Time to Give Thanks

I love Thanksgiving.  It's such a great holiday with great food and a break from the normalcy of school and work.  This year I have been thinking of where I was a year ago.  I was facing a lot last year.  We had Eli on a waiting list to see a specialist and we didn't know what to expect.  I was hearing from every single therapist who worked with him that he displayed a lot of signs of Asperger's.  And that scared me to death.  I didn't know how we would handle this.  But as much as I counted on a diagnosis for him, it really didn't change anything.  Not like you would think.  Eli is still my little boy, who I love with everything in me.  He is still him.  With his diagnosis came positive things though.  We are able to get him therapies we couldn't before.  The school is working with us and him to make his transitions easier.  I have heard from so many parents 'I don't want to label my child...'  And while I understand that, I also see what positive things have came from getting the correct diagnosis for Eli.  He has come such a long way.  A year ago if you told me that he would be thriving in kindergarten and making friends like he is, I wouldn't have believed it.  I am so thankful for the progress Eli has made.

A year ago, Zack was still not talking.  I was worried that we would never hear him talk like his brother.  The progress he has made is amazing.  He is talking in sentences, paragraphs.  The boy never stops talking now.  He asks us questions constantly.  It is so amazing to hear the simple little things that he says. Something as simple as 'I like Butterflies.'  Brought me to tears.  So you can imagine how I reacted when he hugged, kissed me and said 'your the best mommy in the whole world!'  Yeah...it was a little more than tears.  Hearing him voice what he does and does not like is such an amazing blessing.  One that I took for granted with Eli.  He talked from an early age, so I didn't savor the little sentences and phrases like I have with Zack.  I am so thankful for the gift of his voice.

So to say that I have blessed this year may be an understatement.  This year has been amazing.  I know all this comes from my God and Savior.  He has heard my cries and prayers for both of my boys.  What an amazing God that I serve.  Happy Thanksgiving to you all :)

Sleep....Who Needs That?!

That is pretty much my 6 year olds philsophy.  He just simply does not require a lot of sleep to function. You would think that after 6 years that I would be used to this craziness. But I am not. I really REALLY require sleep to even begin to function in society.  And I am a really bad mom when I don't get it.

On the nights my kid gets me up at 2,3 or 4am I turn on Spongebob *gasp* and I allow him to eat and do whatever he wants....just as long as he lets me snooze on the couch and promises to only wake me up if there is a fire. Yep, slacker mom of the year. But honestly, I wish I had like $1 for every time someone asks why I just don't 'make him go back to sleep.'

Bwahahahahaha...did you know that without having an antesieologist in my house....it is actually impossible to force another human being back to sleep?  I am sure there are some other methods used by criminals...but I am just a mom. The strongest substance I would use is benedryl.  And I have my reservations about that.  So instead, I try to get him to lay back down and 99% of the time that fails and I give into spongebob and food.

It is really unfair. Not only do I deal with the chaos during the awake hours of the day that comes with raising a child with ADHD and Aspergers. But I also get this awesome little gift. Because did you know that this crap is actually NORMAL for kids with both ADHD and Aspergers?! Eli's brain actually does not make enough melatonin like mine. Which only makes me feel worse when I lose my cool with him at 4 am. Because it really isn't something that he can control.

And that just makes me upset. My kid didn't ask for all of this. He didn't ask to have ADHD or Aspergers.  It is frustrating to see him struggle with every day things, but even more so that it effects something so simple as his sleep.  I know that one day this will not be that important.  When he is grown I probably will not remember the nights he kept me up....all friggin night. Instead I will remember all the challenges he overcame. 

So I guess I will just turn Spongebob on and give him the bowl of Halloween candy, so I can go to sleep!!