One more day. Only one more day and James is on a three week holiday. No therapy. No school. We have not had such a long break since we began this whole "alternate lifestyle" of school and therapy daily, year round. I know he needs his rigid schedule. He flourishes with structure and routines. But I have learned that, just like neurotypical kids, HE NEEDS A BREAK. I used to dread such times. The prospect of being alone with James 24/7 is daunting. He is demanding. When not engaged, he lapses into self-stimulatory behavior. When he wakes up at night screaming bloody murder and not calming or going back to sleep, it can be down-right terrifying, especially when you are alone and sleep-deprived. This year, David can't be with us for he whole break (come on, SOMEONE has to work). And for some reason (thank God), the prospect of being solo with James, does not instill fear in my heart. My superstitious self is frightened to admit this out loud, lest I am dooming myself to hell on earth for the duration of the vacation, but I am looking forward to it! For the past month, James has been sleeping beautifully. He has only been up minutes at night to climb in our bed. Okay, he was up twice this week (last night for two hours) but I am not letting that dash my hopes. Before James "dark period," we would head to the beach FOR THE SUMMER. I can't even imagine what that would be like now. It only happened for two years because by 16 months th
is autism crap had reared its ugly head and I began my uphill battle of getting him help. At first, I didn't even understand what exactly was wrong, I just knew something was not right. Now, five years and 4 months later, Mommy and Daddy need a break too! So, starting tomorrow at 2:30 pm, James and his mom are heading to the beach house and will pretend that spending three weeks potty-training a six-year old is normal. Because, for David & I, this is normal, this is our life, and we are blessed to have it, our James and, most of all, each other.
One more day. Only one more day and James is on a three week holiday. No therapy. No school. We have not had such a long break since we began this whole "alternate lifestyle" of school and therapy daily, year round. I know he needs his rigid schedule. He flourishes with structure and routines. But I have learned that, just like neurotypical kids, HE NEEDS A BREAK. I used to dread such times. The prospect of being alone with James 24/7 is daunting. He is demanding. When not engaged, he lapses into self-stimulatory behavior. When he wakes up at night screaming bloody murder and not calming or going back to sleep, it can be down-right terrifying, especially when you are alone and sleep-deprived. This year, David can't be with us for he whole break (come on, SOMEONE has to work). And for some reason (thank God), the prospect of being solo with James, does not instill fear in my heart. My superstitious self is frightened to admit this out loud, lest I am dooming myself to hell on earth for the duration of the vacation, but I am looking forward to it! For the past month, James has been sleeping beautifully. He has only been up minutes at night to climb in our bed. Okay, he was up twice this week (last night for two hours) but I am not letting that dash my hopes. Before James "dark period," we would head to the beach FOR THE SUMMER. I can't even imagine what that would be like now. It only happened for two years because by 16 months th
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