I wanted to share some amazing artwork done by Elliott. He brought this home from school after working on it for quite awhile. I think it's really cool. I like the geometric shapes and the way he colored it. ☺ Hopefully, you take as much pleasure in looking at this as I do.. ☺
Last night was Hell on Earth but it could have been worse. A couple hours after putting Emmett and Elliott to bed for the night, Emmett woke up with can only be described as restless legs. He was beside himself because his legs were driving him crazy. If you've ever dealt with restless legs before, it's horrible. My Mom deals with restless leg syndrome, as does Lizze. On occasion, I've experienced it myself and I swear to God that when you're dealing with this are 2 AM, cutting your legs off seems like a viable option. Emmett's never had this happen before and we tried all the tricks we know about to help him, but nothing worked. We tried massage, weighted blankets, warm water, walking around, tensing/relaxing his leg muscles,…
I was so completely overwhelmed by the doctors appointment this afternoon that I forgot to mention what happened with Elliott's bloodwork. I gotta be honest, Lizze and I both were exhausted after the appointment. The boys were such a handful and like the Energizer Bunny, they kept going and going. Anyway, as far as Elliott's bloodwork went, it didn't. While we are making some progress because he's now able to talk about it without freaking out, he still wasn't ready to go today. We've talked it over with his doctor and while they'd like him to just get it done, the understand and agree with our approach. We're looking longterm on this and not just a fix for this one time. I'm hoping that the Prozac will help him relax…
Today worked out pretty well, at least better than expected. Gavin goes to my parents every Wednesday and spends a few hours hanging out. This gives Lizze and I a reprieve from all the talking. Something had come up for today and he wasn't going to be able to go but last night, my Mom sent a text that we were still on. I knew Gavin would be excited because all week, he's been talking about how Grandma has to go out of town and he won't be able to go on Wednesday. My Mom picked Gavin up and Lizze and I took the boys to their doctors appointment. Not having to drag Gavin along, made it much easier and worked out well considering how challenging the boys ended up…
I haven't had the energy to talk about this but it's become a significant problem and it's something we are struggling with. Elliott has struggled with anxiety for as long as we can remember. It's one of his comorbid diagnoses to go along with Autism and ADHD. Elliott worries about everything and having Autism has made that much more impactful. Like many kids on the Autism Spectrum, Elliott perseverates. That basically means that his brain puts thoughts on repeat and he literally can't stop thinking about whatever that is. He's always been this way. The truly unfortunate thing is that when those thoughts on repeat are about things that terrify him, like say, having bloodwork done or getting a shot, it's simply too much for him to handle. We've been…
Sensory processing disorder sometimes seems to be controlling our lives. It really is something that has an impact on so many daily functions, and unless you're living with or loving someone with this struggle, it's very difficult to understand. In my house, all three of our kids face these daily struggles. Their brains are hardwired differently and they do not perceive sensory input correctly. This leads to frustration, being overwhelmed, anxiety, meltdowns and yes, even physical pain. Truth be told, we gave up on a balanced diet a long time ago and now focus on calories. While sensory processing disorder (SPD) impacts many areas, but the most challenging for me as a parent, revolves around eating food. The most profoundly impacted are Elliott and Emmett, so I'm focusing here for…
It's been quite a bit of time since his last session, but Elliott returns to occupational therapy Monday afternoon. His last appointment was before we left for Florida and because he's been sick or the therapist was out, we just haven't connected. At this point, all signs are go for his return and it couldn't come soon enough. He desperately needs occupational therapy. He needs the physical outlet, strength training and coordination building that goes on at this fabulous therapy session. Even better, he doesn't have to miss any school for this either. I'll pick him up after school, drop Emmett off at home and head to Akron Children's Hospital for his 45 minute session. It's been about 2 month since his last session so I fully expect him to…
We had conferences tonight and they went amazingly well. That doesn't mean there wasn't anything to deal with though. I'll begin with Emmett because he's going to be the easiest. We met with all of Emmett's teachers and not one of them could even think of a single thing that Emmett could possibly improve upon. It was twenty minutes of literally hearing nothing but them praising everything about him. Emmett helps other students with their work and essentially tutors them when they need extra help. His teachers kept saying they wish they could have 18 clones of him. ☺ What was really cool is that they told him how amazing he is and do so all the time. Emmett is so proud of himself and he loves school like crazy.…