Insomnia.

Waylon is a total insomniac.
It's nothing new, really- many studies have shown and many autism moms can attest to the magical hours between midnight and six A.M. when kids with autism are at their finest.

The real irony of it all is, at the end of the day, parents of kids with autism need sleep. Bad. And Waylon shows no mercy.

So, in the wee hours this morning when Waylon came running into our bedroom with Travis's most precious circa 1970's A-Team replica van that is cautiously hidden on the highest shelf of a rarely opened closet in the utility room.... I just smiled. Travis did not.

When we surveyed the damage in the kitchen, where Waylon annihilated half a jar of Nutella and a loaf of bread with a plastic fork... Travis just smiled. I did not.

It's these moments when I am so thankful to have such a great husband. We keep each other calm, we keep each other laughing, and we keep each other from duct taping him down at night.

If you're wondering where the "half a jar" of Nutella went- it went in his mouth, straight off the fork. Yeah, I think he's gonna need an extra dose of Melatonin tonight.

 

ohmygoodness

 



Look at this boy grow!

Remember last year's school pics?

I still don't think he's wearing any pants.

 

abso-stinking-lutely adorable

Do you think it would be inappropriate for me to hold an inservice with Waylon's teachers on the correct way to rinse poop out of underwear?

I am well aware that these amazingly patient, talented, kind-hearted and selfless people did not go to college to learn how to rinse out underwear.

That's why I would like to teach them myself.
It sure would make Waylon's backpack and my laundry room smell better.

It's about time...

Odds are, if you've ever read a media headline about autism, it has the word vaccine in it somewhere, or it is reporting the latest numbers of kids being diagnosed.
Well, frankly my friends, I don't give a crap.
It's too late for us now for the vaccine fight. Whether you are pro or con, we're up to date until junior high. And, I'm dearly sorry about the other 87, but I'm mostly concerned about what to do with my #1.
We walk for autism, we donate where we can, and for pete's sake we pay our taxes. I just don't understand, when so many dollars are raised and we have the most high-tech healthcare system in the world, why we can't come up with some answers.
Stop with the blessed vaccine argument. Stop with the incessantly depressing head counts. Throw me a bone here, researchers- I just want to figure out how to get my kid to talk.

Alright, so down from the pedestal with some good news. This article caught my eye this morning. FINALLY! Research that seems promising. Dollars being spent for a good cause. Sure, it's early in the studies, but maybe someday.... I'll shoot some meds up my kid's nose, and words will come out of his mouth. Maybe...

http://www.autismspeaks.org/science/science-news/researchers-launch-study-oxytocin-nasal-spray

And we're off...

Vacation planning:
Called resort to verify height of deadbolts and distance from cabin to river... Check.
Ordered a child tracking device... Check.
Packed plenty of trains, cars, the favorite blanket, and extra Melatonin... Check.
Washed and packed every pair of underwear Waylon owns (and may need to stop at Walmart for more, depending on how many times he craps his pants this week)... Check.

Highs in the 70's this week means Waylon won't look quite so odd in his most favorite outfit to wear- hooded sweatshirts and swimming trunks.

Stopped the car three times before we made it to Pomona, and finally, for the mental health of everyone in the vehicle, Waylon got his first ever mid-afternoon dose of Melatonin.

Hoping for a nice, relaxing vacation... and hoping that Waylon wakes up in a better mood!

Melts My Heart

Forgot to mention in my summer catch-up, probably the most exciting part of our summer so far. Waylon has started spontaneously saying our names.
AMAZING.
Anytime you walk in the room, anytime he wants your attention, anytime he thinks it will cause you to smile and tackle him and smother him with love, his eyes get big and he yells
"THERE'S MOMMY!"
Trav usually responds to the "THERE'S DADDY!" with "That's right! I'm Daddy!" So Waylon echoes, "THAT'S RIGHT! I'M DADDY!"
Sure, it's a little repetitious, but I'll take it.
I'll never forget sneaking my head around the corner of his room to hear the first time Miss Jennifer (a.k.a. Most-Amazing-Speech-Path-Ever) got Waylon to repeat sounds ("Ba Ba Ba"). I'll never forget calling Trav at work months later and putting it on speaker phone while Miss Jennifer coaxed the words "Mommy" and "Daddy" from Waylon's amazing little brain.
And I've written this new oh-so-amazing milestone in the baby book, although I doubt this is something that I will ever forget.
Just melts my heart.

I'd rather be blogging... Part 2

It's been ages since I've posted last. Sorry about that.
I've had such good intentions this summer. I've finished orientation at work, I took the summer off school, and Waylon is only in therapy two days a week now. I should be blogging up a storm, right?
It's just that I've been having way too much fun.

After a semi-stressful spring, where we
     a) Made Waylon's kindergarten plans
     b) Made Waylon's summer therapy plans
     c) Stressed for hours over a and b
     d) Enrolled Rose in pre-school
     e) Signed Caden up for coach-pitch
     f) Started a new job
     g) Started back to school
     h) etc, etc, etc.
I made an epic, life-altering, mind-blowing conclusion.
This is dumb.

I mean, sure, all the experts say kids with autism should have 40 hours of therapy per week. But who cares if they can talk or not if they don't even know which one of these people is their mother? And who cares if I get my Bachelors degree or not if I get committed to the State Hospital and lose my job anyways?
Life is too short.
So, we cut Waylon's hours back to just 2 days a week. We hired a rocking awesome teenager to come to the house and watch the kids while I'm at work. (Every kid should get to sleep in in the summer time, right?) And I took the summer off of school, so I could really enjoy my new job (which I love) and really enjoy my days off, without homework (which has been amazing). We got a plastic pool and a fire pit. We roasted hot dogs and s'mores and blew off fireworks. We are just having fun.
Which brings me to my next point. In approximately 18 hours we are heading on a family road trip/vacay. The house is a mess, nothing is packed, but-
I'd rather be blogging. (This seems to be a trend...)