While it's a bit overdue, I wanted to share what happened when we met with Dr. Clark yesterday at Akron Children's Hospital. Basically, our purpose is going was to find out if the fact that Gavin's brain is improperly controlling his heart, has a negative impact on his heart itself.  Does that make sense? We have been worried by his rapid heartrate and didn't really know whether this was bad for his actual heart or not.  So what did we find out? Put simply, Gavin's heart is physiologically fine and while the numbers are high, they aren't adversely impacting his heart health.  Basically, as far as his physical hearts concerned, we can ignore the numbers, at least for now. His heart rate is more of an indication as to his…

While we were at the doctors yesterday, Gavin kept making it a point to show everyone his prized Sonic the Hedgehog shirt. At points it was really awkward because he would just sorta blurt out random comments about his shirt.  Everyone at the heart center indulged him and made him feel really good.  I promised Gavin that I would also post a picture of both him and his favorite shirt so ya'll can  have a gander.  :-) This site is managed via WordPress for Android, courtesy of the @SamsungMobileUS Galaxy Note 2 by @Tmobile. Please forgive any typos as autocorrect HATES me. ;-) Check out my #Autism Awareness Store to find really cool and unique #Autism Awareness Clothing and Accessories, designed by me. ;-) For more ways to help the…

For the past few days, Elliott and Emmett have been waking up at about 4am and not going back to bed.  This means that I also have to at least stay awake because we don't want them wandering around the house.  Do you guys experience this as well? This has only actually been happening since Gavin moved home, now that I think about it.  We will probably adjust their bedtimes and see if that helps.. I hate 4am,I really, really do. This site is managed via WordPress for Android, courtesy of the @SamsungMobileUS Galaxy Note 2 by @Tmobile. Please forgive any typos as autocorrect HATES me. ;-) Check out my #Autism Awareness Store to find really cool and unique #Autism Awareness Clothing and Accessories, designed by me. ;-) For more…

This site is really fighting me anymore.  It's like the powers that be are conspiring to make things as difficult as humanly possible. In the last year, I've had to change servers twice and it looks like I need to do so once again.  :-( Our internet was shut off earlier this week because we are of course behind.  I got it turned back on for a few days but the clocks ticking.  T-Mobile is upgrading all the towers in my area to LTE and so until it's done, all I get is 2G. That's sooooo 2003, at least I'm pretty sure it was 2003ish.  As most of you know, I use my phone to do most of my writing and my Galaxy Note 2 has taken a dump on…

   #Autism and Potty Training   I'm quite frequently asked about secrets, tips and tricks to how I got my 3 boys with Autism potty trained. I usually answer with something like this: "In a word, patience. It takes lots, and lots of patience. However, in truth, my boys were pretty easy, so I'm not the best person to ask." Potty training is something that is not always easy, especially for parents of kids on the Autism Spectrum and the kids themselves. There are many things that can make this process very difficult. For example, sensory processing issues, developmental status, stress, anxiety and even some good old fashion stubbornness, can all play a role in making potty training an uphill battle for some families.  I think that it would be…

We have made it to our appointment, without incident.  :-) Right after getting on the freeway, Gavin's heart rate kept bouncing between the low 60's and the low 120's. This made us nervous because that means that his body isn't coping with the car ride very well today and we need to watch him closely.. Thankfully, Gavin pulled through okay and we made it without even having to use the puke bag.  :-) Because we arrived early, we first stopped at the Akron Children's Hospital Center for Allergy and Immunology to have Gavin's records transferred to John's Hopkins per their request.  That was a quick and painless process and should be done soon.  Now we're just waiting for our turn to go back and see Dr.  Clark.  The last time…

In but  a few hours, we will be making the trip to the  Akron Children's Hospital Heart Center.  We will be meeting with Dr. Clark, one of the top pediatric cardiologists in the country.  The subject today will be Gavin's ongoing heart rate issues.  Going into this, I am aware that this will be an unusual appointment because while Gavin has heart problems, they aren't actually heart related, per say. Let me get you up to speed so the above statement makes more sense. One year ago this month, something began happening to Gavin that was later identified as the extremely rare form of autonomic disorder that has all but taken over his young life. Our first run in with this was last May (2012),when Gavin was hospitalized for 4…