A Little Perspective

I was planning to write about a toy today. It is a toy I bought a long time ago that the kids outgrew and I finally sold. The selling of this toy made me a little nostalgic and I was going to spend a few hundred words on why.

But then I found out a good friend of mine, a mom I know who has a daughter Moe's age, has lymphoma. She started treatment today.

My friend also has a newborn, her diagnosis coming after her baby was born via emergency C-section. She had been showing signs of what they thought was HELLP, but turned out to be cancer. Her week old baby is home and well, being cared for by family.

I can't imagine the heartbreak of a mom unable to be with her newborn baby. I can't imagine how her husband must feel, stretched between a newborn (and four year old) at home and wife in the hospital. I cannot get past this feeling of wanting to be able to do more to help.

Guessing

Autism keeps you guessing. Behaviors come and go, progress ebbs and flows, and we're always trying to keep up.

For example, a couple of days ago, Moe decided to climb into Jelly's crib, and now he's been climbing in there any chance he gets. That crib has been there, in the exact same place, for two years and he's climbed into it maybe once before. So why the sudden interest? It is anyone's guess.

Meal time also keeps us guessing. Moe is a little bit of a picky eater, but not like some kids. But on any given day or week, I have no idea what he'll eat. Our go-to favorites, like macaroni and cheese, will suddenly be pushed away like I just put a bowl of gruel in front of him. Bananas have come and gone and are now back again as a staple.

And of course, Moe's sleep schedule always keeps us guessing. Not only have we had to experiment with schedules, melatonin and routines to help Moe fall and stay asleep, but we've had to keep up with what trouble he might get into during that time. First, we had to put up the crib tent to keep Moe from running down the hall at 2am, then we had to figure out how to keep Moe from taking off his diaper and pajamas, and most recently, Moe managed to actually wedge himself in between the crib tent and the outside.  What will he do next? It's anyone's guess.

But I can't wait to find out.