Read more about the article Writing with tear filled eyes
Autism Parenting Heartbreak / Gavin / My thoughts

Writing with tear filled eyes

Gavin's having a very rough day. On a good day, he's not running on all cylinders but anymore, it seems like his engine is barely turning over. He's not problem-solving anything lately. I have a really good example of this and it took place yesterday around lunchtime. While Gavin was making his lunch, he stopped, walked into the living room and asked if he could have a chicken patty for lunch. The answer of course was yes. He came back a minute later to ask how long he should put it in the air fryer for. He wanted it in there for 15 minutes, which is way, way too long. He should know the answer to this because he's done it plenty of times. I asked him why he didn't…

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March 11, 2019
Read more about the article A meltdown inducing dentist appointment today
Autism Parenting Struggles / Emmett John / My thoughts

A meltdown inducing dentist appointment today

We have an exciting day planned and by exciting I mean not fun at all. Mr. Emmett is returning to the dentist this afternoon because he has a baby tooth that needs fixed. When he was at the dentist a month ago, we discovered that he had the start of a cavity on the front of the tooth that had been in contact with his metal cap. The cap had left a mark on the tooth in question and the dentist wants to fix it before it can become a problem. It's minor enough that he shouldn't need to be numbed up or anything like that. I know it's a baby tooth but that tooth is not ready to come out and we don't want there to be any problems.…

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March 11, 2019
Read more about the article Gavin is losing skills and it’s heartbreaking
My thoughts

Gavin is losing skills and it’s heartbreaking

We've come to the realization that Gavin's level of regression has reached a new low. This has actually been coming for a little while now but we've had to pull some responsibilities away from him today. For the last couple of years, Gavin has been doing the dishes. I don't know what it is about doing the dishes that he likes but he was very much into it. Unfortunately, that time has come to an end because he's simply unable to wash the dishes anymore. We've been needing to either have him redo some of what he's done incorrectly or go back and do it ourselves. It's unfortunate but it doesn't make sense to do them twice, just so Gavin feels like he's helping, Lizze and I are taking that…

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March 11, 2019
Read more about the article We don’t always get to do what we want
Autism Parenting Insight / My thoughts

We don’t always get to do what we want

Lizze is sick and the boys are driving me crazy. They have a ton of energy and are in desperate need of an outlet. Seeing as we can't really spend time in our yard, for various reasons, including safety, we need to find something else. The boys are bored of always going to the same park so I figured I'd take them hiking at Quail Hollow. I'm not really in the mood to take this on, especially alone but being a parent isn't always easy and we sometimes have to do things we don't feel like doing. It's actually a pretty nice day and it would be nice if we could take advantage of it. It's in the 50's and partly sunny, so why not do some hiking. On the…

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March 9, 2019
Read more about the article ETY-Kids 5 Safe-Listening In-Ear Headphones by @WorldWideStereo (Review)
My thoughts / Reviews

ETY-Kids 5 Safe-Listening In-Ear Headphones by @WorldWideStereo (Review)

This brief review is a bit overdue as a result of a WordPress related glitch last week. I wanted to get this out there for parents who are worried about their kids damaging their hearing as a result of using headphones and listening at dangerously high volume levels. My Son Elliott has been using the Etymotic Research ETY-Kids 5 Safe-Listening In-Ear Headphones for a little while now. Elliott is huge into music and if he's awake, he's got earbuds in. He loves his Bose CQ 35 II NC headphones but can't wear them all the time. Lizze and I have been concerned about him damaging his hearing because he tends to listen at higher volumes. When I was approached to do this review, I jumped on it because Elliott loves…

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March 8, 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