Dear Autism, You are a B*tch!

This is a whiny entry.  Don't say I didn't warn you.  Today I want to give Autism and big FU!

So G&L had a field trip for school today and I was a chaperone. I thought I was going to lose my mind. L did great for about two hours which is really great for him. He just got super tired and started to slow down.  Even though he was exhausted he still managed to hold it together.

G was a MANIAC...people (not his class) were staring at him and me, like I was a big A-hole. He kept throwing himself on the floor, screaming, flapping, crying, yelling etc. Anytime I would try to pick him up to comfort him he would hit me in the face.  I know he was acting like this because he was way to overstimulated, but it doesn't make it any easier when your in the midst of it.  I was a little over zealous and didn't bring his stroller inside(he has a wheel chair stroller which has a compression clip on it, to help him and it's anti tip for when he throws himself). We had to walk about one city block back to the car and he kept throwing himself on the side walk and having a protest. I was pouring sweat by the time I got back to the car. One of his teachers asked if I needed help getting them back to the car, but stupidly, I said No. As G is throwing himself on the sidewalk people were walking by giving me side eye.  I may have said, "What? You've never seen a three year old with Autism?" to someone. What the hell is wrong with me? I need to accept peoples help! They are trained to deal with this! I just feel super defeated today. Autism is a bitch. The end.

Holy Cow!! I Have Threenagers!!

What a whirlwind of a week it's been!  My babies have officially turned three!!!  How is this possible?  I know people say time flies when you have kids, but it doesn't have to fly this quickly!  Even though they are only three, and we try to live in the now, it's so hard not to think about what happens in 20 years?  What will they be able to do?  Where will they be?  We'll save that for day dreaming!

Why else was this week a super big week?!?!  G&L started school!  Unlike the school we tried with L last year, this is a school that is made just for them, with kids just like them, and teachers that have the resources and education to help them and work with them.  It's such a breath of fresh air.  There are only 8 kids and 3 teachers!  G&L are having a bit of a rough time with transitioning but they're starting to get it.  They ordered adaptive seating for G which is awesome for him!  They are exhausted from school because they refuse to nap during nap time (can you blame them with all that new stuff around them?), but as soon as they get done with school we start running around for therapies.  Such a busy little life they lead for three year olds! I have a meeting with the school PT and their lead teacher on Monday to go over some things for them and to come up with a plan for them in school.  Mainly G.  G is a big wanderer and needs a bit more attention.

Another big transition is coming up for the boys this week.  The hubs is deploying for a few months.  Now that they're getting older, I start to worry how it will effect their day to day lives.  Especially L since he loves spending time with his daddy.  I do notice that when ever the hubs is deployed, L seems to gravitate towards friends husbands.  He has a male teacher assistant so maybe that will help him with the transition of daddy not being here.

Here's a picture of our crazy family from G&L's birthday party.  This picture makes me laugh because it totally captures us!!

Here's a collage I made for their birthday! G's newborn pics on top, L on the bottom.

Walk For Autism - Team Thompson Twins

Autism Statistics:

 Every 11 minutes someone is diagnosed with some form of Autism. 1 in 54 boys are diagnosed with Autism while 1 in 252 girls are diagnosed in the United States. Autism affects over 2 million individuals in the U.S. and tens of millions worldwide. Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S. and costs a family $60,000 a year on average. G&L are just two people out of many that are affected with Autism. 

 How can you help? By raising awareness, educate people and be proactive. No matter how prepared you are as a parent, no one ever thinks their child will have Autism. Please help us raise awareness and help in our fight to educate people about Autism and most importantly to help us fight for G&L. Educate! Donate! Join our Team! Just click on the Link below!


http://www.walknowforautismspeaks.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1084973&lis=0&kntae1084973=C48167EBF9AC4B999BB0628E24CE57EC&supId=400768536&teamName=Thompson%2BTwins

PARTY TIME!

It's been a while since I last updated.  We had the boys IEP meeting earlier in the month.  I am happy to say, it went GREAT and we got everything we wanted for them!  They IEP team was pretty easy to work with and they weren't the nightmare I had been warned about.  Maybe they were warned about me?  HAHA!  So, the boys are getting tons of services and will be started a special preschool program...NEXT WEEK!!!  Hold me!  My sister asked me who was going to cry more.  I think it's a toss up between me and L.  I could be wrong, but I think G will be OK, even though he's the one I'm most worried about leaving.  There are only 8 kids in the class including them and 4 teachers.  It's so hard to leave my babies!  I'm already having major anxiety over it.

Over the weekend we had their third birthday party!  Their birthday isn't until next week but the hubs is going on a deployment so we decided to have it a little early so he could be here for it this year.  He had to miss their second birthday.  We had their party at a Children's museum.  We rented it out after hours so we had the place to ourselves.  All the kids had a great time and I'm in love with how the cake came out!  If anyone in the Fayetteville, NC area needs an awesome cake, I highly recommend Cakes by Carly.  She did an amazing job and we will definitely be using her again. She even made little Autism ribbons to put on the pirates. LOVE LOVE LOVE!

The boys did pretty well at their party.  L did a wee bit better then G.  G had a few meltdowns  but he was also exhausted.  They both refused to nap that afternoon.  I would say it was because they were so excited about their party that evening, but they had no idea about it!  I told them all about it, but I'm pretty sure they didn't understand.  I think the best moment of the party was when G picked up the phone and screamed, "HEP (help)!!!" into the phone! I guess he wanted to get out of there. We had a professional photographer there so I'll post some pictures when we get them back.  I can't wait to see them!

What else made their party so special?  Seeing how many people where there because they truly love G&L. Everyone one from family, friends, therapists and their Early Intervention coordinator.  We wouldn't be where we are now, with out all of these amazing people.  They boys received so many thoughtful gifts to help with their therapies.  There are a lot of days we feels so alone in this battle with Autism and isolated from the rest of the world, but on this day we felt loved.