It’s already overwhelming

The boys got off to school this morning without too much hassle. Emmett however, is very clearly distressed by all the changes to his routine and schedule. We're seeing tummy aches and nightmares again already. He loves school but at the same time, it's very stressful for him. When Emmett gets stressed out, he doesn't cope well with the world around him. Coping with the world at large can be difficult for any kid with Autism and Emmett is no exception. We're seeing an increase in meltdowns and he can go from zero to full on freak out in nothing flat. It's stressful for those around him but it's especially true for Emmett because he's the one experiencing this high level of distress first hand. As an example, it wasn't…

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Should I take this as a sign?

I wanted to share something I thought was pretty cool. I get that it's a total coincidence but at the same time, I found it comforting and sorta symbolic. As I was leaving the therapist last night, I had just finished revisiting one of the most painful moments of my life. It involved a call I was on during my time as a medic. As a relatively seasoned or experienced medic, I saw lots of things that most people can only imagine. I had to sorta become callus to death in order to protect myself. It was the calls involving children, especially in horrific circumstances that my brain simply couldn't process and my heart couldn't bare. Anyway, that topic was one of the things that came up last night. I…

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Why I decided to talk to a therapist last night

I've never been a huge fan of talking to some about my problems. It's not because I'm too uncomfortable do it, it's more that I tend to work through these things on my own. It's just sorta the way my brain works. Having said that, there are people I can talk to if I need and last night I needed to. I met with our family therapist on my own last night and talked about everything that's got me stressed out surrounding my 40th birthday. I didn't realize how much I have rolling around in my head. Some if it's new-ish and some of it has been there a very long time. There are things that date back to my fire/medic days and things that are related to fears over…

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There goes the morning

My morning plans are shot because I don't feel well and I'm heading back to bed. I'm really hoping to feel better in a couple of hours but right now, I'm not doing so well.

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It’s not about changing our kids with #Autism because we don’t except them for who they are

There's been some discussions lately on my Twitter feed about whether or not you should be putting your child with Autism into any type of therapy. What I'm seeing is parents trying to help their kids and adults with Autism seeming not agreeing with it. I understand the longstanding debate within the Adult Autistic community over ABA therapy but I wanted to take a second and clarify something. I think that since this is such an emotionally charged topic, that it's easy for there to me misunderstandings. I wanted to share what I think and why I work with my kids on the Autism Spectrum. Parents get accused of trying to change who their kids are and I don't think that's accurate or at least the right way to look…

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What will happen to my kids with #Autism when I’m gone?

I've really been struggling with the idea of turning 40 on Friday. In fact, I've been struggling so much, that I've been telling everyone my birthday is on Thursday when Emmett pointed out to me last night, that it's actually Friday. There are countless reasons that anyone would stress out about hitting the big 4 - 0 but for me, there's one reason in particular that's eating away at me. To be honest, I've only realized this because of the back and forth I've been having with some of my readers. Hearing others people's thoughts helps me put mine into frame. My struggle isn't about getting older, feeling older or even looking older. It's not about a mid-life crisis or that I'm second guessing my life choices, although to be…

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A chaotic but successful morning

It was a somewhat chaotic morning but we got out the door and off to the first day or school without too many problems. Emmett was clearly very anxious to get to school on time and by contrast, Elliott was more relaxed on the outside but anxious on the inside. Anyway, we had a successful morning and the boys are now safely back in school.

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These 2 things were reminders today that the world is bigger than me and my problems

So I went walking tonight, as I'm doing almost every single night. I'm averaging about 60 miles a month and it feels pretty good. For the record, I weighed in at 308.4 lbs today and that's down from 340 lbs. I would say that most of this weight has come off in the last few months. I'm trying to make it a slow and steady process because if I do, it's more likely to be sustainable long term. Anyway, the last couple of times I've walked have proven to be pretty cool. Aside from the exercise, I have had some interesting experiences. The other day, while walking, this deer just walks across the track in front of me. It calmly walks passed all the people and cars, like it didn't…

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