Wrapped Right Around His Finger.

What kind of parent are you?  Are you the type to believe your child over everything else or the parent who knows your child well enough to know they are probably twisting the truth?

Josh, though not officially a parent (but close enough), is the type to always think Corbin is not telling us the truth.  He sees Corbin's stubborn streak as what it really is.

I, on the other hand, am wrapped right around my kids' fingers, and I think they know it.  If Corbin tells me it was someone else's fault, I'm all over it.

I think we need to meet in the middle somewhere.

Yesterday after work I asked Corbin how his day went.  He paused, thought, and replied, "It was kinda OK".

I stopped and said, "Spill."

Corbin started, "Well Ms. *** is a meanie!  She doesn't even give me a chance to do it before she writes my name on the board!!"

It took some prodding to get the actual story out but from what I can understand, this is what happened:

Class assignment was to do a poem.
Corbin copied Ms. *** poem rather than do his own.
Ms. *** told him, "No Corbin, that's not what you do.  You have to make your own."
Corbin sits and processes and can't think of what to do.
Ms. *** writes his name on the board because he is not cooperating and doing the task.
(In his class your name goes on the board in the green section for a warning, then yellow you miss part of recess, and then red a note goes home to parent- Corbin has been in the green a couple of times- never in the yellow and red thus far.)

So, Josh would look at this situation and say, "Corbin was just being his stubborn self and not trying."  I would look at this situation and say, "Corbin wasn't allowed the proper processing time he needs when doing new things."

And then Josh & I will argue until I say, "Hey, I don't want to hear anymore about it!".  End of conversation.

I did help Corbin make a poem using the format she wanted last night, so if it comes up again today maybe he'll get it.  Oh and I did talk to Corbin about respecting his teachers and not calling them "meanies", even if it is just to me (and even if I want to agree with him).

Corbinisms & Brian-Talk

Corbinisms:

I was practicing some reflex integration on Corbin (thank god he agrees to be my guinea pig) when he said, "Wow, I feel like a king."

Yesterday while we were waiting for Josh I asked Corbin why he already had his coat on- he looked at me and said "You said we wouldn't take LONG", while making air quotations when he said "long".  It was his first ever appropriate sarcastic air quotes.  It was a proud moment.

Brian-Talk:

Brianisms didn't seem to roll of my tongue like Corbinisms and up until now I didn't have too many funny language stories with Brian, but they are starting to pop up here and there.

Lately he has gone around the house saying "I'm crabby!" but he says it in this deep, growling voice all with a smile on his face.  It was hilarious the first 72 times.  Now he is starting to do a lot of his talking in the growling voice- I need to get it on camera.  However, every time I take the camera out he freezes and says "Cheese".

Yesterday he came home from school and stripped within seconds, as he does everyday.  We have been working on having to wear pajamas at home and he independently ran to his room and grabbed his favorite Thomas the Train pajamas.  He put the pajamas on, ran to the full-length mirror on the bathroom door, threw his arms out to the side and exclaimed, "TA-DA!".



How fun is it going to be to have TWO kids saying the "darndest" things on a daily basis?

B12 vs. Mom

Our B12 shots arrived at our door a few days ago.

I quickly put them in the fridge, trying to ignore that I had them.

I've heard lots of wonderful reports about kids on B12 (minus the ones that get extreme hyperactivity from them) but the idea of sticking my child with a needle was really freaking me out.

Our doctor had told me I could practice on myself- but I couldn't bring myself to do it.  I couldn't even stab myself but yet was going to have to stab Brian?

Our doctor also said I could try doing it while he was sleeping, as he had been successful doing it that way with his own son.  I thought that would be a good option, knowing how many people it takes to hold him down when we do blood draws.

The past couple of nights I would participate in some strong self-talk, get the needle, go to his room, see his peaceful, innocent, sweet self sleeping.....and back down.

Last night I laid in bed, almost falling asleep, when my inner monologue started again. "C'mon Heather, you have to do this.  Stop being a wimp.  You will never know if B12 could make a difference if you don't try!  Plus you had to pay for the stupid compounded shots out-of-pocket.  You know how much you hate to waste money." Okay so I think the money might have been a motivator.

I grabbed the shot, went to his room.  Pulled off the blankets ever so gently, pulled down the Thomas the Train pajamas, and slowly tried to jab him.  He jerked and rolled over.

I almost got up to leave.  However, I had came this far, I had to do it.  I knew I had to try to do it in one swift movement.  I stabbed and pushed the compound into his little bum.  He didn't wake up, but his hand did come to brush off that stabbing feel and knocked the needle out so half of the B12 ended up on the exterior of his skin, rather than under this skin.

So, it could've gone better.  But I did it!  And he didn't cry or fully wake up.  As long as I watch those hands next time, I think we can do this.

Blog Gems: Favorites

A fortnight has passed already since the last Blog Gems, can you believe it?  Jen's prompt this week is "favourite posts".  Never Thought is not really too old, but it's definitely one of my favorites, and seems to be a favorite of my readers as well.  Enjoy!

Spring? Are You There?

Last year in Maine we were spoiled with very little snow, a thaw in February, and flowers popping up in March.  This year we broke crazy snow records, had an obscene amount of snow days, and spent lots of time putting on our various layers of clothing every morning.  According to the calendar Spring is suppose to be here.  Yet we had a snow day just four days ago.  We're hanging out in those frigid 30s.  The boys and I are ready for Spring!  

We welcomed Spring a couple of weeks ago by making a stained-glass window on our door.  I told the boys they were only allowed to use Spring colors because I'm tired of the drab winter landscape out the door.

Would love to take credit for this idea.
Unfortunately, it is not so.
I have to thank The Artful Parent for that.

Trying to get the boys to pose.
All Brian cared about was that I let him
watch Monsters Vs. Aliens.

Then yesterday we decided to make caterpillars.  Egg-carton caterpillars: they never get old no matter how many times you make them.  Ours started to morph into some sort of other insect as long pipecleaner legs and antennas were attached.  

Brian REALLY got into this craft.  I never knew before, but he has a special affinity towards glitter.

Corbin and his "realistic" caterpillar.  He's so over my whimsical stuff, he wanted to have "realistic" colors.
"Realistic" was his word of the day.

Brian never looks pleased when I make him pose- but he really did have fun.  I promise!

Brian's masterpiece.

Corbin's insect.  A friend of mine pointed out his resemblance to Plankton.

Our three creations basking in the warm sun
(warm on this side of the window- not sure it ever reached 32 yesterday with the wind chill).

So there we go, we're working our hardest on making Spring feel welcome here.  We'll just have to keep waiting so (im)patiently.

Are you a Pusher?

Because I'm a pusher. I push people. 

Most of the time I push, push, push.  Our afternoons after school are filled with proprioceptive work, some vestibular thrown in, and some manual work to integrate reflexes.  Then we read the book he's brought home from school and we do writing practice each night.  Then we'll play- but playing is still pushing because I want him to do a puzzle or a board game- things that he doesn't always love.  I push when I force him to take his supplements (yes he's gone backward in that aspect again), eat a vegetable at dinner, and brush his teeth.

I push when I call the school and email the therapists.  I push when I tell them I want frequent updates.  I push when I ask for certain evaluations.

I'm definitely a pusher, but sometimes I'm tired of pushing.  Sometimes I think pushing isn't making for the happiest of boys.  Sometimes I just want to be normal and just enjoy a day with no pushing.

Someone mentioned to me recently that recess time would be the perfect time for someone to really push Brian to make peer connections.  I don't agree.  I have seen him at recess, he runs around in big looping circles and jumping in every puddle he can find.  All with the happiest, biggest smile on his face.  Does it make me feel a little sad that he isn't holding hands with peers and making up imaginary games?  Of course it does.  But he's happy at these moments.  In my opinion, he is working so hard at school with academics and the constant push to talk and interact with peers, that he deserves that outside time to just be.  To just be him.

School, talking, making friends, EVERYTHING is so much harder for him and really requires much more energy than we give him credit for. I think he deserves parts of his day to just do what he wants and do whatever it is that makes him happy.

So there I said it.  I'm not always a pusher, sometimes I'm just a slacker.

What about you?  Where do you draw the line of when to push and when to just let it be?

Cowboys

Browsing through the gift shops in Texas I asked Brian if we should buy Corbin a cowboy hat and he responded with "Yeehaw".

The first time Brian and I went down to Texas Corbin was very concerned about the outlaws in Texas and our safety.  He had it in his head that in Texas there was "no energy" (electricity) and there were rampant bulls everywhere that could hurt us.  I wasn't aware he had seen any old Westerns but I must've been wrong, as all his conclusions  about Texas seemed to mirror a classic John Wayne movie.

Since Corbin thought Texas was full of cowboys, what could be a better gift than cowboy hats?  Could they get any cuter?

It's Time for "The Talk".

Let me talk about a topic that I don't think too many people talk very openly about.

Your autistic child and sexual behavior.

I'd rather not think about it, I don't know about you.

But we can't ignore it.

Brian has always had that tactile urge to touch people's skin, he loves to lie by me and have his bare arm next to my bare arm.  He likes even better to lay his head on my belly.  And he really likes to try to touch my butt.

Yup, my butt.

Yet I don't see this as him having any sort of weird sexual urges.  It's that he is seeking this particular type of tactile sensation.  Sometimes I joke that it's my fault for breastfeeding him until he was 18 months old- that certainly got him use to having a LOT of skin-to-skin contact with me.

So this is one issue that I have to deal with.  I'm not an overly-modest person but I have to be with Brian.  I have to teach him what private time is, what private parts are, and what is socially acceptable.

Lately Brian has developed a fondness for his male parts.  Okay, this is perfectly normal.  It feels good.  You can't expect a child to not want to do something that feels good.

But....

Brian won't learn what is socially acceptable as easy as other kids.  I remember Corbin went through this stage and we talked about what we do in private and what we do in public and that was that.  He was good to go.  Brian isn't that easy.

Part of it was my fault.  I knew it would be a difficult concept to understand so maybe I just ignored the behavior for a little while (in the house, not in public- never ignored in public).  When really honestly I should have been strict on these rules from the beginning.  I should have been more firm with him, then I was when I had this lesson with Corbin.  Sometimes I might slack on some things with Brian, thinking he already has a ton on his plate, but I don't think this is one of those areas to slack on.

Since I've recently had the pleasure of meeting a few teenagers on the spectrum I have seen that some of them are dealing with these issues.  Why?  Because they have the SAME hormonal urges that every other teenager has, but they don't have the coping mechanisms.  They also don't understand those social rules that we all can understand without having them explained in black and white.  Unfortunately, people see these (frequent touching of oneself, blatantly staring at girls' breasts, etc.) as behaviors and I really don't think it should be looked at like that.  They are doing what their raging-out-of-control-teenage hormones are telling them to do.  Yet, because they are autistic, they have social delays, they don't have that inner voice telling them what is okay and what isn't.

Where am I going with this post?  I have no idea really.  I just think it's a conversation that many are afraid to talk about but it's something we need to talk about.  Our kids need to start learning these things at an early age so hopefully as a teenager or young adult they don't have to deal with yet another issue that sets them apart from their peers or gets them isolated even more.

So there I said it.  I started the conversation.  Do you have anything to add?

ASD Connection

Remember when I was whining about how hard it was going to be to do my fieldwork placements because of the time I'd be missing out on with the boys.  Well it's been almost 10 weeks since I worried about that.  I've completed one placement and am a few days into my second.  It's flying by without a hitch.

I based my decision to go into an OTA program from my work at the developmental preschool I had worked in for years.  That and on the work I had seen from our OT and how her suggestions always helped my boys so much.  I was so interested in sensory-integration and the thought-processes it took to help modify daily activities for children who had special needs.  I went into this program not even knowing that OT could be in other arenas- I had only, ever, seen it regarding children.

I've had the chance to be exposed to many arenas through fieldwork placements and service learning including mental health, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living, home health, and outpatient hand therapy.  I have seriously loved every single arena and could see myself working in them- but still I just know I was made to work with children.

My placement now is with a school system and I couldn't be happier.  The minute I walked in I felt so at ease.  And though I feel comfortable with all children with all needs, I have such a special place in my heart for the kids on the spectrum.  Whether they are five or fifteen, whether they are nonverbal or very talkative, whether they bolt, whether they hit, whether they yell, I just could care less, I love them all.  It's hard for me to explain, yet most of my readers are parents of kids on the spectrum, so maybe you will understand what others I've talked to about it with don't.  My heart just grows when I see a student walk into the therapy room doing that familiar hand flap.

My very-supportive professor asked me during a one-on-one meeting last semester how I thought I would handle burn-out.  Would it be too hard to work all day with demanding children only to come home to my own demanding child?  Would I have the energy I needed and wanted to have for the most important children in my life?  I understand where she is coming from but I just don't see that as a problem.  It was never a problem when I worked at the preschool and so far this week I feel even more energized when I come home- I don't think my boys have ever received so much occupational therapy- because I'm so excited to try out some new ideas I was taught during the day.

I really feel like working with kids on the spectrum is my calling.  I really think I could do something great in this field.  I'm just bursting at the brim with excitement and ideas to get out there on my own.



Oh and P.S.  I received a letter today that I was nominated as student-of-the-year.  I'm the biggest goober but I can't stop smiling.

And The Winner Is...

Thanks to Colleen at Going The Distance... for awarding me with The Stylish Blogger Award!  I've known Colleen for years and years but really just reconnected with her after her blog was featured in an article in USA Today about non-traditional college students.  Colleen is an English major so of course her blog is going to be fan-tab-ulous.  You really need to check it out.  Like now. 

I have actually received this award before, which must mean I'm EXTRA stylish.  That shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.  Enter an eye roll here.

Here are the rules attached with this bloggy award:

-Thank and link to the blogger who nominated you

-Copy and paste the award

-Share seven things about yourself

-Nominate fifteen of your favorite bloggers, and let them know

Seven things:

1. I don't really ever swear IRL, unless I've had one-too-many margaritas.  Instead I have a lot of made-up cuss words like "fudgecracker" and "holy guacamole".
2. I am so insane about what I feed my children, yet I have some of the worst eating habits for myself.  I love Pepsi and gross processed foods like Spaghettios and Kraft Mac and Cheese.
3. I started my new fieldwork placement yesterday.  My supervisor and I both showed up wearing teal shirts.  Today we both showed up wearing green shirts.  Everyone is getting a real kick out of it, tomorrow I'm going to wear a rainbow color shirt to break the cycle.
4. I just texted from my bed upstairs to my boyfriend downstairs asking him if he'll bring me up a bowl of ice cream.  Wow,  I'm so ashamed of myself.  Yet kind of proud that I have a boyfriend that won't even hesitate to do it for me.
5. Jim from the show, The Office, is my ideal.  I love him.
6. I've been doing a lot of Brain Gym on myself along with my sun salutations in the morning, and I am loving it.
7. Have I mentioned I graduate in May?  Oh, I haven't?  Well I do!!!!!!!!

Now my fifteen nominees (FIFTEEN?? Last time it was only five!):

1. Airing My Dirty Laundry
2. Bad Words
3. Big Daddy Autism
4. Laughing Through Tears
5. Living Life, With a Side of Autism
6. Mama Jenn
7. Mommy to Two Boys
8. My Adventures in Mommyland
9. Autism Army Mom
10. The Artful Parent
11. Unplanned Trip to Holland
12. Solodialogue
13. Raising Normal Kids
14. This Side of Typical
15. Yeah. Good Times.

Mama's Boy

I was sitting on the floor in the living room holding Brian while he bounced on our therapy ball.  He kept looking directly at me and leaning forward to give me kisses.  I love those moments.

Josh was on the couch behind me and piped up, "How come I don't get that many kisses Brian?  I am lucky if I get one a day!"  I laughed and told him that Mama's are special.

He then told me that today he had Brian at the grocery store and Brian kept yelling "Mama!  Mama!".  He yelled it in the store, in the parking lot, and in the car.  Finally Josh said, "Brian, we have THREE things to do. (Knowing Brian reacts well with plans and numbers)- One, pick up Corbin. Two, go home.  Three, Mama will be home from work."  Brian quieted down for a moment and said, "THREE- MAMA!".

He is such a Mama's Boy- both of my boys are- and I hope that never changes.  I just feel bad for any future girlfriends they may have.

Play.

This beautiful boy has been playing....

....with this incredible older brother.

That's right....playing.  

No, not just hanging out in the same vicinity.  

No not just being pushed along to play. 

 Actually wanting and participating in play.

He's been allowing his older brother to teach him things.  

And he stays.  He listens.  

He's learning the difference between bounce passes and chest passes.

He wants to be chased and will look back to see if his older brother is still playing with him.  

If he isn't, he'll pause and say "Cor?"

He's building a new relationship, in a way.

And I am thrilled.

Blog Gems: Creativity

The prompt for Blog Gems is to share something creative.  I love artsy-fartsy stuff and use to be really big into scrapbooking.  I was a member of several online design teams (which meant free supplies for me to share my creations online- awesome gig) and scrapbooking was an everyday thing.

Unfortunately I haven't touched my scrapbooking stuff in years.  Seriously, years.  I would love to get back into it, but I guess I lost that drive to do it.  Maybe some day.

In the meantime, I will link to my post sharing the page I made shortly after Brian got his initial PDD-NOS diagnosis:

initial thoughts

Don't forget to go to Blog Gems and link up to one of your gems that are hanging out in your archives, so they can get some extra love too!

Just Like A Detective.

Tappity-tap-tap.  Tappity-tap-tap.

Brian's OCD picked up a few weeks ago.  Not so much his routines- like doors closed, lights on, etc.- those have stayed somewhat consistent.  What picked up was this constant need to touch/tap things with his fingers.  If he brushes by a person and touches them by accident, he'll turn around urgently to make sure he touches their other thigh or arm.  When he gets out of the car he needs to touch both arms to his carseat.  If a stewardess walks by and brushes his elbow he needs to reach up and tap her butt (true story).

This was one of the concerns I brought up when we were at The Thoughtful House this week.  It was an area that was getting better so it was strange to see it pop back up.  They had two ideas that could be causing it- one, yeast, especially since he was on an antibiotic for his ingrown toenail, or two, could be reacting to a Strep virus- since I just got over a bout of strep throat.  My gut wanted to go with the strep, only because I wasn't seeing any red rashes or manic night wakings, like we had prior to the yeast treatment.

As soon as I got home I went to my daily journal to really confirm when the tapping rituals started.  I had written it on February 14th.  That was before his antibiotics for his toe.  It was a week before my strep throat was diagnosed, most likely I was contagious- especially since I dealt with it for days before actually heading to the doctor to get help for it.

Figuring this all out is like being a detective, some skeptics may think I'm crazy, but I know when I see changes in Brian and I know this stuff has helped (for example, the manic night wakings which were a constant in our life for years and are now gone).  I, honestly, get so excited before trying each new idea/treatment for the changes we might see.  And if we don't see any?  Then we stop and it has never caused any harm to Brian.

I'm so thankful that I have The Thoughtful House to help me with the detective work.  This was our last actual visit to the Thoughtful House under our grant but we will be continuing to be a patient of theirs as all we have seen are positive changes since we started there.  It would be foolish to stop now!  I am so grateful for them (and the anonymous donor who made the Bright Eyes program available!) and the information, help, medical advice, and support they have given our family.  It was honestly a huge turning point for our family and I can't wait to see what the future holds.

I'm Happy with Scripts. For Now.

"Oh wow, look, a cloud."  I heard this line about fifty times during our recent trip to Texas.  I'm not sure where it came from, but Brian repeated it on each airplane ride during each descent and take-off.  It was definitely a script- I couldn't interject, get any more information about the cloud, and if I interrupted him in the middle he would flap his hands and start over again.

Yet, it's language.

I am not at that point where I am frustrated over scripts, only because language is still a new concept here.  Hearing his voice form actual words is still a novelty, and still makes me smile every single time.

Other scripts I heard during the trip that brought a smile to my face:

• "Bob the Builder.  Can we fix it?  Bob the Builder.  Yes we can!"- surprisingly repeated while playing with the trains in the waiting room at the Thoughtful House.  Wouldn't it have made more sense if he was singing one of the Thomas songs, which he also knows?  I don't get it.
• "Red, Blue, Yellow, Purple!"  He started this one a few days before we left for the trip, but I heard it a lot when we were waiting for things, such as in the airports.  
• "Ahhhhhhhhhh!! Sorry!"  He yelled this (waking up anyone around us) every time we hit turbulence or when we landed.

And my last, not really a script, sort of a functional answer (that's my story and I'm sticking to it) that I want to share, when I asked Brian if I should buy him and Corbin a cowboy hat he replied, "Yeehaw!".

One Two Three Four.

I was leaning over the seat in front of me doing my pursed lip breathing, feeling the color draining from my face.

I was on my twice-a-month ferry boat ride.  Every other Sunday I go pick up the boys from their father's and spend about three hours total on a to-and-from trip.  This Sunday it was windy and rough.  I use to live on that island and swear there was a point where I could handle boat rides, but it seems I've lost all of that super power and can get seasick within a blink of an eye.

I was concentrating on keeping my lunch in my stomach while also making sure to keep an eye on both children, who are completely immune to being sea sick.  In fact I think they find it gives them some great vestibular input and Brian can often be heard giggling when the boat is rocking.

In the midst of  my stomach rolling from side to side Brian started yelling out "ONE TWO THREE FOUR" over and over again.  I looked around the cabin to see who he might be disturbing, to find we were the only ones there.  This happens a lot in the winter months, which I think is wonderful- Brian can be as loud as he wants.  "ONE TWO THREE FOUR", I meekly shouted back "FIVE SIX SEVEN EIGHT".  He looked at me with one of his looks and yelled, "ONE TWO THREE FOUR!".  This went a few rounds, with him becoming increasingly agitated- he obviously didn't want to go past four.  Finally I said, "Why only 1-2-3-4?".

He stopped, walked a few feet from his seat, and stopped in front of the fire extinguisher.  "Oh, I see, 1-2-3-4!"  I was marveling over how I never even saw him go near the extinguisher, yet he had picked up the instructions at some point.  I always love how perceptive he can be when he often seems like he has no perception at all.  As I'm mulling this all over he reaches up to the safety pin and yells "ONE!"

Thank goodness I can still move fast on a rocky boat when I need to, despite being green and thisclose to throwing up.

At least I know Brian knows what to do in case of a fire!

Zookeeper Brian.

All of the kids in Brian's class were sent home with stuffed animals for a night.  They were to be zookeepers to their animals and then write a short (pre-written-fill-in-the-blank) story about their time with their animal.  Brian has a little collection of stuffed animals but has only showed any sort of interest in the ones that are somewhat human- Eddie, Woody, or Buzz.  

Yet, this little giraffe stole my boy's heart.  It was obvious from the start Brian was going to take his new zookeeper position very seriously. When I pulled him out of his backpack he yelled "Gi-aff!".  He brought him to his room and set him on his train table while he pushed his trains back and forth.  He was hugging him when he was sucking his thumb.  He sat him on the toilet to watch him take a bath.  He slept with him.  He ate breakfast with him.


We wrote our story which had him writing a total of 10 words without one whine, groan, or scream.  He happily did it all the while saying "Gi-aff, Gi-aff, Gi-aff".

In the morning we were just pulling out of the driveway to go to school when I remembered the giraffe who had to be put down so Brian could put on all of his snow gear.  I looked in the rearview mirror and asked, "Do you have your giraffe?"  A look of fear, shock, and sadness went over his eyes as he yelled "Oh nooooo gi-affe!!!"  I ran back into the house to rescue his new best friend and the giraffe was greeted with bigger smiles and hugs than I usually get.

As I walked him into school he held the giraffe in one hand and my hand in the other.  I watched him smile as he looked up at me and then back at his giraffe several times.  It was clear he thought it was a good start to a morning.

I loved the way he loved this giraffe but I feel very sorry for whatever teacher tries to take it away today!

Traveling 101

One week from today Brian and I will be flying back to Texas.

We've done this once so I shouldn't be anxious about it, right?  Wrong.  But I did learn from my mistakes and from my triumphs and have put together a list of what I believe are important tips for any parent getting ready to travel with their child.

1. I will check my luggage.  I thought waiting for our luggage at the baggage claims would be an unnecessary (waiting) step that would just add to anxiety and boredom for Brian.  But changed my mind after my incident with a screaming boy in the Atlanta airport while trying to carry our backpack, shopping bag of recently bought goodies, our rolling carry-on, a purse, and a booster seat.  I, obviously, didn't think that one through.  This time all I'm bringing with me on the plane is a backpack with my wallet, the iPad, a change of clothes, headphones, and snacks.  
2. Noise-cancelling headphones are awesome!  I bought them right before our last trip, just wanting to cover all the bases.  I wasn't really sure how they would work but Brian wore them the majority of all the flights. They must've helped, otherwise he wouldn't have tolerated them for five minutes.
3. Over-pack.  Don't try to pack light.  Last time Brian became quite sick and I didn't have a thermometer to keep track of his fever, no medicine, no pedialyte, no nothing.  It wouldn't be a big deal but I didn't rent a car (and won't be this time either)- so then it becomes a big deal.  I am going to be prepared for anything and have a HUGE suitcase for our one night stay.
4. Don't be shy to ask for help.  When airlines ask for the elderly or families with young children to go on board first, jump in line.  You have a child with autism.  My child with autism needs to touch each seat until we get to our own (which is usually in the back because I ask for seats that have no one sitting around us- so far have been lucky in that category), that can be a hassle when you have a crapload of people behind you trying to get to their seats.
5. On the plane make sure to ask your child if they need to use the bathroom near the end of the trip.  On one of our flights Brian decided he needed to pee while we were landing.  We couldn't get up and I just had to sit there and keep telling him to wait while crossing my fingers he wasn't going to pee his pants right there.

Also, if you are anxious your child is obviously going to feed off that and behaviors will be exacerbated.  So maybe a margarita should be lined up prior to the plane ride.  Our flight leaves at 11:00 AM- is that too early for a drink?

Corbinisms: Poop & Villains

• I was driving past the dump when I noticed the unpleasant smell and commented on it.  Corbin chimed up from the back seat that he didn't smell anything.  I questioned it as the smell was unusually bad and he replied, "Mom, I don't smell the dump.  All I smell is someone pooping!"

• I was reprimanding Corbin for continually not remembering to put things away when he is done with them when he said, "I think I'm just always going to be a villain, Mom".  I answered, "No, you won't be a villain, I can tell you are going to be a good guy."  He answered, "Not like a real villain, Mom!  Like a villain that is just chillin'".