Read more about the article I’m struggling a bit tonight
My thoughts

I’m struggling a bit tonight

I'm getting divorced on Tuesday morning and there are a few things Lizze wanted from the house. It was kinda like a scavanger hunt because I couldn't find some of these things at first. After a few phones calls back and forth, I managed to locate most of what she was looking for. There are some items in the attic but they're staying there until I gut it, hopefully this spring. Anyway, I emptied my closet completely for the first time since she left and I came across quite a few memories that hurt to remember. They would otherwise be positive memories, and perhaps with time, someday they will be again. Everything is collected into about four or five boxes and they're just sitting in my room, waiting to be…

1 Comment
February 7, 2021
Read more about the article My life will forever change next week but I’m going to be okay
Depression / My thoughts

My life will forever change next week but I’m going to be okay

I realized this morning that my marriage will officially be over in a week. I'm sure it will be the main topic in therapy this week. This whole thing is a mixed bag for me because letting go of something that was so important to me is incredibly difficult. There's a roller coaster of emotions surrounding this and as I'm laying here on the couch, listening to my kids kids playing upstairs, I'm getting emotional. I've been talking to my therapist about this a lot and last week, she was pretty blunt with me. She's a little concerned that while I may be doing okay right now, next Tuesday could be a very different story. I'm managing my depression as well as can be expected under all these insane conditions.…

5 Comments
February 1, 2021
Read more about the article Teachable moments can be so f*cking exhausting
My thoughts

Teachable moments can be so f*cking exhausting

I'm really frustrated with one Mr. Gavin today.  He can be so difficult to coexist with sometimes because he basically lives in his own world and the rest of us are just along for the ride. It can be very challenging to get Gavin on the same page as everyone else. He might say that he gets it but in reality, he knows that what he's supposed to say and he probably still doesn't get it on any meaningful level. He made so much amazing progress and has improved in many areas. I'm very proud of him but there are still things we need to work on. Last night, he and Elliott got into it because Gavin said something about Elliott being in a bad mood. Elliott wasn't actually in…

0 Comments
January 31, 2021
Read more about the article Huge thank you to my friends at the Stark County Health Department and here’s why
My thoughts

Huge thank you to my friends at the Stark County Health Department and here’s why

It's been kind of a whirlwind day in The Autism Dad household. I had 2 interviews scheduled this afternoon and ended up having to reschedule one of them for a later date. I hate inconveniencing my guests but it was unavoidable. Eariler this week, I received the callback I had been waiting for in regards to Gavin's first dose of the COVID vaccine. He was scheduled for 3:40pm this afternoon. That sorta turned our day upside down because not only did it mean breaking quarantine, but we'd be going somewhere with a lot of other people. It was a calculated risk and one that we couldn't avoid. I was able to get my first interview done before shutting down and making sure Gavin was ready to go. He was so…

1 Comment
January 29, 2021
Read more about the article Fantastic news
My thoughts

Fantastic news

In the spirit of trying to get back into writing more, I wanted to share some positive news tonight. First and foremost, the best thing that happened today is that Gavin's IVIG Infusion went well. I think that he will probably feel little more confident on Monday and perhaps he'll be able to get through his infusion a bit easier. Great job Gavin. In other Gavin news, his birthday present that wasn't supposed to arrive until next month, showed up today. He was super excited and now he only has one more item currently in shipping. It's something for him to look forward to. Elliott and Emmett are both caught up and current in regards to school. That's so amazing and I'm so proud of them. I know how difficult…

1 Comment
January 22, 2021
Read more about the article I’m getting divorced: What I’m grateful for and few other updates
My thoughts

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,…

2 Comments
January 22, 2021
Read more about the article I got a break for the first time since September
Divorce / My thoughts

I got a break for the first time since September

It's been a couple days and I wanted to share something before I crash for the night. This will be brief because I'm exhausted and I'll try to follow up later. The other day, I called Lizze to find out if they'd been locked down for at least 14 days. They had been and so I suggested making arrangements for the boys to go over for a few days. It's been since September and that's really hard on her and the kids. We had decided to shut visits down until COVID was under control. That's the only reason she hasn't seen them. Since the insurrection at the Capitol Building and the current threats for this coming week, as well as how much worse COVID is getting, I thought we should…

2 Comments
January 16, 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…

0 Comments
January 10, 2021