Read more about the article #Autism Parenting Insight – When #SpecialNeeds families have to make difficult decisions 
Autism Parenting Insight / Inspirational Posts / My thoughts

#Autism Parenting Insight – When #SpecialNeeds families have to make difficult decisions 

I wanted to update you on what we decided to do, in regards to our family cookout, and why. The reason it's important to share this experience is because special needs families face these kinds of decisions all the time. Circumstances will vary, but the need to make a difficult decision, that will undoubtedly leave some people upset, is very common.  I can't stress enough, how often we live our lives minute to minute. When we're dealing with various chronic health issues, things pop up all the time.  My goal is to provide some insight into why we made the decision we did in this particular situation.  After a long, sleepless night with Mr. Emmett, Lizze and I made our decision not to go. We decided to err on the…

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June 4, 2017
Read more about the article Some creative ways of meeting my kids sensory needs
Some creative ways of meeting my kids sensory needs
Emmett John / My thoughts / Photography / Sensory

Some creative ways of meeting my kids sensory needs

  I'm trying to find some creative ways to help meet my kids' many sensory needs. The idea is to find constructive ways to getting a sensory fix, without destroying our house. lol In the picture above, Emmett is running this rock wall, like it's an obstacle course. He loves it, and it seems to help him get what he needs. Unfortunately, he wants to continue increasing the difficulty level. The challenge for me is finding ways to do that without making things too dangerous. For now, this is working and it will buy me a little time... :-)

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June 4, 2017
Read more about the article We are facing a tough decision – What would you do? 
Elliott / Emmett John / Gavin / My thoughts

We are facing a tough decision – What would you do? 

Later on this afternoon, we are supposed to travel to Y-Town. We are having a big family cookout for my Grandma's birthday. We are all pretty excited about going, because it's been awhile since we've been able to visit.  Unfortunately, we aren't sure whether or not we should go now.  On Friday, Gavin puked while at his Grandma's house. He says he's fine now, but we have to go by his behavior, and not his words. He spent a large part of the day sleeping, and that's a bit odd. He's also running a mild fever as well. He did have his IVIG infusion on Friday night, and perhaps it's still his body reacting to that. The other possibility is that he's actually fighting something off.  Next we have Mr.…

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June 4, 2017
Read more about the article New concerns with Gavin’s health have us worried
Autonomic Disorder / Gavin / My thoughts

New concerns with Gavin’s health have us worried

We're heading into a rough weekend. I need to catch you up on a few things I didn't get around to yesterday.  The most concerning issue at the moment is that Gavin wasn't feeling well while at his Grandma's house, and ended up vomiting. The question is whether or not he's actually sick. I tend to think he isn't sick, and here's why.  Gavin will over-eat if he's not very closely monitored. I suspect that he ate too much and ended up with a tummy ache.  Historically, if Gavin even thinks he's going to vomit, he'll get himself all worked up, and end up vomiting, even if he didn't need to. He gets it stuck in his head and inadvertently ends up making himself vomit. We've seen this countless times. …

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June 3, 2017
Read more about the article We had a heartbreaking start to the day
My thoughts

We had a heartbreaking start to the day

I received a call this morning from my Mother. It was really early and she was pretty upset. At some point this morning, a baby black squirrel was hit by a car. Of course, this little black squirrel didn't die, and it dragged itself up my parents driveway, squealing outside their door.  My Dad was at work and so it became my job to go and help her with this injured fur baby, even on my only day to sleep in. lol Lizze and I got up, and headed over to help my Mom.  When we got there, we were unprepared for what we would find. This poor thing had a broken back, and was paralyzed from what would amount to the waist down. It was so scared, and it…

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June 2, 2017
Read more about the article Dealing with the stress of being an #Autism Parent
Photography

Dealing with the stress of being an #Autism Parent

As Autism parents, it's extremely important that we do things to help us deal with the indescribable amount of stress we face on a daily basis.  One of the things that I've found aside from blogging, that helps me to decompress when things are really bad, is photography. These are a few of the pictures I took while at the park with my kids the other day. This really helps me to manage my stress. Chronic stress will take a toll on a person's health, both physical and emotional. It can make just about everything in life worse. Finding a way to help process that stress in a healthy way, is extremely important. Doing so helps us to be the best parents we can be for the kids we love…

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June 2, 2017
Read more about the article Please keep Lizze in your thoughts and prayers 
Lizze / Thoughts and Prayers

Please keep Lizze in your thoughts and prayers 

The boys are gone tonight, and Lizze had I have enjoyed a really quiet evening. I had a few errands to run, before shutting down for the day. Lizze and I are both exhausted from a long day. She ended up falling asleep on the couch during the first quarter of the Cavs game.  I have zero plans of getting up before lunch time, of course that depends on when the boys get home. 😁  I'd like to get a nice walk in today if possible. Lizze isn't feeling well, but hopefully she'll feel better in the morning, and will be able to join me.  Speaking of Lizze, I would really appreciate it if you kept Lizze in your thoughts and prayers. She's absolutely miserable, and what she has coming down…

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June 1, 2017
Read more about the article I’m fascinated by bees and love taking their pictures
I'm fascinated by bees and love taking their pictures Ever since I learned how vital a role bees play in human survival, I've been absolutely fascinated by them. Honey bees have been on a major decline, but I've been seeing a ton of them recently thays awesome. I took this picture at the Canton Garden Center, with my Samsung S8+... Someday, I'd love to have a really nice camera, and maybe take some classes..
My thoughts / Photography

I’m fascinated by bees and love taking their pictures

Ever since I learned how vital a role bees play in human survival, I've been absolutely fascinated by them. Honey bees have been on a major decline, but I've been seeing a ton of them recently thays awesome. I took this picture at the Canton Garden Center, with my Samsung S8+...  Someday, I'd love to have a really nice camera, and maybe take some classes..

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June 1, 2017