I don’t know what we’re going to do

We had a really difficult morning because Emmett would not tolerate shoes or socks once again.  I went last night and tried to find new socks that he might be more comfortable with but he wouldn't even try them on. This morning however, he was finally able to put on one of the pairs of new socks but would not tolerate any type of shoe over top of them.  After about 90 minutes of exhaustive effort, we finally got him to wear his slippers. He wasn't happy about it but it happened.   The battle to reach that point was horrible. The screaming was overwhelming for us but the whole thing was beyond overwhelming for Emmett.  This thing is heartbreaking and I don't know what else to do.  Nothing works. …

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Today’s Victory: Guess who slept in their own bed last night? 

After the little hiccup we had over the weekend, Emmett fell asleep in his own bed again and that's not only awesome but a big relief.  I was worried that he was going to start sliding backwards but he's back on the wagon and I couldn't be prouder. I'm hoping this trend continues and we can file this particular challenge under overcome...... ☺ 

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UPDATE: Seven months after my wife moved back home….. 

It's been seven months since my wife and I put our family back together. For those tardy to the party, we spent about twenty months apart after she suffered what our marriage counselor calls caregiver burnout, along with what turned out to be undiagnosed bipolar disorder.  I'm not going dredge through the past at this point but it's important that we're all on the same page.  Since Lizze moved back into the house with myself and the boys, things have been going well. There hasn't been any downside to having our family back together as far as we're concerned.  The boys have not had much trouble adjusting and Gavin is still doing phenomenally well on a behavioral level. Lizze and Gavin have a relationship now that is amazing. It's healthy…

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Well shit, I just had to open my big mouth

Last night was a long night and I only have myself to blame.  I recently shared how Emmett was falling asleep in his own bed and we thought we'd finally worked through our bedtime troubles. Unfortunately, it seems that in my excitement over our perceived victory, I jinxed us.  I spent the night on the couch once again because Emmett wasn't able to sleep. Lizze was still sick and so Emmett and I ended up camping out in the living room.  It was a long night but I did get to sleep today, courtesy of my awesome wife.   Perhaps next time I'll not claim a victory so early...  ☺ 

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A heartbreaking conversation with my son (audio) 

It's been a little while since I talked about how Gavin was doing. I will very, very cautiously say that things might be improving a tiny bit for Gavin and here's why.  It seems that we have gotten the bladder control issues under control. I don't know that I've actually heard him say anything about it in at least a week or so. He still tends to have problems during his Infusions but that's about it.   The medication he's taking to relax his bladder seems to be doing the trick. Of course, it could also be that he's been back down to only 600 mg of Clozapine per day for a few weeks now. I think that helped.  On the backside of all this, he's still struggling with psychosis…

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How we finally got our child with #Autism to fall asleep in his own bed

Here's a little story about an eight year old with Autism, who was unable to fall asleep in his own bed at night.  This little boys name is Emmett and this has been a long standing issue.  He's had some really bad nightmares while in his bed. Based on a very common trait with people on the spectrum called generalization, Emmett now believes that he will always have nightmares when he falls asleep.   We've tried all kinds of things: New beds New mattresses  Night lights  Flashlights Things that project very peaceful light shows onto the ceiling Magic spray Leaving a calming show on repeat on their TV Diffusers with essential oils  Music Door open and door closed These are just a few things off the top of my head…

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Just a general update

It's a bitterly cold day here in Canton, Ohio. We've had a dusting of snow over the last few days but nothing significant. It's perfect weather to get everyone sick and now it's Lizze's turn.  The boys and I were sick for about a week and have recovered for the most part. Elliott is still dealing with a cough but otherwise okay.  I've been really tired recently, more so than usual but I've also been dealing with insomnia as well.  Lizze is really under the weather still. She was the last one of us to get hit by whatever this respiratory bug is.  Thankfully, Gavin's remained healthy this entire time and I assume we owe that to his IVIG Infusions during the week. The worst he's felt is a stuffy…

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This poor kid can’t catch a break

It's been a long day and an even longer night. Once again I'm on the couch in the living room because Elliott is not feeling good.   This poor kid just can't catch a break.  He's got a pretty nasty cough and his tummy is upset. This rendered his ability to fall asleep null. A change of environment sometimes helps the boys when they're sick.  I've got the eucalyptus oil in the difuser and it's pumping some moist into the air, next to where Elliott is currently passed out on his couch. The eucalyptus essential oils are amazing and it's one of my favorite. As for why I'm still awake, the answer is insomnia and it sucks.  The fact that Elliott is breathing better, no longer coughing and sleeping peacefully…

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