Family Archives - Page 358 of 553

How we are avoiding caregiver burnout

I had a really rough night. Elliott had a very hard time falling asleep on the couch but Emmett had no problem falling asleep on me. Both boys are feeling better this morning and that's good because Grandma's coming in about three hours to claim them for the night. Lizze sent me back to bed for a nice long nap and I feel pretty much like a living, breathing person again as a result. It's her turn now and I guess I'll see the boys off at 2pm. I don't know that we have any specific plans for the time the kids are gone. It really depends very much on how Lizze is feeling, and that varies from day to day. I'd really like to go walking but it's super…

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March 11, 2017

I think I’ve earned an Okay-ish Dad award after today :)

It's a little after midnight and poor Elliott is absolutely miserable. He's got a ton of post nasal stuff going on and he doesn't do well with that. He's actually been quite close to puking and we all know how I feel about that.. 😁 He tried sleeping in his bed and then ours but couldn't manage to fall asleep. The best option for him is to sleep on the love seat, where he can comfortably sit up and fall asleep. This helps with the drainage and that puts him in a better place to get some sleep. While I'm happy to camp out with Elliott in the living room, especially if it's providing him comfort, I'm less enthusiastic because I love my new mattress. In the past, the couch…

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March 11, 2017

Elliott / My thoughts

#Autism Parents MUST be able to adapt

Remember when I talked about having to adjust and adapt? The hits just keep coming today and not the good kind. When we last spoke, I was waiting for the kids to get dismissed from school and I was trying to figure out how to tell them that their plans have changed for tonight. Turns out, they took that pretty well, and that's a good thing. Unfortunately, Elliott came home from school sick or at the very least, not feeling well. He was walked out to the car early because his stomach was upset and they didn't want to make him wait. Apparently there's something going around the school and we happen to be the proud new recipients of whatever the fuck that is. Elliott says that many of the…

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March 10, 2017

My thoughts

How we help our kids with #Autism adapt to change

As is the status quo for my family, we have to adjust our plans for today. Originally, the boys were going to be gone tonight but that's been rescheduled for tomorrow. It's not a big deal at all because we're always so grateful for whatever help we get and sometimes things happen that require us to adapt. Having said that, since the boys will be home, we're going to have to feed them. There's some law in Ohio that states you have to feed your kids. 😁 In order to do that, I'll have to go grocery shopping. I wasn't planning on that until tomorrow, specifically when they were not going to be home. Anyway, I'm waiting to pick up the boys from school and I'll explain that the plans…

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March 10, 2017

My thoughts

Thank God for mornings like this

It's been a pretty easy morning thus far. The boys did a great job of getting ready for school and the only hiccup was that I needed to make a second trip because Elliott left his backpack at home. That wasn't a huge deal and I didn't mind. That never happens and considering how cooperative they both were, I'd make a second trip every day if I needed to, in order to ensure this level of positivity each morning. ☺ We have absolutely nothing on the schedule for today. It's the first day this week that I'm not rushing around and losing my mind. Lizze is sleeping and Gavin's about to take his morning nap as well. I'm not sure if I'm going to be taking a nap today. I…

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March 10, 2017

Artwork / Elliott / Emmett John / My thoughts

MUST SEE pictures for my kids art show

We had literacy night at my kids school this evening. It's basically a night that encourages family time and reading. The kids love to go to these things and we always go but I'm not a huge fan. It's always crowded, including lots of heavy smokers that smell of cigarettes, and it's really hot with all those people crammed into a small area. Like I said, the kids love it and that makes it more than worth it. My favorite part of these things is without a doubt, the art show. I love getting to see my kids artwork. I can always pick out Elliott and Emmett's art, without seeing their names. They have a unique style that makes them stick out to me. Anyway, I want to share some…

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March 10, 2017

Bipolar Disorder / Gavin / Major Update

Major Update: We saw the psychiatrist today

Many things have happened today but in this entry, I want to focus on what is arguably the most pivotal. I spoke previously about Gavin having his Lithium dose cut in half, with the potential of being totally removed in the near future. The near future has arrived and we met with Dr. Reynolds this afternoon about this very subject. The focus of today's appointment was to discuss how things were going on the current (reduced) dosage and then decide where to go for here. Lizze and I both agree that Gavin is or at least appears to be manic. Is this the result of the decreased dose of Lithium? My personal opinion is that it's probably not. The reason I say that is because Gavin's been on 900 mg/day…

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March 9, 2017

Emmett John / Sensory / Shoes and Socks

OMG… Just kill me now

We are not off to a good start. Emmett is unable to wear anything on his feet and he's in a mood. He's in a nasty mood. I didn't sleep much last night cause I was up with Mr. Emmett several times throughout the night. I'm at my wits end this morning..

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March 9, 2017