The meltdowns are killing me today

The boys are going on a field trip to the zoo today. Emmett is in a truly horrible mood this morning. He's been screaming all morning and it's been like one long meltdown.  The problem is likely the fact that he woke up after midnight and couldn't go back to sleep.  He and I crashed on the couches in the living room but he didn't fall asleep for hours.. That meant that I couldn't fall asleep for hours as well.  I don't have the patience to deal with this at the moment, as I'm exhausted. 

0 Comments

The meltdowns are killing me today

The boys are going on a field trip to the zoo today. Emmett is in a truly horrible mood this morning. He's been screaming all morning and it's been like one long meltdown.  The problem is likely the fact that he woke up after midnight and couldn't go back to sleep.  He and I crashed on the couches in the living room but he didn't fall asleep for hours.. That meant that I couldn't fall asleep for hours as well.  I don't have the patience to deal with this at the moment, as I'm exhausted. 

0 Comments

Why this is a blessing and a curse

I know it may seem silly to some because what happened this morning at Gavin's doctors appointment, didn't really change anything, but I'm struggling anyway.  Would it make the Universe implode if just for once, we could get really good news at one of Gavin's doctors appointments? Would the cosmic balance be thrown out of whack if Gavin was able to catch a break? Would life as we know it cease to be if Gavin were able to recover from even one of his many physical or emotional health problems?  I realize I'm biased but my God, how much should one kid have to endure in a lifetime?  I'm trying to be positive about this, so here's my thought.  Maybe one of the major challenges he faces has an upside…

4 Comments

Gavin had a major diagnosis change today

Gavin and I met with Dr. Reynolds this morning. Lizze wasn't feeling well and was resting up so she would be better when the kids got home from school. Sometimes we have to divide and conquer.  Today's appointment was basically supposed to be a followup, because we had discontinued the Lithium last month. Dr. Reynolds wanted to make sure everything was okay.  We met for quite awhile, and the discussion turned to something I hadn't planned on.  I asked the question, at what point do we revisit his Schizoaffective diagnosis and look at straight up Schizophrenia?  The reason I asked this question is because we haven't reevaluated him in a long time and his symptoms have changed as he's gotten older. Long story short, Gavin's official diagnosis has changed to…

10 Comments

Why this #Autism Dad feels guilty today

It's already one of those days where I'm feeling very guilty. It's the kind of guilt one feels when their special needs child is driving them fucking crazy. By sharing this, I know it's almost hypocritical because I'm always telling my readers not to feel guilty.  The truth is, sometimes there's nothing that can stop the overwhelming feelings of guilt.  I'm feeling guilty today because I'm really struggling with Gavin this morning. He's very slowly processing everything around him today, and I'm in a hurry because we have Dr. Reynolds to be at, first thing.   It's almost like he's unable to think. He's not even able to answer some of my simple questions.  We're sitting here in the waiting room at Dr. Reynolds, and Gavin's starts doing the potty…

0 Comments

It’s like being kicked in the balls

Lizze and I are really heartbroken over the amount of regression Gavin's been experiencing lately. Today was particularly difficult because Gavin was clearly struggling in many areas.  On one hand, I sent Gavin in to Clearwater to refill one of our five gallon water jugs, while I watched him from outside the store. He had to buy a token, lid and then fill the jug up before carrying it out and putting it into the trunk. This is only the second time he's done this and he did a really good job.  At the same time, he can't remember how to type the code into the keyless entry on the front door. He's been able to do it for the last two years, but lately he can't remember the code…

4 Comments

This is how my morning has gone

It's been a somewhat decent morning, and for that we're grateful. Lizze and I went to bed early last night, at least early for us. The boys got up really early and began invading our bedroom at the unholy hour of 5 AM.  Despite a decent night's sleep, I'm feeling exhausted, but in a good mood.  On the bright side, Emmett is tolerating his clothes this morning and that means we don't have to battle for an hour. That's hugely positive and I'm very proud of him.  All I have to do is get them off to school and our morning is officially underway.. ☺  

0 Comments

Would you take your child with #Autism to a funeral? 7 things to think about

I know this will sound like a weird question but Would you take your child with #Autism to a funeral?  The reason I'm asking, is because it's one question that I'm commonly asked, and I thought it was important enough to discuss. There isn't an easy answer to this question, but I do have a few thoughts.  We've not been in this situation for a long time, but when Gavin was little, there were several deaths in the family and we chose not to take Gavin to the funeral.  That wasn't an easy decision, but after speaking with his mental health professionals, it was deemed to be not in his best interest to go. At that point, Gavin was roughly five or six years old I believe, and not emotionally equipped…

2 Comments