When I became a special needs parent many years ago i lwarned two things. First I learned to NEVER to never take things for granted. The second thing I learned was to truly appreciate the little things. Most people will see these pictures and think, so what. However, this is much bigger "so what". Elliott, RARELY ever tries new things. Today Elliott had peanut butter and jelly. This is beyond a rare occasion, in fact I have NEVER seen him do this. Not only was it peanut butter and jelly but it was on whole grain bread. As a parent experienced in the ways of Autism, I have learned to truly appreciate these deceivingly "little" moments for the oftentimes much "bigger" steps forward they actually are. - Lost and Tired…

One of the concerns we had with Gavin leading up to his last stay at ACH was the fact that he was pulling his teeth out. One of the doctors pointed out something I hadn't thought of. Since Gavin has pulled so many teeth out before they were ready and there are no adult teeth yet to fill in the gaps, his teeth may start to shift. Basically, if he didn't need braces before he most likely will now. That will be an out of pocket expense, from what I understand. This is just one of the many ways we are effected by these behaviors. Oh...and he "lost" one more tooth while he was there. Sometimes I just get so tired of these "choices" Gavin makes.  - Lost and Tired…

Gavin came home this afternoon. The staff didn't really have much to say with the exception of warning Gavin, in no uncertain terms, that if he returns again it will be even less fun then it was this time. Gavin didn't seem to bothered by that warning. I made sure, as difficult as it was, that we weren't overly excited to have Gavin home. I wanted him to realize that life went on while he was gone. I wanted to make sure we saw this through to the end. He's doing pretty well. We've had a few problems but nothing major. All in all, I think this has been a positive outcome. I want to thank you all for your support during this difficult time. I hope that by sharing…

Tonight UPS showed up bearing a gift from Sprint. We have been having signal issues lately while in our house. Nothing really bad just some echo and poor data speeds. In an effort to ensure my continued satisfaction, they sent me this nice little surprise, free of charge. This is called the Airvana Access Point. Basically it's my own personal cell phone tower. Needless to say the problems have been resolved. We have perfect signal now anywhere in my house and in the yard. So this is.probably the highlight of the day for me. So THANK YOU Sprint for stepping up and addressing the problems we were having in a very big way. I'm quite impressed.......  

This is where I'm sitting waiting for Gavin's exit interview and discharge. Kind of a blah room but I suppose it serves a purpose. Been waiting for a few minutes so J thought I would give a bit more insight to those that have never experienced this. - Lost and Tired Please Vote for Lost and Tired (just click the link) and help me spread Autism Awareness. Everyone can Vote once a day :)

Gavin is being released. Lizze is on her way with my mom to take the boys to the dentist. I will be leaving shortly to go pickup Gavin. My understanding, not having actually talked to Gavin about it yet, is that this was NOT fun. He didn't get to control ANYTHING. That in and of itself is a sure fire way to strip all the fun out of it for Gavin. He will be coming home, hopefully, with a much better understanding of what will happen if he continues to hurt himself. All that aside, it will be nice to have him home. I'm anxious to see the impact this experience has had on him. I'm anxious to try new approaches and suggestions as well. We have a very long…

Does anyone else have a child that will dress VERY inappropriately for the current weather condidtions? Gavin is the only one that seems to struggle with this. I took this pic on Friday and it was VERY warm out. WAY to warm to be wearing layers. How do you guys respond to or otherwise address these situations? Please share with the class. - Lost and Tired Please Vote for Lost and Tired (just click the link) and help me spread Autism Awareness. Everyone can Vote once a day :)

I love these moments. The days are so chaotic and overwhelming. I think these moments are going to be the ones that I miss the most. Life passes us ALL by so very quickly. Please take advantage of the time you have and seize these moments. It will be one of those things you carry with you through all the hard times.  :) - Lost and Tired Please Vote for Lost and Tired (just click the link) and help me spread Autism Awareness. Everyone can Vote once a day :)