Read more about the article This unfortunate animal cracker led to a very awkward conversation with my youngest
Link / My thoughts

This unfortunate animal cracker led to a very awkward conversation with my youngest

For starters, we're dealing with an unexpected change in routine this morning. School was canceled because so many people are sick. There is strep throat, another unknown viral thing but there are also several confirmed cases of flu in the school. I can't stress enough just how important it is to get your flu shot every year. People actually die from the flu so get it done. 😉 Anyway, Lizze and I were sitting in the living room this morning, contemplating what to do with our day when we heard a ton of commotion from the boys room. I assumed they were fighting again because that's sorta their default setting at times and they're both thrown off by there being no school. As I stopped what I were doing and…

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March 7, 2019
Read more about the article Yes there was a meltdown but I’m still super proud
Emmett John / My thoughts

Yes there was a meltdown but I’m still super proud

We had another rougher morning with Mr. Emmett today. He was thrown off for a couple of reasons. For starters, he forgot to do his take-home work from yesterday. He was very upset with himself for that but he never forgets that kind of stuff. Secondly, he was going to school by himself because Elliott will be at Akron Children's Hospital today for an appointment. All of this culminated into a big old meltdown. Thankfully, Emmett was able to work through it. He got his work done and went to school on his own. When he hopped out of the car, he had a smile on his face and was in a good place. I reminded him on the way to school, that I was very proud of him. I…

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March 6, 2019
Read more about the article Who doesn’t love a good old fashioned morning #meltdown?
My thoughts

Who doesn’t love a good old fashioned morning #meltdown?

What a morning it's been. We had meltdowns before school over socks not feeling right and that sorta set the tone very early on. Meltdowns are never pleasant for anyone, but they're especially unpleasant for the person experiencing them. Morning meltdowns are pretty common in my house but they're not my preferred way to starting the day. Thankfully we recovered. After a quick trip to the school office to make sure about something for Mr. Emmett, he felt better and we were able put a check in the win column for at least getting the kids to school. We celebrate each victory as they come. 😉 Unfortunately, we had a hiccup in our plans for the rest of the day. Gavin was supposed to be in Cleveland this afternoon for…

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March 5, 2019
Read more about the article You may think me a bad parent for this..
Autism Parenting Struggles / Gavin / My thoughts

You may think me a bad parent for this..

In an effort to try and not internalize this, I'm going to be brutally honest. Gavin is driving me absolutely fucking crazy. I love him. I truly do and I know that for the most part, this isn't his fault, but holy shit, I'm going to lose what's left of my mind. Gavin is a really amazing person and he has so many admirable qualities. He's kind, helpful, respectful, never gives up, never complains and always has a smile on his face. Gavin is the kind of person who would do anything for anyone, even at his own expense. That being said, Gavin is also very difficult to coexist with. He talks incessantly, freaks out over every single mistake he makes, he tries to parent his younger brothers, manipulates and…

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March 4, 2019
Read more about the article I couldn’t be prouder
My thoughts

I couldn’t be prouder

We have a somewhat busy day today. First of all, it's Elliott's birthday. He turned 13 years old over night but we actually celebrated last night. Happy birthday Elliott... We love so much and couldn't possibly be any prouder of who you are. ☺ We were originally looking at a possible snowday and that would have been cool, but it would have also complicated things today as well. Seriously though, who wouldn't want to have a snowday on their birthday. 😉 The reason it would have complicated things is because I have to get Lizze to the Cleveland Clinic this afternoon. If they'd had a snowday, it would have turned into a family trip. That's wouldn't have been good for anyone. As we get this week off to a start,…

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March 4, 2019
Read more about the article #Meltdowns, Surgery and 13th Birthday’s
My thoughts

#Meltdowns, Surgery and 13th Birthday’s

Well shit. It looks like we won't be using our new snow shovels this weekend. Apparently, the almost 10 inches of snow we were supposed to get, has become a dusting to 2 inches. Bummer.... Anyway, Lizze isn't feeling well this morning and Emmett's on edge. Meltdowns have been abundant and it's slim pickins in regards to my sanity. Gavin is super talkative today, not that it's a huge surprise. I'm really trying to be patient with him because he doesn't seem to be in control of his verbal assault on my ear drums. Am I frustrated? Yes. Am I overwhelmed by him constantly talking? Yes. Am I angry with him? No, not at all. Elliott for his part, is having a relatively good day. He's excited about his birthday…

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March 3, 2019
Read more about the article Why can’t Emmett catch a break?
My thoughts

Why can’t Emmett catch a break?

It's been a long night. Mr. Emmett is not feeling good and he seems to be dealing with a really bad headache. This poor kid can't seem to catch a brick. We were finally able to get him to fall asleep and I'm really grateful for that. He was absolutely miserable but ended up falling asleep in the recliner. We let him sleep for a little while before we tried to move him back to his bed. Thankfully, we were able to move him to his bed without too many issues. I'm really, really hoping that Emmett feels better in the morning. I hate seeing him in pain and I wish there was more I could do. I'm going to go ahead and cut this short because I need to…

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March 3, 2019
Read more about the article Some #Autism parenting frustrations and obstacles
Autism Parenting Struggles / Gavin / My thoughts

Some #Autism parenting frustrations and obstacles

Last night was one of those rare moments in life where my wife and I had a childless house. While we might get a break or two a month, typically there's still someone home with us and makes it much less of a break. The reason for that is Gavin. Gavin causes too many problems with his brothers if all three of them are together at the same time. It triggers fighting and things get ugly. Unfortunately, there's really no getting through to Gavin because he's not one to learn from experience. Essentially, the problem arises from Gavin wanting his way, all the time when he's at either one of his Grandparents houses. He's very good at manipulation in these situations and as I said, it's very upsetting to his…

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March 2, 2019