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...... ☺
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…
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... ☺
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…
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…
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…
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…
I wanted to shoot an update through the channels and let everyone know how we're doing with the bullying situation that's recently come to light. I'm really happy to be able to say that since our meeting this week at the school, the changes made have had a very positive impact. The biggest change that has been made is the proximity of where this classroom bully now sits in regards to where Elliott sits. A little distance seems to be really helping. Elliott has reported that things have gotten better for him. He hasn't been assaulted by this kid for most of the last school week and that's a big change for the better. He was getting stabbed/scratched/hit with pencils on what seemed like a regular basis.…