We just had our 4th and final appointment at the Cleveland Clinic in the last 5 days.  We have a short reprieve but begin all over again very soon. Today, Lizze had to be in radiology for a Barium swallow study.  This was because she's been choking a great deal lately. Apparently, after the study was concluded, they discovered that swallowing isn't her problem.  The problem lies in her stomach.  They explained that basically, what goes into her stomach, just sits there and collects. The reason she feels like she's choking is because sometimes, the contents of her stomach are literally backing there way, all the way back up and into her esophagus.  I think this is called a slow stomach. This might also explain the constant nausea. Now we…

We arrived at our second and final appointment of the day and I'm waiting with Emmett, for Lizze to come out with her fancy new knee brace. We are at the Cleveland Clinics Brunswick location now. The special brace is supposed to help with her knee pain and makes everything stayed aligned. It's worth the drive to get this for her. It's also sorta on the way home. Emmett's done pretty well, especially considering we've basically been driving since 7am this morning.  The last 20 minutes though have been very challenging because he's finally had enough and melted down.  He screamed and screamed for almost 20 minutes straight.  I can normally handle the screaming but while I'm driving on the freeway, it's very distracting. Thankfully, he's gotten it out of…

Emmett is going to be coming with us today, as we once again venture off to the Cleveland Clinic for Lizze. This shouldn't be to big of a challenge because the appointment should only last a few minutes. Most of our time today will be spent driving back and forth. This is one of those times where we will spend 3 hours in the car for an appointment that will last only a few minutes. I'm going to have to dip into my bag of distraction and come up with something to keep Emmett occupied today. This type of trip is kind of a lot to ask of a small with child with Autism but it's a necessary evil. I'm anxious to be done for the week and am praying…

Because we have to be at the Cleveland Clinic so early in the morning, Elliott actually spent the night with Lizze's parents and Gavin. Emmett was upset that he wasn't going so we De ides to have our own little sleepover/camp out. We had special snacks, watched Ben 10 and fell asleep on the couch. He fell asleep right away but went to  bed happy and that's all that matters. This site is managed via WordPress for Android, courtesy of the @SamsungMobileUS Galaxy Note 2 by @Tmobile. Please forgive any typos as autocorrect HATES me. ;-) Check out my #Autism Awareness Store to find really cool and unique #Autism Awareness Clothing and Accessories, designed by me. ;-) For more ways to help the Lost and Tired family, please visit Help…

I wanted to share something that I thought was really cool. Emmett's just wracking up really amazing victories lately.  I snapped a picture of Emmett fixing Bella's collar this morning. We have been trying to help Emmett be as independent as possible at a very early age. He's doing really well and we are quite proud of him.  :-) This site is managed via WordPress for Android, courtesy of the @SamsungMobileUS Galaxy Note 2 by @Tmobile. Please forgive any typos as autocorrect HATES me. ;-) Check out my #Autism Awareness Store to find really cool and unique #Autism Awareness Clothing and Accessories, designed by me. ;-) For more ways to help the Lost and Tired family, please visit Help the Lost and Tired Family.

We have finally arrived at our second to last appointment for this week.  Very early in the morning we will get up and make our way to the Cleveland Clinic's main campus. This particular appointment is Lizze's once again and is with radiology.  She will be having a swallow study done to find the reason why she so often chokes while eating.  They explained that her esophagus is really pretty narrow and likely the reason for her choking so often.  They will be doing a barium swallow study to observe the process and better understand if there is a biomechanical problem taking place when she tries to swallow. On the way home, we have to devert to the Cleveland Clinic's Brunswick location to pick up Lizze's special knee brace, before…

About 2 weeks ago, I noticed that Elliott is losing quite a bit of his hair.  He doesn't have any noticeable thin spots.  However, we  I rub his head, I find upto a dozen hairs stuck between my fingers.  I've not said anything Elliott but we spoke with his pediatrician over the phone and he wants to see Elliott next week.  The amount to of hair he's losing is not normal and is likely stress or nutrition related.  Ever since Elliott tree nut allergy surfaced, feeding him has become extremely difficult.  I wouldn't be surprised at all to find that he's deficient in one of more areas. As for the stress theory, it makes sense as he's under an insanely high out of stress. I've been wondering if this is…

I wrote earlier about Emmett's having to visit the dentist this morning. Admittedly I was a bit wary of how this was going to go.  For starters, I'm indescribably terrified of the dentist, so I wasn't sure how much of a supportive Daddy I would be today. Lizze and I were also concerned that because of the need for a cavity fill, it might taint Emmett's view of the dentist.  Prior to today, Emmett loved going to the dentist. That's such a huge huge blessing, we didn't want to ruin that. I am so incredibly excited to report that if there was a brave Daddy award, I would receive it. If there was an award for bravest most awesome kid, that would without question go to Emmett John. I'm so…