Read more about the article #Autism or not, kids will be kids and brothers will be brothers
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#Autism or not, kids will be kids and brothers will be brothers

It's been a day. The kids have not been very cooperative and fighting a great deal more than usual. I'm not sure what's going on but we'll just say it was a somewhat challenging weekend. One of the issues we're struggling with is the boys get very frustrated with Gavin. They see a grown man on the outside but get frustrated when he doesn't act like an adult. Gavin wants to be treated like he's an adult but very often doesn't act like one and for good reason. Gavin is significantly cognitively delayed and in many areas of his emotional life, he's much closer to a 6 year old level than that of a 21 year old. I've known him for 20 years and I can find myself frustrated at…

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January 25, 2021
Read more about the article I’m getting divorced: What I’m grateful for and few other updates
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I’m getting divorced: What I’m grateful for and few other updates

The boys are still sleeping and Gavin's IVIG Infusion is going. The only noise I hear at the moment is the filter in the aquarium because the tank needs water added. It sounds like a water fall but not the calm, relaxing kind. It's super annoying and I will dump some water in when I'm done with this. After the inauguration, I just sorta crashed. Trump, COVID and my divorce, I have had me extremely stressed out and the last few days have been one long exhale. I figure there's no time like to present to get you an overdue update and so here I am. As I mentioned, the boys are still asleep. It's a no school day and I'm letting them sleep. Frankly, aside from the fish tank,…

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January 22, 2021
Read more about the article This isn’t supposed to happen
Gavin / My thoughts

This isn’t supposed to happen

It's Gavin's 21st birthday and we were off to a good start. His IVIG Infusion supplies showed up and he immediately went to work. Whenever he gets his supplies, I've taught him to put together kits containing everything he needs for each infusion. This serves a dual purpose. It helps him to learn how to organize, maintain and keep track of these life saving supplies. The other thing it does is help to streamline the infusion process as well as helps him to take inventory when the supplies are first received. It's important to take this inventory because sometimes items are missing and he needs to let me know immediately so I can get them ordered. This morning he put his kits together and he had enough supplies for eight…

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January 18, 2021
Read more about the article Today didn’t go as planned
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Today didn’t go as planned

As with everything else in my life, today didn't go as planned. We were going to celebrate day two of Gavin's birthday and we did but with a some changes. We decided not to bake a cake today because Lizze is dropping one off on Monday. Instead, Emmett baked his cookies and we watched a movie. Gavin really enjoyed himself and that's all that matters. Emmett did a fantastic job of baking what he calls chocolate snap cookies. These are hands down my favorite cookie he makes. Keep in mind this kid is 12 years old and doing this completely on his own. He baked sugar cookies and then melted chocolate for the top. He's really in disbelief over the fact that we like them as much as we do.…

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January 17, 2021
Read more about the article A few concerns have bubbled to the surface today
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A few concerns have bubbled to the surface today

Gavin missed his IVIG Infusion yesterday because his supplies never showed up. I called the pharmacy and they are apparently waiting on a new order from his doctor. They expect to have that some time today and then we should get the supplies this week sometime. This always makes me nervous and I know it upsets Gavin because not only does it break his routine but he also misses an infusion. As much as he hates these life saving infusions, he hates missing them even more. He's feeling a little better knowing that he might have his supplies before his next scheduled Infusion on Friday. Mr. Emmett hasn't been feeling well today. He ended up in my room at some point last night because he had a stomach ache. He…

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January 12, 2021
Read more about the article Communicating with my adult #autistic son
Gavin / My thoughts

Communicating with my adult #autistic son

I've mentioned this a few times before but Gavin and I have a unique relationship. We're very very close and direct with each other. I've learned over 20 years that Gavin needs people to be very direct with him. If you give him any room to interpret the meaning in your words, he will often struggle to understand. That's just part of who he is and that's okay. From the outside, it can seem like I'm being mean but in reality, I'm not. If I used this approach with someone else, I might agree but sometimes we have to cater our approach to the needs of the person we're trying to approach. Here's an example of what I'm talking about. If Gavin is talking too much, which he's known to…

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January 10, 2021
Read more about the article Our first day back after Christmas break
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Our first day back after Christmas break

The boys had a great first day back at school, at least as far as remote learning is concerned. Emmett is feeling very motivated this quarter and that's a very positive thing. He brought his grades up two letter grades in the second quarter and I'm so proud of him. I even brought him a cup of hot chocolate cause the house was a little cold this morning. We try to keep the house a little cooler cause it's easier on the gas bill. He apparently has started drinking hot chocolate with a straw. Elliott had a great first day back as well. He's not super motivated but he's got a good attitude and I'm happy for that. All things considered, that's all I can ask for. It's a short…

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January 5, 2021
Read more about the article A quick little update
My thoughts

A quick little update

The kids start back to school in the morning and we had a quiet last day of Christmas break. There wasn't a great deal of anything going on today and I'm totally okay with that. As the kids settle back into their school routine or as close to a routine as possible, I'll get back into my work schedule. Interviews start on the 14th and I need to get some things done before I launch season 4. I'm excited to get started though. Anyway, I wanted to share a couple of things from today. Neither are huge deals but it will round out this little update and close things out on a positive note. I didn't sleep well last night so I was up really early this morning. When I…

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January 4, 2021