The Journey of a Lifetime-Being Myers' Mom

Life has been busy...isn't it always? I sort of backed off writing because so much was going on in life, but as those of you who know me know, I love writing. I also love traveling. That should come as no surprise to the majority of you.  Last year, I took my then 4 year old and my husband to Ireland, one of my favorite places. We had the most incredible time. Maybe, if I have time, I'll come back and share why that trip was so special.  This year, our finances were a bit tighter. We wanted to do something grand (I was planning Norway, then France, then Rhode Island) and we landed on Atlanta. Don't laugh...or do. 😂 It wasn't the vacation I was dreaming of, but it did the trick to give us the summer vacation vibes we needed.  We do home exchanges often to save on hotel costs. We also like the idea of having a kitchen, a playroom, etc. Myers feels at home in these places and we have done a few since he was born. This year, we found a 5000 sq. foot home in Alpharetta tha...

Sunday, January 8th, was not a good day for this momma. I had high hopes for Myers and myself and unfortunately they were shot down by people at the LAST place you'd ever hope to feel unwelcome.  I shared a video on my Facebook page yesterday after processing everything that "went down." The video came at a good time yesterday afternoon and I felt like I needed more people to see it and to get a better understanding of my feelings (which are also the feelings of other parents of autistic children). Without going into the details of my Sunday experience, the video was posted by an account I follow on Instagram and Facebook: Tales of an Educated Debutante. Her post was about having a great day at church with her family, including her son who is autistic. I had the opposite experience, but her words were powerful. She was very encouraging, so I shared.  Here's what I'd like to add to the video and to my short post regarding why I cried buckets of tears.  First-nothi...

On this Friday morning, the last Friday of the year, it's quiet in the house, which is really rare since we got the new dog. Myers hasn't fully warmed up to him, and I totally understand why. Bewley is ALL puppy. He is wild and has sharp teeth and wants to play. Myers is spending most of his time these days, at the bar. I said that out loud the other day and laughed, then quickly added, our kitchen bar. We have high stools and Myers is safe there. When he wakes and comes downstairs, he goes straight to the bar. When he comes home from clinic, he climbs up on his stool and sits there. He has some of his favorite things there. Food, of course, but also his new crayon color sorter, Play-Doh, etc. PS-If you have a child that likes colors and organizing, get this set. Myers had seen it on Youtube on Genevieve's Playhouse, and my sister got it for him for Christmas. Definitely a great toy. When Bewley is out for a walk with his dad, Myers will get down from his high stool and pl...

I want to do all the things. This is the season for activities, after all. Christmas parties and ice skating, yes even here in Charleston this year. Christmas markets and parades. The Festival of Lights and the Night of 1000 Candles. I want to do it all. We haven't. We won't. And that's ok. On the one hand, I want to do the things. On the other hand, I too get anxiety. I've probably been anxious my whole life. At times, it's not bad. You may not know it if you see me. At other times, it's more noticeable. When my daddy died in 2010, my mother and sister suggested I get "a little something" to help with my nerves. The doctor prescribed a small dosage of Ativan. I took it for a short time. When I moved abroad on my own shortly after, it was nice to know that I had the prescription, even if I didn't take it often. Years later, when I had Myers, I started to feel it more. I didn't like changing his routine, staying out too late, making him be in th...

I'm not a huge fan of breakfast. I've never liked eggs, I don't care about waffles and until recently, wasn't a pancake person either. I like an Irish breakfast, mind you, minus the eggs. I eat sausage, bacon, toast. I love a pastry. Growing up, I ate cereal ALL THE TIME. Poptarts were my jam (and when I was pregnant, cinnamon Poptarts were my midnight snack of choice). I remember eating Cream of Wheat at my grandmother's a lot. We ate grits too. As I got older, I started eating oatmeal. Oh, and now, I am a huge fan of avocado toast. I wish Myers would eat avocado...in time perhaps. Like many autistic children, Myers is a picky eater, as I'm sure you've gathered. He gets enough to eat, but not always all the right nutrition. He eats plenty of fruit. We're still working on veggies. The veggies he gets are from the organic pouches, and occasionally, I can sneak them into my baking. That's what we have discovered works best for Myers' breakfasts. I ...

As I mentioned in one of the previous posts, our family made a BIG change this summer when we got Myers' diagnosis and the suggestion that he go gluten, dairy and soy free. Because Chance has Crohn's, he should have made these dietary changes a long time ago, but for whatever reason, it never really clicked for him, until a few months ago. Better late than never, right? Before the diagnosis, Myers ate potato chips, white cheddar cheese puffs, peanut butter and jelly on "regular," glutenous bread, muffins, pancakes, French fries, some crackers, lots of fruits, baby food pouches, cookies and any chocolate cake/candy. That was about it. He used to eat meatballs and chicken nuggets, but went about a year with no meat. He's expanding his horizons, finally, but we still don't get any real veggies in him.    For me personally, I didn't think going gluten free would be the end of the world. I mean, I lived in Italy when my friend thought he had Celiac Disease, and...