While Autism parenting is the really challenging, difficult, frustrating, overwhelming and throughly exhausting, there is a lighter side to Autism as well. Sometimes there are moments that are truly peaceful. They make having to go through everything to get there worth it. ❤️❤️❤️
While I'm running on fumes, we are off to a great start this morning. Emmett finally fell asleep around 2 am and I was out soon after. Despite the general lack of sleep in the house, everyone is in a good mood and getting along. Sometimes when the boys don't get enough sleep, the can become more easily overwhelmed by the world around them. Sensory issues become more prominent and the meltdowns are abundant. This morning however, the boys are holding their own and that's pretty awesome..... ❤️❤️❤️❤️
It's no secret that raising a child with Autism is not an easy task. It's even less of a secret that raising three kids with Autism is just plain hard. It should go without saying that raising three kids with Autism as a single parent is probably one of the toughest jobs in the world. I've been doing this for a really long time and I still find myself wanting to scream on occasion. As with most people in a similar situation, I often feel completely overwhelmed by life and sometimes I just wish it would slow down... Despite all the challenge, heartache, stress, frustration and lack of sleep, I would change my life for anything in the world. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Gavin's the only one of the three boys who was able to fall asleep tonight. Elliott finally crashed about 11:00 pm and was really frustrated because he was tired but couldn't sleep. Then of course there's Emmett. It's currently about 1:00 am and he's still not able to sleep. It's looking like it's going to be a really long night. These kids have had a really challenging week because there's been a great deal of change and kids on the Autism Spectrum tend to not do so well with change. I'm laying in bed trying to help Emmett fall asleep and he's currently climbing the headboard like a little spidermonkey... We do a lot with music in this house and so I'm playing this song on repeat right now,…
One of Elliott's little things is that he loves to repurpose things. He's always taking old bottles, toilet paper rolls, broken toys and anything else that's ready for the curb and making it into something special. I'm not sure what to call what he does but he repurposing or recycling old or unwanted things into little works of art that he then gives away. This particular creation is from the game Viva Piñata, although I don't know what character it is and hemdoesnt remember. Either way, he repurposed an empty Danimals smoothie bottle and a few broken Nerf darts. This has been gifted unto me and I'm honored to receive it. ♥️
All the boys are home once again and while I'm glad to have my family whole, I'm nursing a wicked headache. The boys are sorta ramped up for some reason and being very loud. 😳 It's nice to have Gavin home again but he's already talking nonstop and that's not helping my head.. God love him though because he wants to help the moment he walks into the house and won't stop asking until I give him something to do. T-minus one hour until bedtime and a quiet house. 👍😁❤️
Rather than have a much needed night off, I ended up with Emmett staying home, while Elliott and Gavin went and visited their Mom. For most of the night and all of today, Elliott wanted to come home but managed to stick it out until noon, when he returned home. Gavin wanted to stay the whole time, so he's still there and will return around dinner. It's been pretty chaotic and I more tired now than I was before all of this transpired. With that being said, I did really enjoy my alone time with Emmett. I don't know what was behind his refusal to go but his Mom and I decided that it was best not to push him too far. Emmett and I spent the last evening and…
I've been a special needs parent for roughly half of my life. I'm so used to the challenges that I face on a daily basis, that I don't always remember that they are there. Sometimes you can get so used to something that you simply don't know anything else. Over the years I've become quite acclimated with Autism but ADHD is something relatively new for me. It's been over a year since both Elliott and Emmett were diagnosed officially with ADHD. I'm honestly not sure what I struggle with more as a parent, Autism or ADHD. They both present their own unique parenting challenges but ADHD is much newer to me and I'm still trying to figure it out. There are many overlapping symptoms and it's sometimes really difficult…