Monday will be 4 years to the day,  that I officially adopted Gavin.  We affectionately dubbed it gotcha day. It's always been sorta like a second birthday for him.  Sadly, it's doesn't appear that we will be celebrating with this year.  It's really sad that things have come down to this. I very clearly remember standing before the judge and answering her questions and swearing an oath that I would raise Gavin as my own and take responsibility for him, from that day forth.  Sometimes,  I wonder if I lived up to that promise or if I'm somehow breaking it because of the direction things have taken since that day.  I have loved Gavin from the day I met him.  We became so close and I always looked at him…

Elliott is really having a hard time with Gavin being gone.  I know maybe that sounds weird to some,  because of how scared her cam be of Gavin. Lizze and I have been trying to distract both Elliott and Emmett, to get their minds on something else. Last night my parents called and wanted to treat us to ice cream.  They figured that it may be a nice distraction for all of us and a chance to get out of the house. It was nice and the boys had fun.

Gavin came home from school the other day and was really excited about his picture he colored.  He said he was learning about abstract art. I promised him that I would share this with all of you.  Enjoy...   :-)

About an hour ago, Gavin was officially, if not temporarily, moved out of the house. Lizze's mom arrived after work to pick him up. As I mentioned earlier today, this is a very bittersweet moment for the Lost and Tried family. On one hand,  our 12 year old son has moved in with his grandparents and that's difficult on all of us, especially Elliott.  On the other hand, we can all finally take a deep breath and relax for once.  The boys are pretty upset right now and who can blame them. This is one of those things that will hopefully get easier with time.  The goal here is to get the funding together that's needed for Gavin to be placed in residential treatment,  while Gavin's at his grandparents.  The…

Today is a bittersweet day for me, well for the entire Lost and Tired family. This evening, Gavin will be moving in with his grandparents.  They have agreed to allow Gavin in to live there, for the short term anyway.  The reason this is taking place is because we need immediate relief and there's simply no way to know if or when,  funding will come through for residential care. Lizze and the boys desperately need him out of the house and Gavin will likely do well without all the emotional expectations he has at home.  In truth, we're not sure how long this will last before he becomes to much for them. It's not an if he becomes to much, it's a when he becomes to much.  We are fully…

Emmett is in a relatively good mood this morning, especially for being sick.  He's snuggled up with his favorite boxer and English staffy.  He was watching some cartoons this morning but is now chillin out and playing Lego Batman. I'm hoping and praying for a good day because this has been the week from hell already and I'm exhausted.  Right now,  all signs point to good day. :-)

I wanted to share this little present that Elliott created while at school.  This was created for both Lizze and myself. He's so proud of it and was extremely excited to give it to us.  It's a 3 leaf clover and he wrote Mon and Dad inside of it.  I feel so lucky that not only do we have Elliott in our life but also that he thinks so highly of us.  :-)

My article for this week has been published over at the Childswork blog. The topic is on how having a special needs child can affect other siblings. I would love to hear your thoughts on this over in the comments at Childswork. Please remember to share, like and comment. It really does help and I would really appreciate it. See you over there. :-)   The Sibling Factor