Managing Autism - A Personal View

Well the last few days have been quite a ride - to say the least!!!

Earlier this week Steve went into hospital for the day for a routine procedure.  I had thought that this would be enough of a challenge for us (the 2 trips in and out of the hospital had to be fairly well planned with the kids on board).  So after having collected Steve from the hospital and arrived home I settled back thinking the hard work was over!  Little did I know…

An hour after his arrival home (he was sleeping at this point) I went to check on him and discovered his entire body was covered in a bright red rash and had completely swollen up.  A phone call to the hospital, followed by a phone call for an ambulance, and we were on our way to the Emergency Department.  Apparently he had had an allergic reaction to a medication he had been given earlier, and we were breathing a sigh of relief that his airways hadn’t been affected and that he was still breathing.

And to top off Steve’s hospital visit, I received a phone call (the same day that he was taken back to hospital) to tell us that his grandfather had also been rushed to hospital that afternoon.

I guess it was from here that our chaotic few days began.  We had had a real fright, and the kids were understandably quite distressed by it all, and whilst I was able to shuttle Annie off to some of our wonderful family, friends and neighbours, Jack stayed by my side the whole time wanting to keep track of what was happening with ‘Dad’.

So… thankfully after some medical attention Steve is now home and healthy.  We have had very little sleep over the past few days (even less than normal) and have had somewhat of a crazy time trying to keep on top of things, but we are now hoping for a few quiet days before Christmas (hoping anyway!!!).

And we are looking forward to catching up on blogging….. we will get there…..

Elissa

Today we came to the end of one journey, as we looked ahead to the future, and the beginning of another journey.

Jack had his final day of Kindergarten today - a day that I had been anticipating with much trepidation.  Jack first walked through the Kindergarten doors almost 3 years ago now, beginning a journey that at the time we thought would involve 2 ’straight forward’ years of early learning and preparation for school.  Jack’s Kindergarten journey stretched to it’s 3rd year very early on, when the decision was made for him to spend 2 years in the ‘Junior Kinder’ group before moving to the ‘Preschool’ year (due to his ‘needs’ in the area of social and emotional development).  And when he crossed the threshold of the Kindergarten at the beginning of this year we had no idea of the learning curve we were about to embark on, or the challenges we were about to face.

We have made mention in previous posts of our journey to diagnosis, and this journey (taking place over the last 12 months - during Jack’s 3rd year of Kindergarten) was shared very closely with the Kindergarten staff - who for much of the time took the journey with us.  Jack’s teachers shared with us the highs and the lows of a really difficult time in our lives, and they supported us with every ounce they had to give, playing such a significant part in Jack’s growth and success over the last few months - giving him the love and care that he needed to become who he is today.

So I faced today with trepidation… today was the day that we would say goodbye… today was the day that we would step out of the Kindergarten looking to the future…

A ‘Christmas Concert’ had been planned to finish the day at Kindergarten today, and along with all the other parents, I arrived with camera in hand and a very proud smile to watch the singing and dramatic performances.  Jack was a delight, coping extremely well with all the activity, and even managed to take on a special role of ‘putting the toy lions in the cave’ during a singing performance.

The Concert finished with a visit from Santa (who had gifts for the children), and with the children presenting us (the parents) with handmade gifts, paintings and photo memory books of their time at Kindergarten.  It was a really lovely moment, and best of all, Jack was happy and relaxed, and really enjoying himself.

Before I knew it, departure time was upon us, and I prepared to say goodbye… knowing that today was the day that we would step out of the Kindergarten looking to the future… a future at school, and a future with new faces and new experiences…

Brushing the tears aside, there were hugs all around, and Jack even stood still long enough for ‘goodbye’ photos.  We will hold this year of Kindergarten very dear in our hearts.  It was the year that our world was turned upside down, but it was also the year that we discovered Jack, and the year that life began to make a little more sense.

And so we look forward… with the past in our hearts forever… thank you to the wonderful staff who helped us hold it all together… Jack will miss you… and we will miss you…

Jack standing outside Kindergarten as we left for home - saying goodbye and treasuring some wonderful memories!!!

Jack sitting with Santa, having received a gift at the Kindergarten Christmas Concert.

Posted by a Tearful Mum…

I have been blessed with what I would have to say is one of the most loveliest awards, The Colours Of Friendship Award, from Childlife at In The Life Of A Child. Childlife is a wonderful blogging friend - always managing to either make me laugh or cry with her beautifully written posts. Every day I look forward to visiting her blog to see what delightful story she has to share.

When deciding who to pass this award on to I didn’t have to think very hard.  I have so many lovely blogging friends who I love to visit, and who visit our blog regularly.  All these friends deserve this award, so to everyone below, please accept this award knowing that I treasure your friendship:

Casdok at Mother Of Shrek

Jen P at Find Out What Jen Finds

Maddy at Whitterer on Autism

Marla at Marla Baltes

Joy at Joy’s Autism Blog

Katherine at GFCF Mommy

Allyson at Autism - A Blog On The Spectrum

Bonnie at Coffee Faith Autism Explored

and to 2 of my newer friends;

Farm Wife 2 at A Day In The Life

and Mommy Dearest at The Quirk Factor

And of course, Childlife at In The Life Of A Child must be on my list too - the award goes both ways!!

For anyone I may have mistakenly overlooked, and to those of you who stop by occasionally to visit (to share your thoughts or just to read) - I also pass on the spirit of this Colours Of Friendship Award.

After all, where would we be without our friends?!?

Elissa

And please check out the video on our 100th post (below) - it’s our ‘thought’ or ‘reflection’ for the day!

Maddy over at Whitterer on Autism has so generously awarded me with the Nice Matters Award for which I feel very honoured. Steve is quite certain that he is ‘nicer’ and that he deserves it more….. hmmm…..

Okay, so he survived a trip to the pool with the kids (previous post) so I’ll allow him to share!

Here is what the Nice Matters Award is all about: “This award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world. Once you’ve been awarded please pass on to seven others whom you feel are deserving of this award.”

So on that note, I’d like to pass the award on to:

Jen P over at Find Out What Jen Finds - I’ve only been reading Jen’s blog for a short time, but her posts are lovely and a real delight to read.

Childlife over at In The Life Of A Child and Casdok over at Mother Of Shrek - who both already have this award but are definitely deserving of it again!

Maizie over at Maizie’s Blog - this is where you can really be inspired with good feelings and inspiration.

Katherine over at GFCF Mommy - who inspires me with lovely stories and recipes.

Joy at Joy’s Autism Blog - who always manages to find things in life to be grateful for - her blog is a lovely place to visit!

And Steve of course makes lucky number 7! Hope everyone has a “Nice Matters” day!Elissa

PS - Maddy, are you sure this award wasn’t just an attempt to test me on my ability to create links…..? xxx

Hello to all of you with Blogger accounts (Blogger Blogs)!

Just to let you know that you’ll now find us leaving a different calling card when we visit your blog.  It seems Google has changed their login access at comment pages on blogs and has left us high and dry.

So we now have a Blogger account that will essentially lead you back to our blog here anyway (you’ll find if you visit it that the only link on our profile page is “My Web Page”.

So our new profile name for those with Blogger Blogs is ‘Elissa - Managing Autism’ (just so we don’t confuse you!).

By the way, if anyone knows anything different about these changes please let us know!!! Hopefully we haven’t created a nightmare for ourselves for no reason!

And by the way, today’s ‘real’ post is below - please read or Steve will think no-one loves him!!

What a wonderful weekend we had away - we feel refreshed, and ready to go again (having been feeling quite tired and run down after a busy couple of weeks).

The kids also had a fabulous time with their grandparents, although they were incredibly excited to have Mum and Dad home again!!!

Having just taken a quick wander around ‘blog world’, I’ve discovered that whilst we were away, Maddy from Whitterer on Autism tagged me for the 18 items to share about myself - talk about throw me back into hard work!!! Oh well, I know Maddy, it’s about time I shared some details!

So, here you have it:

1. What were you afraid of as a child? Being left alone, and the movie “The Wizard of Oz” (long story!!!)
2. When have you been most courageous?  When I walked across burning hot coals in a ‘firewalk’ (another long story!!!)
3. What sound most disturbs you?  Screeching, out of control cars - I hate the thought of the follow on…
4. What is the greatest amount of physical pain you’ve been in?  Child birth - thank God I have had relatively short labours!
5. What’s your biggest fear for your children? (or children in general if you don’t have your own)  My one hope and dream for my children is that they live life happy and successfully (in whatever way they want to define success themselves…), so I guess my fear would be that this didn’t happen.
6. What is the hardest physical challenge you’ve achieved?  Hmmm….. have to think about this one…..
7. Which do you prefer: Mountains or oceans/big water?  Mountains, definitely… although I do love being on the beach - just not in the middle of the ocean!
8. What is the one thing you do for yourself that helps you keep everything together?  Breathe deeply and walk, walk, walk.
9. Ever had a close relative or friend with cancer?  I have had relatives with cancer - it certainly gives you a wake up call to what is important in life!
10. What are the things your friends count on you for?  Support, being a loyal shoulder to lean on if they need one.  Unconditional friendship.
11. What is the best part of being in a committed relationship?  Having my best friend with me all the time - always!!!
12. What is the hardest part of being in a committed relationship?  Being apart!
13. Summer or Winter? Why?  Actually, it’s Autumn and Spring - it gets too hot for me in Summer here in Australia, and I’m not a fan of the cold either (although our winters are quite mild compared to other places).
14. Have you ever been in a school-yard fight? Why and what happened?  Can’t say that I have!!!
15. Why blog?  To share my experiences with others, help others, and have a positive impact on the world (sharing what autism has brought to my life… both challenging and wonderful!!!) - don’t we all want the world to be a better place?!?
16. Did you learn about sex, and/or sex safety from your parents?  Yes, and from classes at school (although as a school teacher, I’m learning things these days that weren’t taught when I was young - gosh, now I sound really old)!
17. How do you plan to talk to your kids about sex and/or sex safety?  Openly and honestly - bringing love and compassion in as a necessary part of it all.
18. What are you most thankful for this year?  My beautiful husband and children, and the opportunities I’ve had to grow as a person.

Well, that’s me in 18 questions!

And, I’ve decided to tag Bonnie at Coffee Faith Autism Explored to share her answers to the 18 questions.

Thanks to Casdok we are also getting ourselves into gear in regards to getting some photos up on the blog - hopefully in the next couple of days so that we can share a little more of ‘us’.

Lovely to be back, and looking forward to catching up on ‘blogging’!!!

After having a night away only last week, we are again set to have a break - this time for a whole weekend… and without the kids.

We are travelling interstate for a couple of nights, and leaving the kids with their grandparents (who have so generously offered to have them for a ‘holiday’).  Unfortunately not all rest and relaxation, a conference is the reason for the trip, but it will be wonderful to spend some time together just as a couple.

Recently we have been really weighed down with a whole lot of ’stuff’, having appointments coming out our ears, and trying to make plans for Jack next year (with school).  It has almost got to the point where we can’t see past any of it, so this weekend will do wonders for lifting the spirits and giving us a fresh outlook.

So even though it is still mid-week in many parts of the world, have a lovely weekend everyone, and remember - time for yourself is one of the most important gifts you can give yourself!

We’ll be back in 4 days!!!

We’re packing up and heading off for a night away!

The warm weather has hit, and Steve has to spend today and tomorrow away for work, so the kids and I are going with him to spend some time in the sunshine and by the pool!

(Right now, I’m really wondering if it’s worth the effort of packing!!!… but it will be lovely to be out of the house and spending some fun time with the family.)

Elissa.

Today I feel so very honoured and privileged to receive the Wonder Woman award that has been bestowed upon me by Childlife.

Childlife herself is the epitome of the award - tackling life’s incredible challenges with all the energy and enthusiasm she can muster, and still managing to smile at the end of the day!  Take a visit to her blog, In The Life Of A Child - her stories are delightfully humourous, yet the messages she shares are truly heartfelt and inspirational.

Thanks Childlife - I am truly touched.

xx

I would also like to bestow the honour on fellow bloggers; Casdok (although she has already received this award I think she deserves a double shot of it), Joy and Marla.  All of these women face huge challenges in life, but take it all in their stride and carry on regardless - they are ‘Wonder Women’.

xx

This post is about gratitude.  I have written before about being grateful for what life has put in front of me, but today I write from a slightly different perspective.

I spoke recently with a very dear friend of mine, who has a dream of being a parent, but who is finding the road to becoming a parent fairly windy and difficult.  I have a couple of friends in this same situation, and over the last few days these friends have been at the forefront of my mind.  I have spent a great deal of time reflecting, and wishing so much that I was able to give them a gift of hope and love.

So often we can get caught up in the ’stuff’ that goes with parenting a child (especially when the child has special needs) that we forget to take the time to appreciate the wonderful gift we have been given.  We have had the opportunity to bring a special life into the world and to share in this life - no matter the struggle that comes with it.

So this post is dedicated to these special friends whom I love very dearly and who have so much to offer the world.  Today, may we be grateful for the wonderful opportunity that we have to parent children and hold in our hearts with love those who dream of this gift.

LOL

Elissa xx