Something I always make sure I do,  at least once a day,  is tell each of my boys how proud I am of them. When it comes to the days that we struggle,  I really try to focus on this. I want them to know that no matter their choices,  I'm always proud of them. This is especially important for Gavin because he is always in trouble and in need of correction or guidance. I never want him to think that I'm not proud of him. No matter how bad of a day it was,  or how destructive the meltdowns were,  I look for something to be proud of.  Maybe the meltdown was significantly shorter than  yesterday's.  Perhaps he didn't hurt himself during this one. There's always something that can…

I called Gavin down for lunch and he was  not using his right hand. I asked him what was wrong and he showed me this. He says he was swinging his arms around and hit the corner of his dresser.  That much I believe.  However,  the why is what's in question. He had a huge meltdown this morning and I never looked at his hand after the meltdown. He says it had nothing to do with the meltdown and happened much later. It looks like his hand was slammed in a car door,  doesn't it.  However,  the bruises actually line up with his dresser and I know it wasn't slammed in the car door. I don't know why he would do this to himself.  Sensory,  anger or maybe it was…

I thought it would be a growing experience for me to share with you 10 things about myself that I don't share with many people. Some of these things are very personal  and I never talk about.  I'm trying to grow as a person and so I think that by sharing these things,  maybe I can do just that. This list is in no particular order of importance or significance to me. 10 Thing's You Don't Known About Me 1) I'm terrified of the dentist and haven't seen one in over 10 years.  I take good care of my teeth but I get sick just thinking about going to the dentist. 2) I'm ashamed that when Gavin has behavioral issues,  I sometimes view him differently than I do my biological…

Sometimes I feel like I live in a perpetual meltdown.  By the time I recover from one,  I'm knee deep in another one. It's exhausting to say the very least. Gavin had a very violent meltdown this morning. He was trying to play Lizze and I off each other and I caught him. The very simple act of accountability is what sets him off.  It doesn't matter what the consequences are,  he was caught and doesn't like it.  The meltdown is his way of expressing that dislike. It's not sensory related at all.  He's fine until he learns there is a consequence for his actions. Personally,  I'm growing tired of living in Meltdown Central,  it's the smallest/loudest city in the world.  Thank God we see Dr.  Pattie in about 8…

I think we are all aware of the rules of three's.  You know the one that says,  everything happens in three's. While I'm not a superstitious guy,  I have seen this rule play out,  time and time again. In my personal experience,  I usually see this happen when someone on the Lost and Tired family gets sick.  Typically,  it's never just one of us that gets sick,  it's three of us. For example,  Elliott has been sick with a head cold for about a week now.  About 2 days ago,  Emmett joined him in the head cold arena. While both boys are still dealing with the runny nose and sneezing,  Lizze is the latest to end up, under the weather. That makes three. Ironically,  Gavin,  the only person in the…

Man,  today has been a crappy day. Between the issues with Gavin and the overstimulation of the other boys,  I'm exhausted. The back tire on the van needs replaced and Lizze Nook broke. We spent the afternoon at my parents house and had a nice cookout. However,  when I got home,  I found we no internet.  Time Warner had shut is off,  even though that collected a post dated check from us a few days ago. Apparently,  it was an oversight,  but the department that can fix the issue won't be open until Tuesday. I spoke with 4 different people at customer service and no one could fix it.  I wasn't even hung up on by a supervisor. Very frustrating.... Last night,  Elliott and I repaired one of our dinning…

Every once in awhile I like to do a confessions post.  This is where I kick the honesty up a notch and purge some of the things that have been weighing heavy on my heart. Life has been more challenging than usual lately. Gavin's having major health issues as well as behavioral problems. The health issues are exhausting and difficult to know what to do with. The behavioral problems are honestly weighing very heavy on me because of the nature of the behaviors. Gavin is very hypersexualand so we are having problems with inappropriate touching. We have to keep Gavin under constant supervision, especially when he's around his brothers. This is no easy task. It means that we have to have the boys downstairs if they want go play together.…