We used to drive a nice Saturn L200 but honestly it was to small.  We were without a car when we lost it. My aunt and uncle gave us a Kia Sportage and that got a through some tough times. When the electrical system went completely nuts (apparently a known and non-repairable condition) we had to finally put her to rest. We are very grateful and lucky to have such generous family.  Then my parents fixed up their Chevy Lumina and gave that to us. We are currently still driving that. However, with the behavioral issues some of our kids have (namely Gavin) we have safety issues to worry about. So we are in the market for a new or nicely used mini-van. We have found that the pilot seats work…

As I mentioned in the last post Gavin has no chance of functioning on his own. He will either live with us forever or live in a group home setting. We have poured everything we have into Gavin and nothing really sticks. I hate to say it's a waste of time anymore but in reality it probably is. Gavin's behaviors have destroyed our lives. Lizze is sick with stress related things like fibromyalgia. I've been battling depression and anxiety. Elliott Richard's anxiety is through the roof and he's in therapy as a result of the stress caused by Gavin's behaviors. ER has nightmares because Gavin tells him terrifying things like "vampires come out at night and they are going to bite your neck and drink your blood". No matter how…

Autism has effected our family completely. Poor ER is probably having the toughest time as he is the "typical" or highest functioning of our kids. He is very confused by his brothers behaviors, especially Gavin's. We have reached a point (once again) where we have to choose between the kids. Gavin's future is, unfortunately unavoidable. Elliott Richard on the other hand has a very bright future. I know how this sounds and I know how this feels. You can't comprehend the guilt you feel as a parent having to decide to basically favor one child over another unless you've had to do it. Everyone involved with Gavin has told us that there is no chance of Gavin living a life outside of our house or a group home environment. To…

After raising an Autistic child for 10 years you realize that not only have you lost most of your mind and all of your sanity but your organizational skills as well. We somehow over looked 3 people coming over this morning to evaluate Emmett John for services. It all managed to work out though. EJ was evaluated for sensory issues. He apparently have quiet a few sensory issues. His biggest one has to do with compression. I guess he needs to feel his body compressed or squeezed. The other big one has to do with impacts. He is constantly jumping off of things just to slam into the floor. This one is starting to get dangerous because he's jumping off of higher and higher things. They return in the morning…

My guest poster today is Esther Calgary.. Guest post written by Esther Calgary Once my friends at my retirement community and I discovered Facebook a little over a year ago, I started finding childhood friends and out-of-touch co-workers. The satellite internet specials I had found when I moved to the community let me chat on Facebook chat and keep up with everyone’s whereabouts and projects. But I was hesitant to add them as friends on there because I knew that they may not want to be friends with me on there and I wasn’t sure if I wanted them to see my Facebook wall anyway. It’s not that I wanted to keep my conversations private, it’s that some funny jokes that my friends post on my wall could make my…

Hey everyone, I hope today is a good one for all of you. I just wanted to let you know that I will have the occasional guest blogger on here. These guest bloggers will be random topics but it helps to bring in a bit of extra income for my family. I will try to keep them at a minimum but right now times are tough. I appreciate your understanding.. Have a great week.

Gavin has been starting to show improvement over where he was a few weeks ago. Most of the facial ticks have subsided now. Gavin is still very anxious but that's par for the course. ER and EJ have paid a pretty heavy price and are struggling a bit. You can't blame them considering everything going on around them. However, it is taking its toll on Lizze and I both. That's it for now. I'll write more tomorrow. Brought to you by Lost and Tired via Blackberry. Please note my new twitter address. www.twitter.com/Lost_and_Tired

I wrote a new article. It's inspired by my own personal journey. "The birth of the special needs parent". As always, every time you subscribe to or even click to view my work you are helping to support the Lost and Tired family. So if you like what I write please share the links and subscribe to my page. Thanks Again.