Inspiration

When we lived in the Houston area, one of Gregory's therapists gave us this story (for lack of a better word). It was soon after Gregory's formal diagnosis of autism, and she knew we could use some inspiration.

"The Beauty of Holland" by Emily Perl Kingsley

"I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability----to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this...

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip---to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, 'Welcome to Holland.'

'Holland?!?' you say. 'What do you mean, Holland? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy.'

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guidebooks. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you never would have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around, and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills. Holland has tulips. Holland has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy, and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life you will say 'Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned.'

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever go away, because the loss of that dream is a significant loss.

But if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things about Holland."

We keep a copy of this on the refrigerator. It's our inspiration on bad days. A reminder that Gregory is, indeed, a very special child.

Sunshine...finally

We haven't seen the sun up here in the Texas Panhandle since Friday.

It has rained "cats and dogs" steadily for 4 days! This is so unreal for here. We are definitely not in a drought. Last I heard, 2 nights ago, Amarillo had a 3 inch surplus of rain.

We've had an early and WONDERFUL fall! Mild temperatures, fantastic fall flowers and the foliage is starting to turn.

Now it's cold! For 2 days, it didn't get out of the 40's for daytime high temperatures. That's crazy in mid-October. Locals are saying that this winter's going to be very wet, that we'll be getting lots of snow. Bring it on, baby!!! I love the snow!

Snow is great...as long as it's followed by sunshine!

The sun is shining warmly today and we'll finally be getting out of the house! YAY!!!

Glorious day

We have been waiting since April for a large sum that is owed us on Gregory's SSI disability. I have heard from other parents of Autistic children that many of them have never received their back pay, or it was paid months after the date they were told it would be paid.

We have been in such turmoil with this. We were told "6 months" when he was approved in April. I have called 5 times in the past 3 weeks to verify this payment will be paid in Oct as we were told. Never a return call...which is typical of our SS office. They are horrible up here.

Well, glory be!! The direct deposit hit today, just as promised.

I can't tell you all how much stress is now off our family.

It is truly a glorious day! We will now actually have a "cushion" in the bank for emergencies, etc.

In a funk

Sorry it's been so long since I posted here. Several of my family members have commented that I haven't been around here, so I figured I should post.

I've been in a funk lately. Overwhelmed, indecisive, stressed.

Mike and I have been doing alot of thinking and decision making about the future of our family. For most of the 8 years we've been married, it seems we've been in a downward spiral. We've finally come together and made decisions that we think will help us start gaining ground. I'll post more details soon, I promise. Just don't have time right now.

The kids are doing very well. Gregory is doing fantastic in his therapy/preschool. He's learning/using more and more signs every day and we are thrilled! We've been trying to teach him to sign since he was a year old and never have we had so much success as we have in his current situation. He's also trying more to form words vocally.

Hank (our rooster) got very sick 1.5 weeks ago. And after a week of ICU and round the clock care in the house, he was outside for fresh air for the first day he was able to be out, and Margo (our poodle) got him and killed him. That's 2 of my chickens now that she has killed. We were devastated. Margo is on very shaky ground right now.

Currently, Gregory and I are sick with respiratory infections. But at least Gregory is still eating and drinking, so...so far, so good. No hospital stay so far.

I will post again soon with more details. We are all doing fine, though.

Two hospital stays and exhaustion

Typical of Gregory, when he gets sick with anything (even a cold), he stops eating and drinking. Dehydration is next, then off to the hospital for a few days of fluids and meds for whatever caused him to stop eating and drinking.

Last weekend, he started downhill. Sunday we were at the Doctor's office at 2pm. Ear infection and cold virus. She sent us home with antibiotics for the ear and told us to come back for follow-up on Monday at 10am to see if he had any improvement.

Monday at 10am, he was extremely dehydrated and off we went to the hospital. Fluids, bolists, meds...and he started drinking again on Tuesday. We were sent home on Wed.

By Thursday morning, Gregory wasn't drinking anything again...back to the Doctor's office and straight back into the hospital.

We got home tonight and I'm exhausted. We were home less than 24 hours between hospital stays.

This is a typical sceanario for Gregory, though, through the fall straight through to spring. We were just about a month early this year. lol

I'm exhausted...gotta love vitals every couple of hours through the entire night.

I've got a few posts planned for this week. Just need a good nights rest and clean up the house first.