiety, PTSD and an as of yet,  undiagnosed degenerative neurological disorder. I say the Lost and Tired family is…

Elliott is a sweetheart of a child.  Having said that,  he is extremely anxious and we'll,  basically dislikes germs. Keep in mind that both of those descriptions should be considered understatements. Lizze and I were cleaning up after dinner and getting meds ready when Elliott comes running downstairs in a panic. I ran upstairs to find out what had happened and this is what I found. Personally,  I think this is hilarious and such a typical guy thing to do. Wait a second,  that was a typical guy thing,  wasn't it.  Alright Emmett.  However,  Elliott was really upset for two reasons.  One,  his DSi could fall and take a rather unpleasant bath.  Two,  even if it didn't fall into the toilet,  it does make anything better because now it has Emmett’s…

Today I found saying something that I never thought I would say. That gave me the idea to start doing posts like this. I think it could be humorous if we all shared our experiences with this.  I'll get us started.  Today I said "Emmett John,  stop chewing on the lamp". Never in my life did I think those words would ever come out of my mouth. Your turn :-) Posted from WordPress for Android

Today's Victory is brought to you by Mr.  Emmett John. I don't think this needs any explanation. Go Emmett John.........  :-) Posted from WordPress for Android

Sometimes it's easy to get swept up by the raging tides and forget about just how beautiful the ocean can be. The same thing cannot be said about Autism. In my own personal situation with the Lost and Tired family,  I find myself failing to see the beauty behind the challenge. It's so easy for me to get overwhelmed by all the challenges we face,  day in and day out.  Honestly,  the weight or responsibility and be absolutely crushing at times. So many times,  I'm asked how I manage. I never really know what to say to that question. In truth,  I really don't know. However,  after thinking about this for some time,  I have come to have a better understanding of how and why I keep going. While the…