My Family's Experience with Autism

This blog is to chronicle my family's experiences with the autism spectrum -- it is NOT indicative of any medical or diagnostic truths. There is so much information out there, much of which is presented as facts, when, in truth, they are unproven and contain unsubstantiated pieces of information. I just want everyone to know that this blog is ANECDOTAL and based on ONE FAMILY'S EXPERIENCE; it does not exist to present scientific facts (unless I specify otherwise).

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Not Allowed

Moms aren't allowed to be sick. We know this. When we take on the job, we accept that as a truth. And when that cardinal law is broken, things often fall apart.

In many ways, we're lucky in our house. I don't do much of the cooking (I fill in as needed, but in general if we're not having chili, I almost never make dinner). And my cleaning abilities are, well, abysmal. But I'm still not allowed to be sick. And I've taken that responsibility very seriously.

I think that, since taking on the "Mom" role, I have only been really sick once. That was when Daniel was about 6 months old and then I was REALLY sick (requiring 2 hospital stays and surgery). It led to me having to wean him much earlier than I would have liked and then taking that medication that I've alluded to a couple of times (which is still a daily thing). I've had my share of colds, but usually am fully recovered within a matter of days. I don't think I've had as much as a fever since that time. That's probably why this year has been such a problem for me.

Since the year began, I've been feeling lousy. It started with a cold/cough (the cough is still there and extremely annoying and persistent). I have no energy. I just want to sit or lie down and go to sleep. There isn't time for that. But I'm not REALLY "sick". I haven't got a fever. I'm not spending my time hunched over the toilet watching my last meal come back out of my mouth. I just feel "BLAH".

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm almost at the point of saying, "If I'm going to be sick, let's just do it, get it over with, and then I can get back to myself -- BRING IT ON!". This feeling that "being sick is coming" has gotten tiresome.

If I had the energy, perhaps I could have prevented this:

That pile of fluff had been growing behind that couch for days since I just didn't have the energy to do much more than say, "NO FLUFF!" to Rachel and Simon. Then, when Daniel and his friend was playing downstairs, they decided to pull the stack from behind the couch and decorate that side of the room. They made a "Christmas Tree" on the wall (they're on either side of it). I suppose that's what I get -- I left 2 4-year olds and 2 5-year olds alone in the room for 30 seconds to go to the bathroom. I should have known trouble would ensue. I suppose I should be happy that all of the fluff was contained around the couch. And, just to clarify, all of that fluff comes from a single cushion in the corner of the sectional and it's only been about 1/3 emptied.

I need to find my energy. I need to get over this cold/cough/whatever it is. This "blahness" is bringing me down.

1 comment:

heatheramypriceJanuary 20, 2011 at 9:40 PM
I have to laugh at the fluff, because HEY, at least it isn't poop. Last week I left the room for 2 minutes and well.... that could be a blog post of it's own but for whatever reason people don't like to read about my kids' diapers. ick. Cleaning up fluff? No prob. I'd be ducttaping the couch cushion closed so it doesn't happen again though.

Feel better soon! Are you on vitamins? I'm on daily vitamins PLUS extra vitamin C PLUS Juice plus because I KNOW I don't eat well or exercise enough. My husband and both kids had tummy trouble this week and I escaped it somehow-- yay!
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A Little Bit About Me and My Family

Every once in a while, something happens to a family that seems to change everything, whether that change is positive, negative, or in an uncertain direction. One such thing happened to us in March 2009, when we were informed our 26 month old twins (girl/boy) were BOTH on the autism spectrum. Their older brother (nearly 4 at the time) had always been ahead of the curve for most developmental milestones, so we had never really considered that some of the delays the twins were having had anything to do with autism. Well, we were wrong. Since then we have been learning about learning techniques and doing everything we can to make sure they get any and all help they need so that they can live normal lives. This blog chronicles that journey.

The Autism Pizza

I don't know where this came from originally, but I found it on a post on Circle of Moms. It's a good explanation of how things line up on the spectrum.

1. The Crust: Lack of Social Interaction (poor eye contact, not sharing interests with you, no pointing/gesturing)

2. The Sauce: Impaired Communication (possibly no speech, poor conversation skills, repetitive language, echolalia, no make-believe play)

3. The Cheese: Stereotypical Activities & Interests (extreme routine, strong interest in certain things, stimming [flapping, atypical play, etc.] -- like spinning wheels, lining toys up, stacking, etc.)

If you have all of those things: crust, sauce, cheese, you made an Autism pizza. It might have different toppings, but you can look at it and know it's still a pizza. If your pizza doesn't have sauce, that's Aspergers's. If your pizza is missing more than that but still kind of looks like a pizza, that's PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified)