Family Archives - Page 188 of 553

2 things that have always overwhelmed me as an #Autism parent

There are so many things about being an Autism parent that can be overwhelming. Everyone's list is likely to be different but I bet there are at least a few overlaps. I thought I would share two of the most overwhelming aspects of being an Autism parent for me. For me, and I've said this a million times before, sensory processing challenges are easily one of the most overwhelming aspects of being an Autism parent. Sensory processing disorder impacts my kids in different ways. Generally speaking, SPD makes it incredibly difficult to feed, clothe, and even take my kids anywhere. They are very easily overwhelmed by sensory input. Things like taste, smell, sound, touch, and sight can often lead to overstimulation. This leads to the inevitable meltdown. It's not their…

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June 11, 2018

#Autism Question of The Day

Are there times when you find being an #Autism parent harder than usual?

Being an Autism parent is rarely described as being easy. It's many things but easy simply isn't one of them. That doesn't mean that there aren't times that are easier than others. In that vein of thought, I thought I would pose a question to you all. Are there times you find being an Autism parent harder than usual? If so when? For me personally, it much harder to be an Autism parent when my kids are sick, especially when it's my youngest, Emmett. Emmett is so sensory oriented that even things like a simple cold will put him into a tailspin. It's awful because there's nothing we can do, short of curing a cold, that will help him. Things like a stuffy nose, scratchy throat or even sneezing can…

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June 10, 2018

My thoughts

Sleep and #Autism Parenting

It was a long night and I'm exhausted. Lizze sent me back to bed and left me undisturbed until I woke up on my own. Thank you for that.. ☺ I will say that it's amazing how lack of sleep impacts, even after getting an extra long nap. Truthfully, I feel pretty good but at the same time, I'm also feeling drained. There's absolute truth to the notion that you cannot make up for lost sleep. You can get sleep after having lost some but it doesn't undo what the lost sleep did. I don't know if that makes any sense but I bet if you asked most Autism parents if getting an extra long nap undoes the previous nights loss of sleep, I bet most would say no. That…

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June 10, 2018

My thoughts

I was completely overwhelmed

I'm was feeling a bit overwhelmed this afternoon. When Lizze left with her Mom on Friday afternoon, my grandpa was still in the hospital but doing much better. The boys were doing great-ish and we were looking forward to our guy time. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. The boys and I had a blast watching Flight of the Navigator. All was well until bedtime when Emmett's occasional cough got worse and he couldn't sleep. It was a long-ass night. Emmett woke up coughing, hacking and running a fever. We made it through the night but didn't get much sleep. I was exhausted and not in a place to cope with much more. That's right about the time Gavin began having problems. He was having really bad reflux, which isn't…

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June 9, 2018

Emmett John / My thoughts

Poor Emmett is not doing well

It was a long night and I'm exhausted. Emmett is definitely sick and he's getting worse as time goes on. It began as an infrequent cough but now it's a fever and a cough. The cough is constant and dry. I don't think it's necessary to get him to the doctor as this is probably a cold but I'll be keeping a close eye on him.

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June 9, 2018

Guy Time / My thoughts

I had the coolest experience with my kids tonight

I mentioned previously that it's a guys weekend because Lizze is out of town with her Mom. It's weird without her here but it's healthy for everyone to get a break from everyone at times. The boys and I ran a few errands before heading to the park. Unfortunately, between Emmett not feeling well and an outdoor wedding, our plans reverted to getting ice cream before heading back home. Here's the really cool part. We were trying to decide on a movie to watch together and I insisted it be something they've not seen before. I wanted them to try something different and maybe learn something new. As we were trying to decide and going through trailer after trailer, something popped into my head. Out of nowhere, Flight of the…

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June 9, 2018

Guy Time / My thoughts

It’s going to be a guys weekend

Gavin's infusion finally finished, which is a good thing but the process has completely wiped him out. Currently, he's sleeping but I'm hoping he'll be up shortly. The boys and I are having a guys weekend because Lizze is on an out of town trip with her Mom. Everyone wants to go to the park and I'm totally game. With all the unexpected expenses over the last 30 days, I simply can't afford anything like going to a movie or taking them out to dinner. That's okay though because we're going to have fun regardless. I know the boys want to go Pokémon hunting and perhaps I'll let them do that while we go on a two mile walk. I'm super excited to have guy time with the boys. The…

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June 8, 2018

Gavin / IVIG Infusion / My thoughts

Gavin’s IVIG infusion is NOT going well today

Gavin's been undergoing his IVIG infusion for over five hours now and it's still not done. This is not a good thing because he's getting extremely anxious and understandably so. This usually comes down to needle placement and because there's only so many locations in his belly to place both needles and because there have been roughly 5,826 total needle sticks into his belly thus far, scar tissue is a problem. I suspect scar tissue is the leading cause of today's complications. As a result, what should take roughly an hour is dragging out into almost six hours. There's nothing we can do but let it run its course. The IVIG Infusions are absolutely crucial to Gavin's survival. We can't just write it off because it's taking too long. Hopefully,…

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June 8, 2018