Oh, the Excitement

This is autism.

When we get a new toy, or in this case, a toy that has been packed away for months and months, Brian gets's so excited.

In fact, he gets so excited he can not sit and play with it.

Until he runs in circles, makes loud noises, and flaps his hands for an extended period of time.

This day we found his marble run set- hadn't been unpacked since our move in July.

He was so excited we found it that he ran around in circles for twenty minutes.

Running around so much that he was a blur.

Can you see him??

Running around so much that he is completely red, unable to catch his breath, sweating, and almost too tired to do anything.

Then he was finally able to play.

Regulation can be a bitch sometimes.

How does your child self-regulate?

Those Eyes.

Pictures like this just validate what you have screamed for years.

There's immense wisdom behind those eyes.

No matter, what people who don't know your child try to tell you.

The proof is in his eyes.

Beautiful boy.

Obsessive Morning Routines

It's time to go out the door.

And Brian is throwing a shit fit.

He's always very happy to go to school (this year) and I don't know what the heck the problem is.

Until I hear the shower running upstairs.

I'm able to tackle him to get his snow pants on but then he slips out of my grasp and runs upstairs where he paces the hallway, flapping his hands, and making repetitive vocalizations.

See, we can't leave the house if Colin is in the shower.

If Colin is in the shower when we are leaving the house then Brian will never know if the toilet seat is down, the lights are turned off, and whether the bathroom door remains closed.

His whole day will be a nightmare.

He will not let that go.

So, like any sane person would do, I knock on the door and ask Colin how much longer he'll be.

He hasn't actually got in the shower yet, the water was still warming up, so like such a great fiance, he turns off the shower and wraps himself in a towel and joins our fiasco in the hallway.

Brian immediately runs to the bathroom, puts down the seat, turns off the light, and closes the door.

He is smiling and skipping as he puts on the rest of his gear to face the Maine weather.

Colin hangs out in his towel until we leave.

No big deal, this is our family.  This is a typical morning.

And I shake my head as I realize I am doing nothing to help this child learn how to deal with these anxieties in the real world.

However, I can not, for the life of me, send him to school knowing that he is going to be crying and upset all day because a routine wasn't followed through.  That's what OCD does to him.  He will not come out of that anxiety-mode until his routine is followed through.

So this will continue to be the norm for our family...at least until we get off this purgatory they call a wait-list for our new developmental pediatrician who is supposedly going to help us figure out how to navigate the roads of OCD.

Moving into 2013

Looking back at the past year I realize my blog looks quite sparse..

In reality it was a busy year filled with new relationships, camping trips to national parks, meeting professional goals and expanding my knowledge in the occupational therapy field, going back to school (again) and then deciding to take a break from school, Brian learning so many new words and scripts, Corbin making me laugh every single day, my first real vacation since before I had kids thanks to finally having someone who likes to spoil me, a beautiful, healthy new niece, cheering Corbin on in his many athletic endeavors, cheering Brian on in the Special Olympics, moving into a beautiful new home, an 80s themed birthday party complete with a Rubiks Cube cake, love, love, love, oh and our engagement.

I look at my blog and realize so little of all of this was blogged.

I've never been one to say, "I'm done with blogging", but it's obvious that it has taken a backseat and I think it's because I don't always need my virtual sounding board anymore.

Not to say, I don't appreciate the people I have met through my blog over the years.  Some of you I cherish so much (you know who you are) as we have established friendships that I think go beyond blogging.

However, I am finally feeling really content with my life.  I have someone that I can share the trials and tribulations with and he is the first person I go to, rather than my blog, as it was in the past.

I'm still not going to say I'm done with blogging.  I still like to share those really big moments.  And I still like to vent on those really down moments.  It helps me to know that we aren't alone.

Here's to a happy and healthy 2013!!  Let's manifest less down moments, and more bragging moments.