I thought I would fill you in on the outcome of parent teacher conferences this morning. I met with Gavin's teachers for about 30 minutes.  They expressed just how well he was doing at school.  I honestly wasn't surprised to hear any of this because I know how well he is doing :-) We also talked about a few concerns with Gavin's regression.  We discussed how his handwriting is getting worse as he continues to experience muscular and neurological regression.  However,  despite all he is working against,  he is doing so incredibly well at school. I'm very,  very proud of him :-) After meeting with Gavin's teachers,  I went down the steps and around the corner to visit Elliott's teachers. Truth be told,  I was worried about Elliot way more…

I have been asked a few times for advice on disciplining.  This is a pretty touchy subject and while I'm happy to share my personal experience,  I'm not claiming to be an expert...at all. It should also be noted that we work very closely with our doctors and therapists when constructing and implementing any new discipline plan. Over the years we have struggled with the idea and the logistics of disciplining our children.  The main reason for this struggle is because we were never sure what was within their control and what wasn't. We didn't want to punish them for something outside of their control but at the same time,  in the real world,  their actions have consequences. We do not spank and we try not to assign consequences while…

Today's Victory goes to Gavin.  Gavin had to go to the doctor's this morning for an evaluation to make sure he was physically doing okay.  We had a very long wait.  I think we sat in the office waiting to be seen for almost an hour and Gavin handled it like a champ. Not only that,  but immediately following that appointment,  he had to get his bloodwork done again. After all the waiting and anticipation,  he did pretty well. For these reasons,  I'm awarding Gavin with Today's Victory. Great job Gavin.....  :-)

I'm very aware that I'm not the only one going through this, but I'm only speaking about my experience in this post. This is not meant to be taken as a blanket statement. As a special needs parent, I have had to make many sacrifices over the past 10 or 11 years. I say this, not as a martyr, but as a means with which to make my point. I've given up my career and most of my possessions, as well as my financial security. All of these and more were given up willingly and without much thought. If I were presented with a chance to go back and change things, I would give them up all over again. However, there is one area that is very difficult to cope…

Today is going to be relatively busy. First thing this morning I have teacher conferences for both Gavin and Elliott. After that I have my flu shot and then I have to take Gavin to the doctors to make sure that everything is okay. Hopefully, I'll hear about the van today as well. I have a ton of laundry to do and I want to get some writing done. Busy, busy....busy..

In, just under the wire. :-) Today's victory was pretty cool and totally unexpected. I was to tired to cook tonight so I ordered pizza for the boys. I wasn't very hungry so I didn't eat everything I had on my plate. Elliott asked if he could have my last piece and I said, sure. Emmett just came back into the room after throwing his pizza away and pitting his plate in the sink. However, as soon as he saw that Elliott had my last piece, he decided that he wanted it as well. Soon a battle ensued over this last piece of pizza. As soon as Elliott had his back turned, Emmett snuck in and took a bite. However, after a brief period of screaming back and forth, Elliott…

I spoke with Waterloo Transmission on Friday about this freakin' van. The have figured out most of the problem. What I thought was the water pump was actually the A/C compressor or condenser. It was dark out and I'm not really a car guy. The bearings are shot and that's casuing the belt to hang up which in turn affects the alternator. They also figured out the check engine light and the stalling as well. Apparently, the other day a bulletin came through that described the exact problems that we have been chasing around for almost a year now. Turns out that something is wrong with the valve cover and something about oil seeping into the intake. Again, I'm not a car guy but I usedstand how that would be…

Lizze was invited to go to a concert with her mother and a few of her mother's friends. The concert is in another state, so it would be an overnight trip and they would be driving. She's asking me if she can go, like she needs my permission or something. However, she realizes that she would be leaving with a great deal of responsibility and I appreciate her considering my feelings in the subject. Ironically, my hesitation to agree to take on this challenge has nothing to do with having 3 boys on the Autism Spectrum to care for. Sure, doing this by myself would be tough but I've done it before and everyone survived. :-) Besides, she more than deserves this. My concern is the impact this trip would…