It's been the longest, most stressful day I've had in a long time. There are two main reasons for my current level of distress and both are related to Gavin but not his fault.
I remember the moment each one of my kids was diagnosed with Autism. It's permanently seared into my brain because these moments are among the most pivotal in my life. One of the things I remember most was how much guilt I felt as our Autism journey began. I felt like I had sentenced my kids to a life of misery because them having Autism was somehow my fault. That guilt ate me alive for a long time. Truth be told, there are still moments where that guilt pops back up, even after all these years. I wanted to take a minute and talk to the Autism parents of the world, especially those just starting this crazy, wonderful, confusing and overwhelming ride. Speaking from personal experience, and extensive contact with…
I'm keeping this short and sweet cause we're getting ready to head out the door again. Both the boys had good days at school. They came home in a good mood and are feeling good about going back tomorrow. ☺ If I could pick only one thing to go right today, this would have been it. I'm so relieved that everything went well.. ☺ Many of you will recognize the significance of surviving a significant change to your ASD kid's routine. It's even more amazing when they not only survive it but totally own it. I'm proud of my little minions.... ☺
The morning has been unbelievably stressful but we've been hitting the targets so far. Emmett and Elliott are at school but that didn't come easy. I had to walk Emmett into the school and briefly meet with his teachers in regards to his makeup work because that's the only way he would be comfortable enough to stay. Unfortunately, that set us back a little bit in regards to time but it was totally worth it because he felt better. I haven't even had a chance to eat breakfast because I had to pick up Lizze and Gavin from home, drop Lizze off at her appointment and take Gavin for his bloodwork. I did take advantage of being in a huge parking lot and went for a brief walk while I…
Despite all the positive thoughts and optimistic approach to this morning, it's become a fucking nightmare. Emmett is freaking out, Elliott is not being super cooperative and Gavin won't stop talking to me. I swear to God, if I had any hair left, I'd be pulling it out right now. I'm taking a few minutes to myself right now and putting myself in timeout. I figured I would make this a teachable moment and hopefully something positive will come from this disaster. Rather than continue beating my head into the wall and losing what little sanity I have left, I'm putting myself in timeout for a few minutes. I'm someone who has a great deal of patience with my kids but even I have my limits. Without question, I've reached…
We've got a busy day tonight and our success depends on whether or not Emmett makes it to school. It's more important that we get out the door on time because we have to have Gavin's bloodwork done and get Lizze to a doctors appointment before 9 AM. I try to be positive but I have a bad feeling about how things are going to go with Emmett in the morning. After all of the morning chaos, I have to get Gavin to Social Security for his review. I'm hoping beyond hope that they don't want to have me discuss Gavin's status in front of him. I like to include Gavin in his own care when it's appropriate but talking about all the problems he's having isn't something I want…
This fever flare is driving me nuts. I know it's worse for Emmett but I'm still having a really hard time getting him to eat anything. He's had a bit of yogurt, some pudding and I just got him to eat some brown rice. The brown rice was a pretty big surprise actually. The problem is that he's not eating much and there's very little that we can pack in his school lunch and be sure he'll eat any of it. He's not being picky, he's just in a tremendous amount of pain. He's getting a new sore on his cheek and that's probably what's keeping him from eating now. He's been complaining about it today. Thankfully, that's one of the only new sore he's presented with for a couple…
I'm concerned that Emmett is going to be very difficult to get to school in the morning. His mouth sores are getting better but he still has a big one on the inside of his lip and it hurts me just to look at it. Poor Emmett is still in pain but we're sending him to school and as of bedtime, he's okay with that. He was worried about his pants but we told him he can wear his old pants. Shirts won't be too big of an issue and neither will his crocs. The big issue, or rather the two big issues will be his lunch and his makeup work. He's very worried about what he's going to eat for lunch because a lot of things still hurt his…