A very rough morning for my youngest with #Autism

I took Emmett to the doctor this morning because we're trying to figure out why he's getting sick when he eats. It's been a chaotic morning because I have to be in 3 different places this morning and I'm scrambling to meet all my obligations. Emmett is doing okay-ish right now but we're waiting to get some blood work done. He's very, very, very nervous and if you're an Autism parent, you know how well that's probably going. He's struggling right now and his anxiety is through the roof. This all has me on edge. Hopefully, this will go well enough that we can walk out of the office with any major hiccups. At this point in time, they are checking for changed to food allergies as well as celiac.…

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This is heartbreaking

Mr. Emmett is home from school today because he's not feeling well. He's been struggling with his fever disorder related mouth sores and he's just reached a point where he's sick to his stomach. Poor Emmett didn't sleep much last night and is too much pain to go to school this morning. There's very little we can do to help him. Advil doesn't help and we can only numb his mouth up to three times a day. It's heartbreaking to see him go through this. I desperately wish the was something we could do to relieve him of this condition. 😔

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We’re laying my Grandfather to rest this morning and this is what we’re doing with the kids

It's going to be a rough day. My Grandfather's funeral is this morning and it's about an hour away. Calling hours will immediately be followed by the funeral. It's all in one day and I guess that's a thing now. Honestly, it's better this way because it makes it easier for everyone to be there for everything and that's important. After several discussions with Dr. Pattie, my parents, Lizze's parents and some of you, we decided to give the boys the opportunity to attend the funeral. This is only for Elliott and Emmett, as it's best for all, including Gavin, if he stays back. Both boys wanted to go and until last night, that was the plan. While I was out walking last night, Elliott decided that it would be…

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Today’s #Autism parenting journey in pictures

Today was a mixed bag of really awesome, really frustrating and a bit of whatever fell in between. Overall, we made some amazing memories today. We ended up having to go through some shit to make them but that's all part of the journey, right? Of course it is... I thought I would do things a little different today. Rather than write a 1,000 words, I will share a few pictures from key moments that took place today and briefly explain why they were pivotal moments. ☺ This took place immediately after our guy time this afternoon. We said goodbye to my Dad and brother before heading to Giant Eagle for some desperately nedded groceries. I normally don't take all three boys with me to grocery store because it ends…

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The 1st rule of Fight Club is you don’t have it during a grade school Christmas program

It's the final day before Christmas break begins and the boys have their Christmas show this afternoon. Emmett's super excited and Elliott is not excited at all. The person most excited by a mile, is Gavin. Gavin has been talking about this Christmas program since Thanksgiving. I don't know why he's so fixated on it but totally is. It's nice to see him excited about something in the real world but it has gotten a bit annoyingly out of control. It's just the repetitive nature of it all, not the fact that he's excited. I hope you can recognize the distinction there. 😉 Unfortunately, Lizze and Elliott were both up all night with tummy issues and neither will make it today. That leaves Emmett's performance and Emmett's alone. Elliott wasn't…

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This is what happened when I took my son with #Autism, shoe shopping today

I wanted to update you fine folks on how our shoe shopping excursion went this afternoon. I'm so proud of Emmett because it didn't go as planned but he adapted and worked through it. ☺ Emmett and I went to the Skechers outlet store, on a mission to find a very particular pair of shoes. There was no plan to deviate from what we know is working and didn't want to try anything else. We got there and discovered that they didn't have his size but it could be ordered. He didn't want to wait and also didn't want the shoes he was currently wearing. The only option was to look for something else and he was actually eager to do that. I was really surprised by his willingness to…

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Shoe shopping for my kid with #Autism isn’t easy or fun but here’s what we do

Alrighty, I'm super excited about today because after school, I get to take Emmett, shoe shopping. I love Emmett to pieces and would do anything for him. At the same time, he's not a fan of things touching his skin. He's very sensory oriented and things like clothes, shoes and socks can be annoying and sometimes even painful. As a parent it's frustrating because we've spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on shoes over the years that ultimately get donated because he'll wear them once or twice and never again. I could lie to you and say that it's not frustrating but that'd be a lie and not what we do here. It's incredibly frustrating because we can't afford to do this. That being said, it's very important to understand…

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We had some excitement today

We've had some excitement in The Autism Dad household today/yesterday, depending on when you read this. ☺ The boys got off to school without a problem. Lizze got her tooth fixed. She had a broken filling that needed repaired/replaced. She did awesome but it wasn't pleasant. Lizze's Mom took the boys after school to bake cookies and we had a bit of time to ourselves to work on some Christmas related things. That sorta sums up the day and now I want to briefly share the exciting parts. Maybe this isn't exciting, so much as it's a proud parenting moment. Gavin's been slowly weening off his reflux medication and he went from 2 times a day to only once a day. He remembered almost every day to remove his pill…

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