Do I get an award for this?

I am fucking envious of people, who live in the lap of luxury, with things like bathroom doors; bedroom doors; no holes in walls; a simple dining room table and chairs. Why am I not allowed to have these things, long term? What did I do wrong? Did I offend God in some way to keep living in a state of brokenness? Is there a reward, maybe a certificate of achievement for getting through each day, keeping yourself and two, kids with special needs alive? For not running away from home during or after, every meltdown?

Brad has gone super postal, the last few days, especially during dinner time. He broke the bathroom door again. It was a bedroom door, I found by the dumpster, after Brad broke the original bedroom and bathroom door. I put the door on the bathroom, even though it didn't fit, to have a bit of privacy. 

Brad also broke the living room window again, for the 5th time. Just went up to it and hit it hard, without any warning. No idea what triggered him. Texas has a flash flood warning, along with a tornado warning today. 

Finally, Brad decided to re-open a hole, I keep fixing, with exposed wires. My son hit the wall, but he also pulled the loose sheet rock pieces, down. Glad I have spare sheetrock. Maintenance left a few bigger pieces in the dumpster and I grabbed them because I knew, I would need them. No going to Home Depot for a while, at least for sheetrock slabs. (Link for 5/8 inch sheetrock, just in case you need it). I fixed the hole again, this morning. 

Eventually, he took a nap and woke back up. Brad is still hitting the walls, doors, and windows, when I last edited this post. 

My interesting day yesterday

Yesterday, what I thought would be a simple day, took a few interesting turns, so I decided to blog about it lol.

Brad had a pediatrician appointment yesterday. I wanted to check his height, weight, and check on labs from the last appointment. Since medical transportation is not always reliable, I always give the wrong time to make sure I am at the doctors on time. Brad's appointment was at 9, but we got there around 8 when the clinic was first opening.

Brad has a history with the clinic of disruptive behavior. Brad screams. Brad doesn't always cooperate right away when it comes to the weight scale, height thingamabob, and blood pressure. Usually when he has lab work, the clinic sends a request to Texas Childrens. The last visit in November, his old psych decided to attempt to do blood work on site. Needless to say eight people had to hold him down and he punched a hole in their wall.

When we walked in yesterday, Aaron (receptionist) and the security guard informed the medical staff of Brad's presence so Brad was able to see the nurse practitioner early and then the doctor. Brad is 5'8 and 158 lbs now. Everything is on track.

We left the clinic around 9. I called medical transportation for a ride home, but the driver did not answer. I walked to Wal-Greens to get Brad some snacks. Sometimes drivers take over an hour to pick clients back up. We left Wal-Greens around 930  and I called the driver again. No answer. Called medical transportation to see if I can get a back up driver, but the phone went dead. None of my power banks or cords was charging my phone fast enough.

When I got a decent charge, where I could make a phone call, the driver finally answered and said he was stuck in traffic and it would be another 30 or so minutes before he got to the clinic. I also checked my voicemail and found out Kalen had a few bouts of diarrhea at school. The nurse tried to reach me multiple times while I was attempting to charge the phone. Nothing I can do until I got back to my home side of town. I also had to get Brad back to school because he can not go anywhere near the autism trap, an intersection on Antoine and West Little York, which has a McDonalds, Lil Caesars, Burger King, and Subway. Taco Bell, Dominos, and Shipleys is within the vicinity too. Brad has had major meltdowns at this intersection and has bolted across both West Little York and Victory to get to the food.

I finally got home around 12 p.m. I handled some potty issues first, then hopped on public transportation with Brad to take him to school. I also had to drag along the stroller. I had a nice discussion with the bus driver. He said I needed a school card for Brad to get the discount. I been riding Metro for a few months and every other bus driver has taken my .60 cents for both Brad and Kalen every time we rode the bus lol.

The bus driver took my .60 cents for Brad and I tapped my card. Brad got dropped off at school, which is always an interesting experience. I got to go through metal detectors, go to attendance, and the special needs hallway to hunt down whatever teacher Brad is supposed to go to. Usually, it works to let Brad scream a little to alert a teacher to take him to the right class . Got out of the school, walked back to the bus stop, where the same driver, who dropped me off, picked me back up, and let me ride free since no one else was on the bus.

It takes a few minutes to get down the street back to the trap, where Kalen's school is also located. If Kalen was feeling better, I would walk home, and if not, collect him, and we will walk home. Kalen was still sick so I put him in the stroller and on we rolled. I stopped at the .99 cent store to get some batteries for my wireless and bluetooth mice, laundry detergent, and fabric softener. The store is in the trap as well. While walking from the school to the store, my mama called twice, but didn't answer when I called back. Another friend/acquaintance called and wanted to come over. I needed some adult convo so I gave him the address, gate code, and apt number. I did my shopping and started heading back home.

The walk home was tiring for a 10 minute walk. My shopping bag broke. My phone kept falling off the charger. Kalen drunk up my bottle of water. Road workers just poured wet cement and one of them helped lift the stroller to move around the wet cement.

I finally reached the gates of my complex about 1 pm. As soon as I was about to turn in, I saw Brad's aide get off the bus. I silently cussed to myself because this man was here too early. I have asked him before to please arrive as close to Brad's bus time as possible, but he does not listen. Brad's bus arrives at 220. JMM showed up at 1. Great, the introvert in me, was bummed. I have not been at home for most of the morning. I have not cleaned. I needed to start cooking dinner. I also have the friend coming over, who now has to run into the aide lol.

I walk in the complex and the friend calls. He is at the gate. Do you see the woman with baby in stroller and African-male aide?  (The aide is from Africa and grew up in France. For the purposes of this blog, the aide will be refered to as the African and friend as the American lol). yep. Great. I finish walking to my apartment, get inside, meet the friend, and the aide talks talking. Damn extroverts. The African started talking to the American for the whole two hours, the American was here. The African stayed almost three hours day (I been approved for two hours per day for both morning and afternoon. The afternoon aide wants the whole two hours for his self plus some. I have not requested any more hours because I do not see the point). I barely got a word in to my own friend. Those two discussed politics, race relations, and other stuff, which I automatically tuned out because my house was messy and I needed to clean the living room and kitchen. The introvert in me was happy I can clean in peace and can avoid a convo with the African. Did I mention he does not know how to stop talking lol? Damn extroverts

The American even pulled me to the side, after Brad got home,  and asked about how to get rid of the African so we could have a convo. I did not have an answer on how to send Brad's aide home early. I tried telling him Brad had therapy, but he still would not leave. Brad does start in-home therapy today, after he gets home from school. The high school is testing and the kids have half days for Wednesday and Thursday, off on Friday and Monday. The therapist will be here tomorrow about 10:40 a.m.

Today has been an interesting day. Take Brad to the doctor and Kalen gets sick. Invite a friend over and both he and the aide shows up at the same time. The aide talks up the friend,

The American did a good job with the kids because they turned up the active, especially Kalen, which made a few thoughts start to wonder. Bald head, chocolate male. Former Marine with a job, but he has a dog and my kids are scared of dogs. I am not a pet person either. but that's another story.

Has anyone else had one of these days?

Stacie

A day in the life of a special needs parent: The walk to a VBS meeting

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

I wanted to walk to church for the vacation bible school meeting for volunteers. I haven't volunteered for anything in a while. I finally heard from the media ministry to volunteer with them. Since VBS has special needs class all week, I volunteered. I can help out, while getting a break from my kids. Of course, they can learn something too.

I took my kids plus my annoying great niece. She was a handful. When I started to leave the house, she came outside with us and refused to go back in the house. So I took her with me anyway, despite reservations. We got a few feet down the street before she wanted to go back home.

I let her run back home (house was still in viewing distance, a few houses a way). I was waiting for the doors to open and close to know she is in the house safe. The doors never opened and she ran from in the middle of my mama car and her mama car and ran back to us. I told her I am not turning back around if I get further up and she wants to go back home. A few feet up (still on my residential street), she wants to go back home, but house was too far away, so she was tagging along, whether she wanted to or not.

I had to be at the church around  6 and it takes 30-50 minutes to walk there with kids, but we had to get off my street; turn on another curvy road; walk down the main street into the neighborhood; cross the street; walk a few more feet until we reach gravel (which goes to the back of the church) and find an open door to the church and head to the meeting.

She cried the whole time.

#sariyah #greatniece crying lol #noturningback if you want to go home , then don't tag along

A video posted by Stacie D Wyatt (@sdwyatt1980) on Jun 16, 2016 at 9:58am PDT

I want to go home. I want my mama. That is not my concern. You turned back like Lot's wife and returned. My kids was acting better than her.

We got to church. They drunk up most of my water, I brought for the trip.  I went to the meeting. Kids acted decent for the most part. Since the walk was extra long, I was in no rush to get back home. I knew Wednesdays are bible study, but I never been to a Wed. night bible study because I heard the special needs teachers are not there every week.

I saw one of their teachers in the meeting and asked her afterwards if she was staying. She said no. I grabbed up the kids, refilled my water bottles, and started to walk back towards the exit. I saw another special needs parent walking into services without her kid and asked where he was. If he was in class, I can drop mine off and drop niece off in her class. The other mother dropped her son off in the 1 year old class room with a former teacher of Kalen's. I asked Ms. T. if she could keep Brad and Kalen, while I went to service, she said yes, but Brad wasn't having any of this.

He kept trying to follow me. I guess he figured the 1 year old class was not his regular class. No computer either, but plenty of toys. I gave him my phone but he still was trying to leave, so I stayed.

The class was not as bad as I thought. Brad played on my phone, while Kalen ran around playing with various toys. Both of them turned down snacks.

I had fun interacting with the other kids. They did not act up either. Many of them did not talk much, except one little cutie, who seemed more advanced. She was talkative and she knew animal sounds during the bible story reading. When she talked, the other kids repeated her.

Like when the kids was looking at the fish tanks and we was ready to go, she said bye fishes and I heard a whole chorus of bye fishes from the other kids, except mine.

We walked home but not all the way. My mama saw us walking (we called first, but she said walk home since if she left, other people may want to ride with her and ask her to do stuff) and we caught a ride the rest of the way home.

Sariyah, the great niece, did great in her class as well.

#BehindTheBlogger: My Whole World

My Whole World

What is my whole world? I was stumped at this question. My days are filled with dirty diapers, wipes, and attempting to clean and re-clean what my kids mess up. I re-patch holes in the walls when Brad slams a door or throws a chair. I re-screw screws back in doors (Both my closet and bedroom door is off the hinges right now because of my kids). I blog. I look for free things to review and free samples.

I fuss and cuss at relatives. I try to convince Brad over and over again to sit down, shut up, and put that chair down. I try to defuse meltdowns and temper tantrums, even though nothing I do works. After all, I have a huge bruise on my right arm and a huge bruise plus bite mark on the left side, from trying to diffuse a meltdown. It is hard raising kids with special needs.

Brad has autism and adhd. Kalen has

1. Autism
2. Anemia
3. Global Development Delays
4. Static Encephalopathy (Breath holding spells, plus the rare seizure. heart condition)
5. Sensory processing disorder
6. Creatine transporter issues
7. X chromosome messed up issues
8. Some genetic mutation doohickey
9. Suspected long qt syndrome. 

Of course, Kalen has now learned how to open up the 2nd story windows in the game room, so now I have to keep an extra eye out for him.

My days are chaotic. I constantly desire a break from the kids. I rarely get one. I have hidden wine coolers and Barcardi Silver in my closet for those days, when I really need a drink and the kids are finally winding down.

I am still trying to clean and organize my bedroom, plus finish painting the bathroom.

I get lonely, depressed, sad. I don't date. I don't have any physical friends in the state. I don't drive. My whole world is my kids and blogging. I love to write, so blogging is natural to me. Just have to write more about my life and kids, versus product and book reviews. Reviews are fun, but I want to add more posts about other things, but haven't got around to it yet.

Have a blessed day

Stacie D. Wyatt



Thank you for reading a story from #BehindTheBlogger Hop. Every 2 weeks a group of bloggers is given a writing prompt. These prompts are very open ended, so our bloggers can write about whatever they desire. The main rule is that their blog post directly relates to the topic of that week. The point of this hop is for our readers to get to know us on a personal level.

Please hop along and read all of the blog posts in this weeks hop. Just click the links below. If you want real and raw emotion, then you will find it here. After you read each post, please comment and share. We want to get to know you too!