Autism Archives - Page 44 of 714

Here’s how my appointment with the divorce attorney went today

Just wanted to drop a quick update because I think it's relavent and I'm hoping to set a positive example for anyone else going through something similar. I only talk about my experience and do so very honestly. I don't talk about the reasons why this is happening though. I know it seems more one sided and I suppose it is but it's not because I'm hiding anything. I simply want to respect Lizze's privacy and don't feel I have the right to share her story. I want to focus on how we're handling things and what I've learned along the way. While I don't share all the details, I do share the broad strokes because if someone can learn something from my experience, that's a positive thing. With all…

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December 29, 2020

Divorce / Inspirational Posts / My thoughts

How I’m choosing to handle parenting during and after my divorce

If you're new to this blog, you should know that I use this a sort of a personal journal. Many times, I'm writing about things that I'm experiencing in real time and you go through that process with me. This is one of those times. I woke up this morning and I'm finding myself very easily annoyed. Gavin is definitely pushing my buttons, whether he means to or not. For the record, I don't think he does. His brothers aren't too far behind either. I've been on edge and irritated today and I wasn't sure why until I started writing about this. I remember why and since the kids are already aware, I feel comfortable talking about it. This week, I meet with Lizze and my attorney. We will be…

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December 28, 2020

My thoughts

Can you guess why it’s so hard for me to sleep?

I've been talking about how tough it's been to sleep at night when Emmett is dealing with separation anxiety. The last few days he's been doing really well in regards to sleeping in his own bed. Last night was a bit of a struggle. He ultimately made it into his own bed but he had to fall asleep in my room first. If you ask him why he needs to sleep in my room, he'll say something along the lines of he feels more comfortable. Sometimes it's because he has a string of nightmares that really upset him. Yet on other occasions, he's said that he's afraid that if he's not glued to me at night, he's going to wake up in the morning and I'll have left in the…

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December 27, 2020

My thoughts

Someone has slept in their own bed for 2 straight nights

I have been getting much better sleep lately because Emmett has been in his own bed for the past two nights. Since Lizze left, he's been struggling to sleep by himself. He experiences separation anxiety and has to be physically touching me in order to fall asleep. I want to be there for him but at the same time, it's very difficult to sleep because I can't get comfortable. He tends to sleep in positions that take up a large part of my king size matteess. Since becoming single, I prefer to sleep in the middle of the mattress and I can't do that with him there. The last couple of nights, he's managed to stay in his own bed and I've slept so well. I am fully aware of…

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December 26, 2020

My thoughts

Why the holidays are tough for us

One of the challenges for me as a Dad going through a divorce, is managing the holidays. I don't mean fighting over who gets to see who because thankfully we don't have that problem. I'm referring to things like simply navigating the day. Before all of this happened, we had our holiday traditions and everyone had a role to play. When people are missing, the role goes unfilled and it sometimes changes everything. We were in a remote location with no other people around. We took out masks off for the picture. This was earlier this in the Fall. Even if the traditional activities are still possible, there can be emotional baggage associated with them, especially for the kids. This is our second Christmas on our own and we're still…

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December 24, 2020

My thoughts

My son baked a double layer cake

I meant to share this the other day and I forgot. I wanted to get this out there because there's so much negative right now, it's even more important to focus on the glimmers or positive moments. I shared the other day that Emmett had baked cutout cookies, all by himself. He did amazing and I'm so proud of him. Elliott checked something off his COVID bucket list as well. He baked a double layer cake, all by himself. He's been wanting to do this for a while now and he accomplished this the other day. I want to also applaud him for letting Emmett color the icing. Elliott wanted to do this all on his own but Emmett wanted to help. Instead of pushing him away, Elliott allowed him…

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December 24, 2020

My thoughts

Going to the dentist in the midst of a pandemic

It was a stressful day yesterday and not just because it was a Monday. I had to take Emmett to the dentist to get his tooth fixed. I was not excited about that because we were well outside of my COVID comfort zone but it was a necessary evil. His dentist is out of town and that was literally the farthest I've driven since returning home from Orlando last February. Emmett did very well and everyone in the office wore masks. Some wore them better than others and by that I mean not everyone kept their nose tucked into their mask. I felt relatively comfortable with the COVID safety protocol but I would have preferred the avoid it all together. I was right about Emmett's tooth. It is a baby…

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December 22, 2020

My thoughts

It was crazy but we ended on a positive note

Yesterday was pretty crazy. I began the process of defusing the Christmas anxiety by allowing the boys to slowly begin opening presents. Their anxiety is through the roof for a number of reasons and Christmas isn't helping. I told them I want a clean house for Christmas and as we make progress, they can pick out one present to open. The house needs caught up, and it gives them a physical outlet doing something productive. By Christmas Eve, we should be done with presents and the kids will be less stressed. I usually do early present opening anyway because of their anxiety and my own self-preservation. This is just a little different but the circumstances are rather extreme and I will do whatever helps us get through all this intact.…

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December 21, 2020