Read more about the article I got to do what I got to do
My thoughts

I got to do what I got to do

For only being a couple days after Christmas, the boys are doing quite well, at least in my opinion. They have been playing quietly for most of the day and there hasn't been much in the way of fighting. ☺ Lizze and I were able to sleep in a little bit and that's always appreciated. I do have a few things this afternoon that need to get done. The boys have therapy tonight and I desperately need to find the grocery store. Lizze is in a shitload of pain today, so I think we'll just let her sleep and I'll take the boys with me to the store. Am I looking forward to that? No, I'm not but I got to do what I got to do... ☺

0 Comments
December 27, 2017
Read more about the article Gavin was absolutely miserable tonight
Autonomic Disorder / Gavin / My thoughts

Gavin was absolutely miserable tonight

Tonight was not good to Gavin. Poor Gavin got sick after dinner and was absolutely miserable until he finally fell asleep. Shortly after eating dinner, he got what he describes as a really bad stomachache. Tums seem to have helped with that rather quickly but it was the headache that kept him up last night. I'm beginning to suspect that when he has these episodes, they are mini autonomic crises. The reason I say that is because they always happen after eating, when his blood rushes to his stomach. That can and does cause his blood pressure to destabilize, leading to a headache. That's actually how we first discovered there was a problem in the first place. When he lays down, he often feels better. This happens a few times…

0 Comments
December 26, 2017
Read more about the article Did you know Santa can use the @vivinthome cameras to ensure not a creature is stirring?
My thoughts / Vivint Gives Back

Did you know Santa can use the @vivinthome cameras to ensure not a creature is stirring?

I wanted to take a second and share something that might benefit some of my fellow Vivint Smart Home users. Frankly, this would apply to any smart camera system but I've only experienced that with Vivint Home and that's why I'm focused on that. When it comes time to ensure that the kids get to sleep on Christmas Eve, so Santa can arrive, I inform my kids that we let Santa login to our Vivint Smart Home system to make sure they're sleeping. Santa does this by logging into the Vivint app and taking a peak at the kids room, through the Ping Camera, making sure they are sleeping before he arrives. We've found that this helps to kids remain focused on going to sleep and at the very least,…

0 Comments
December 26, 2017
Read more about the article Depression Confession: Week 1 of Paxil withdrawal
Confessions / Depression Confessions / Depression Management / Medications / My thoughts

Depression Confession: Week 1 of Paxil withdrawal

It's officially the beginning of the second week of withdrawal from Paxil. What I've been doing is taking 40 mg/day on one day and then 20 mg/day on the next. I've completed the first week of this four week phase and it fucking sucked. You'd think I was withdrawaling from something hardcore and illegal but it's just an antidepressant called Paxil. I've received tons of messages from people who have gone through the same thing and understand how awful it is. I really appreciate all the feedback and support. Many people can withdrawl from Paxil without any issues whatsoever and there are others, like myself, who go through horrible withdrawal. It feels like the worst flu I've ever had. Having said all that, I seem to have come through the…

0 Comments
December 26, 2017
Read more about the article His IVIG infusion had him in tears tonight
Gavin / IVIG Infusion / My thoughts

His IVIG infusion had him in tears tonight

We officially put Christmas behind us this evening and began the sorted journey of getting back to our normal routines. In Gavin's case, that meant he had to do his IVIG infusion, which he does every Monday and Friday. Unfortunately for Gavin, his IVIG infusion didn't go so well. He started the process about 6 PM and immediately hit a few bumps in the road. The first infusion site needed to be replaced because it wasn't working and the second infusion site was leaking. Both of these scenarios are nightmare scenarios for Gavin because it involves more needles and more pain. To make things even worse for him, the procedure ended up taking almost 6 hours. This put Gavin several hours passed his self proclaimed bedtime and that had him…

0 Comments
December 26, 2017
Read more about the article A better Christmas
Feeling Blessed / My thoughts

A better Christmas

We had a pretty amazing Christmas this year. Lizze and I got to bed at a somewhat decent hour of 2 AM, right before Emmett woke up. He ended up sleeping between Lizze and I because it was the only way he was able to fall back asleep. Our morning went smoothly and the boys all had an amazing Christmas. Everyone is happy and we spent time with both sides of our family. If I'm being completely honest, I don't think I could have imagined a better Christmas. We're all exhausted and will likely spend most of the week recovering from the busy weekend. The next few days will probably be a bit on the rougher side of things as the kids begin to decompress from all the festivities. I'm…

1 Comment
December 25, 2017
Read more about the article I’m doing okay today
My thoughts

I’m doing okay today

I'm having a pretty good day. I was sick for a little while but I'm up and moving now. I don't want anything to do with food but that's okay. We're currently at my in-laws and having a nice visit. The idea is to keep things brief because the kids are already on edge and we need them to sleep tonight.

0 Comments
December 24, 2017
Read more about the article Holy Shit! Can you say overstimulation?
Autism Parenting Insight / Meltdowns / My thoughts

Holy Shit! Can you say overstimulation?

Lizze and the boys came home well after bedtime and my God were the boys wound up. Elliott and Emmett were bouncing off of everything, while Gavin was like a walking zombie, desperately wanting to go to bed. Elliott was somewhat manageable but Emmett went from hyper to raging. It was painfully obvious that while they had an amazing time, they were also completely overstimulated. Poor Emmett ended up having a massive meltdown a little bit after 10 PM and it was a doozy. I don't think he even understood why he was so upset. Mr. Elliott will usually try to help cheer him up, only to make things infinitely worse. Thankfully, Elliott stayed out of it for the most part and I give him credit for that. Emmett was…

0 Comments
December 24, 2017