I so knew I shouldn’t have said anything about blogging “tomorrow.” My tomorrows always stretch over a few days! Sorry. This has been one busted week. I haven’t been able to do much of anything. And for no real reason which makes it so aggravating. Now, I’m sitting here with our “tornado” closet cleaned out watching the weather to see if I need to grab my kids and hunker down. Hudson wants his Friday night pizza, Emme is passed out in a coma on the couch, Lawson is picking all the marshmallows out of the box of Lucky Charms and Carson has a bag of miniature marshmallows giving himself bucked teeth – as you can see in the following picture ….

In the above picture, Carson has only 1 tooth and Lawson is swinging his pet rat around. It’s not a “real” rat, but when that joker is laying on the kitchen floor in the middle of the night and only a lamp is on and you see that long 16 inch tail out of the corner of your eye – it looks real. And you can really hurt yourself getting away from it. I know – from experience. And it has happened more than once. Actually, I’ve lost count how many times it has happened.

I also got my hair cut this week. I cannot tell you how much better short hair feels. My husband asked me to stop trying to grow it out. He likes it short. But I wasn’t trying to grow it out, only the bangs and the sides.

But he was right, short hair will forever be me and I need to keep it. I love hair you only blow dry. No flat iron, no heavy hairspray and when the wind blows, you don’t have to worry about hair sticking to your glossed up lips!

I also went back to the dermatologists this week – another month on Accutane. The one thing I miss on this medicine is brow waxing. I have not waxed my brows in 5 months. You can’t see in this picture, but I have so much blonde fuzz between my eye and brow and it is just gross! I have had my brows waxed every 3-4 weeks for 13-14 years. It was more than a habit, it was an obsession.

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But most of you didn’t come here to hear about my fuzzy brows, you want to see the next piece of art ….

Like I said in the previous post, this is a special canvas. This child is in Lawson’s class. And she is so sweet. Her mom wanted a piece of art for her room, but something that wasn’t loud but calming. Basically, the main concern was over stimulating her. Her bedding had such soft and muted colors. The walls were just the same. It was really a relaxing place.

The bedding was a recent Pottery Barn Kids Bedding. It has been discontinued but not that long ago! I did match the pink on the canvas to the pink on the walls since the painting was going on the green square above the bed.

Fortunately, Anna Catherine lives in my neighborhood so I could easily get a sham to match it all.

I was told that Lawson gives Anna Catherine’s parents hope. I had to turn away so that no one could see the tears in my eyes that immediately came. There are a few days this is one long and hard road. And sometimes we all forget that we are not traveling it alone. I, myself, get so wrapped up in what is going on in my house with my own children that I forget about the rest of the world. It is just so easy to focus on my kids and how to make our situation better that forget how many other people are watching me. Hoping for the same for their children. Working towards similar goals.

I can remember someone, who at the time I was very close to, made a comment to me. “Can’t you just let them be kids?” This was when the therapies had started and my fears were in overdrive. I don’t even know how to answer that without offending people, but yes I do want them to be kids. But I also want them to be HAPPY kids that grow up into HAPPY adults! And unless you have children with a form of autism, you don’t understand. You nor I could imagine the fear and anxiety they feel constantly without all the routines, therapies and regimens we have to practice daily. I am so mad at myself every time I think about the conversation. I wish I would have answered with “That is the goal – for them to be kids.” And then turned the conversation off. I don’t even remember my response, but I know it wasn’t what I wanted to say.

There is so much I’ve learned from my experience. I need to write a book about it! I’ve not really told you guys either of the boys’ stories and how I knew and really all the details. I will eventually. When I’m ready.

Stand up and speak up. You are your child’s voice. Use it. Freely.