Read more about the article We had such and awesome day today
Family Time / Fit4Autism / Gallery

We had such and awesome day today

We had a really awesome day. Aside from a few hiccups discussed in an earlier post, by all accounts we had a great day.  Lizze and I took the boys walking again today, right before dinner.  Unfortunately, we were competing with dusk and had to cut our walk short but I took all that into account when planning our turn around point. We ended up walking 2.02 miles and I didn't have to carry anyone. ☺  Emmett only had one my foot feels funny incident during the entire walk and that's awesome.   Our goal is to head out earlier in the day tomorrow and not so close to sundown. We'd like to do this as often as the weather allows because we're working on a healthier lifestyle and walking…

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February 20, 2017
Read more about the article Very Important Update About Gavin
Gavin / General Update

Very Important Update About Gavin

It's been a trying day but I've learned one thing that I believe I can say with absolute confidence, Gavin off of Lithium is NOT a good thing.  I'm sure Lizze will put her two cents in at some point but having discussed this last night, I know she agrees. I suppose I should clarify that Gavin hasn't stopped taking Lithium completely but his dose has been cut in half and it's very clearly no longer effective. The purpose of doing this was to try and clear up some of his confusion. It's possible that being on the Lithium for ten years, in combination with the Clozapine, created a high level of confusion. Anyway, his dose was cut in half for thirty days in order to see if this was…

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February 18, 2017
Read more about the article Here’s some pictures from today
Gallery / My thoughts

Here’s some pictures from today

It's been a really long day. I was up with a sick Emmett last night and now I'm up with a sick Elliott tonight.  I promise I'll get some writing done soon but until then, I thought I would at least share some pictures from our day. These pictures span across most of the day and aside from Elliott being sick, everything was positive.  I'll work on getting caught up after I get some sleep. 

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February 18, 2017
Read more about the article Staring down the barrel of a four day weekend 
Emmett John / My thoughts

Staring down the barrel of a four day weekend 

The boys are off of school for the next four days. There's teachers conferences on Friday, and of course, Monday's a holiday. I'm not entirely sure what we're going to do with all this extra family time but we'll figure something out.  I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a part of me a little worried about how this is gonna go because we're not off to a good start...  A few minutes ago, Mr. Emmett came walking into our room, scared the shit out of me and proceeded to attach himself to my person because he wasn't feeling good.  He's miserable and so we moved to the living room. Doing this provides him with some comfort, as well as the best chance of sleep.. ☺  Four days of…

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February 17, 2017
Read more about the article All about raising a child with complex health issues and school
Emmett John / My thoughts

All about raising a child with complex health issues and school

My wife and I face many challenges in our life. At the moment, one of those challenges centers around our youngest, Emmett. Emmett is eight years old and absolutely loves going to school. He loves learning and excels academically.  Unfortunately, Emmett faces challenges that interfere with his ability to attend school sometimes.  Between Autism, Anxiety, Sensory Processing issues and a rare fever disorder called PFAPA, we never know of what's going to happen.  The sensory issues alone are more than a handful at times. Sensory issues impact people in different ways, and in Emmett's case, eating and wearing clothes present a multitude of challenges. The one that will keep him home from school the most often has to do with not tolerating anything on his feet.  The other most common…

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February 16, 2017
Read more about the article Emmett’s Fever Flares have returned
Emmett John / PFAPA

Emmett’s Fever Flares have returned

I had a really tough time falling asleep last night. I wasn't even feeling stressed out or anything like that. I just couldn't get comfortable and ended up moving to the couch about 4 am.  Anyway, Emmett has up on and off last night. In fact, he's been this way for the last few nights.  This morning when it came time to get ready for school, we finally pieced together why he's been struggling more than usual. It's a fever flare.  I mentioned earlier in the week that we could be looking at one but I wasn't going to jump to conclusions or possibly even jinx anyone by making that suggestion out loud.  Today however, Emmett is actually running a fever and can't go to school. Truthfully, I don't think…

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February 16, 2017
Read more about the article A terrific day and a special night
My thoughts

A terrific day and a special night

While it may seem boring at times, I feel sharing how our day has gone is important because it shows how different things can go on different days.  Today turned out to be a pretty awesome day for everyone.  The boys got to school on time and immediately after, Gavin and I braved the weather and went for a 1.6 mile walk. It was cold but worth it. He wants to do this once or twice a week and I think that's great. Lizze rested for the first part of the day (while the boys were in school) and was up and moving before they got home.  Tonight was a little special because I thought it would be nice to have a movie night. I took Elliott and Emmett to…

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February 16, 2017
Read more about the article Why I take time to myself everyday
My thoughts

Why I take time to myself everyday

As an Autism parent for almost sixteen years, I can say that it's a stressful job. I've often said that it's 25/8/366 because of the nature of Autism.  I want to take a minute and share why it's so important for me to take time to myself. For starters, I know that it's not always easy to physically remove myself from the equation because life has a way of making it so I'm always putting out fires. Plus, finding a sitter for three kids with Autism isn't an easy task.  None of the challenges associated with taking time for myself, negate the importance of it.  As someone who lives in a constant state of hypervigilance, I often feel like I'm on the brink of insanity. There's so much that goes…

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February 15, 2017