Becoming a single parent is proving to be very overwhelming

Emmett is home sick again and that throws a wrench into my schedule today. I called the school and apparently, this respiratory thing going around the school, seems to last forever. It certainly feels that way. Elliott got to school without any problems and Gavin is still healthy as he can be. I imagine the IVIG infusions are helping him to avoid what his brothers are dealing with. I'm dragging today and I'm not entirely sure why. I haven't been able to go walking in a little while now and it's driving me crazy. I'm trying to do things like walk to the stairs in my house and even jogging in place. I don't get the same emotional boost out of those things though and I'm struggling. I'm going to…

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I’m so overwhelmed but incredibly grateful as well

It's been a very challenging day today but we've made it through. Emmett was home sick today and I'm not sure he's going to make it back tomorrow either. In fact, if he doesn't show improvement, I may need to get him back into his pediatrician. Assuming he has what Elliott had, it may be a few days still. Elliott was sick for over two weeks and Emmett became sick about halfway through that. Right now his cough is getting really bad and he's miserable. Gavin has been excessively talkative today, even for him. He would not stop talking and I honestly felt like I was going to go fucking crazy. I never lost my patience but I did tune him out when it got to be too much. I…

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Hair cuts can be challenging for #Autism families

One of the things we still work on in my Autism family is hair cuts. For the most part, Elliott and Emmett do pretty well. Gavin shaves his head and he's learning to actually do that himself. He doesn't use a straight blade but an electric razor. In fact, I actually need to get his his own electric razor, because he likes the idea of having his own and it's a bit more independence. I can check out some place like Omnicord for this type of thing. Maybe this would make a good stocking stuffer. Anyway, Elliott and Emmett very much dislike getting their hair cut but they are often cooperative. It's totally a sensory thing and while I don't experience the same challenges on a personal level, I get…

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It’s an unpleasant Monday but we totally got this

I had a really hard time sleeping last night. Elliott didn't fall asleep until early this morning and that's got him dragging. Emmett isn't feeling good and isn't wanting to go to school. Even Gavin is wanting to wake up today. Walking looks to be not happening due to weather and so I will likely just take Gavin for his blood work instead. I've got some jobs that need my attention this morning and I'm grateful to have them, just in time for Christmas. I also have to figure out what I'm doing with Emmett. Maybe we'll try a late start. That seems to help and it doesn't count against him. As an aside, the state just changed the ridiculous way they were tracking attendance and we're in good shape…

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I feel like I’m just f*cking everything up

It's been a stressful afternoon and evening. The kids came home after what seems to have been a very positive visit with their mom, and just fell apart. Holy shit has it been a rough day. The kids have been fighting and bouncing off the walls. Gavin has been overwhelmed most of the evening and had a meltdown after dinner. He actually did very well and got through it without hurting himself or breaking something but he was over the edge for sure. I write this off to fallout from the visit and that's probably right on the mark. Something people seem to misunderstand is that fallout isn't always the result of a negative experience. My kids love seeing their mom but it's very emotionally charged and they struggle with…

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Why do breaks always make me feel guilty?

The boys have been at their mom and grandparents house since lunchtime yesterday. They'll be home any minute and I wanted to get a quick post done before they got here. I didn't do much while the kids were gone and I feel like I should have. I don't get many breaks and when I do, I'm usually too tired to do much. It's really the only time I can have some actual downtime without any guilt, even though I feel guilty that I didn't get anything done anyway. Breaks always make me feel guilty. Emmett isn't feeling well this morning and I foresee school being an issue tomorrow. I'm not sure what's going on but they seem to have it managed cause I offered to pick him up this…

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This looks to be an AMAZING opportunity but it’s going to be challenging

I wanted to drop a quick update about this Florida trip. I have some more information to share and it's pretty exciting. If you missed the last post, please see The Amazing Reason My Kids and I Were Just Invited to Orlando, Florida for details. So the trip would take place in early 2020 and the purpose would be to experience the accommodations that DoubleTree has put into place for Autistic people and their families. We would be able to provide honest feedback and show other families what they can expect from these inclusive accommodations. This is a really exciting opportunity and I'm feeling very positive about this right now. While I'm still putting more specific details together, I believe part of the experience will involve SeaWorld as well. There…

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The Autism Healthcare Collaborative (S2E9)

I had the opportunity to speak with Sheri A. Marino, MA, CCC-SLP this past week. She's the Executive Director of the Autism Healthcare Collaborative. The only way I can think to describe this organization is Dr. House meets Autism. The AHC basically provides families of medically complicated Autistic children with access to the top doctors from various specialities via teleconferencing.

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