Today hasn't gone as planned.  Elliott's home because of a nasty cough that we need to watch and stay on top of. He also seems to be dealing with another sinus infection as well.  We are going to have to get him into the doctors because it moves to his chest. Gavin's been home since last night and has done pretty well so far.  A huge part of Operation Hope was that Gavin be removed from the home because of his extreme behavior and mental health issues.  He was breaking the family apart and traumatizing his little brothers.  He's not a bad person at all.  He's simply wired in a way that makes it difficult for him to coexist when there is any type of emotional expectations.  That's a huge,…

If there was one thing I wish I could make the world understand about special needs parenting, it would be the amount of stress that comes along with it.  Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of amazing things as well. However, the thing that most people just can't seem to wrap their heads around the extreme levels of stress that special needs parents have to function under. I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that special needs parenting is far and away the most difficult thing I have ever faced.  I used to be a firefighter/paramedic and the stress I faced in that job pales in comparison to what I feel each day of my life as a special needs parent. Please don't mistake this as a…

After a few hours in the ER at Akron Children's Hospital, Gavin was stable enough to be released.  We opted to reschedule his IVIG infusion so as not to push our luck.  The reason I say Stable-ish in the title is because he's as stable as he's going to be. His heart rate is still too high but it's not the 150-160 bpm that it was this morning.  Stable-ish seems to be the best way to describe where he is right now.  As for what triggered this crisis, it looks like Gavin ate way, way too much for breakfast. Especially before a car ride.  Between that and the drive to Akron, he very rapidly decompensated.  This is why it's so vitally important to watch his intake lime a hawk.  It's…

I just arrived to the ER and have gotten settled in and up to speed. My mom picked me and Emmett up and I dropped them off at her house.  On the way, we almost got into a wreck when some dude in a truck came within inches of smashing into us.  Anyway, as I walked I to Gavin ins room, they were struggling to get him to cooperate with his IV and he was freaking out.  I got there in the nick of time to help calm him down and the awesome staff got the IV placed.  Gavin is receiving a bolus of fluids to help stabilize him.  I'm not sure that's going to help though.  It may actually be contraindicated because he's on meds to retain fluids and…