extreme

Four years ago tomorrow I thought I pee'd myself while I was walking the dogs...

And now, four years later my heart has been broken wide open...which hurts but also lets in lots more room for love. I see milestones pass before my eyes... first steps, first word- Wow, the first moment I laid eyes on him... some not so typical- the moment I realized that it was Autism...The day he was diagnosed, and then the moment I realized I couldn't stop it, or fix it or change it.

It's all so beautiful and all so painful...

Life...



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I was right there... I could see the Finish Line... I laid down in my bed...newly changed sheets...and breathed in the fresh smell of mountain fresh poo... Greyson- guilty party of 1...

I scour the house for wipes, grab a diaper and while I change Greyson I tell him- Thank you for allowing me to change your diaper this evening sir, but my shift is ending now. Please don't poop again tonight.

Last night at 3:45 am Greyson awoke. I sat up in the bed despite the thick groginess filling my brain. I remember some coughing- and then feel warm throw up all down the front of my shirt in the pitch black room. He starts to throw up again and I attempt to catch it in my hands as to not soil the bed...I am only partially successful. Enter the remainder of a night with little sleep, changing sheets and doing laundry...

And today I entered the realm of Extreme Parenting... Day 5 of my solo flight. I thought I hit the home stretch. Some kind of flip switched in my brain and I went full throttle. Extreme Parenting is absolutely embracing the hard...smothering it with kisses making it your Friend and finally deciding to stop fighting it.

Being a human is hard. Period.

Being a human responsible for other humans is CRAZY hard.

Today wasn't hard. I wouldn't let it be. I didn't give myself the luxory of tired or stressed or hard. I just showed up and I did- all day long. I treated it like I was on a game show- like Survivor- and I was gonna kick ass and win the prize at the end. I simply had to complete each given task without judgement or label until Life handed me the next assignment...

Extreme parenting means when I walked into the play room and saw this- I couldn't get sad.

Screw sad today- I just didn't have the energy for it. I know Parker is Autistic. If he was given a diagnostic evaluation now he would meet the criteria for Autism (Our regional center offers services to those that qualify until the age of 3- but do not diagnose until then). Many kids with Autism do something called Visual Stimming- which can include rolling eyes, moving objects closely in front of their eyes, or turning their head sideways to look at objects. It's a way they process their world with their senses that are often out of whack.

And although I know what I know about Parker- there are still moments that are so hard and surprise me...and when I walked into the play room and saw him doing this- my heart dropped... I just stopped and stood there... frozen... But then I said- You are Extreme Parenting- There is no sad in Extreme parenting... Grab your camera, take a picture and educate others in the hopes that it might help someone some day instead of feeling self-pity...

The more I did today- the more I felt capable to do.



Laundry? no problem!



Straighten and vacuum... (I can't do vacuum lines though. It's a God-given talent that wasn't bestwoed on me... My lines are always uneven and wonky- which are probably called squiggles- not lines.)




I was looking forward to relaxing with Grey and watching movies all day...





But apparently, he had other things in mind...where does he get his energy?






Extreme parenting means no showering...Sunblock and teeth brushing is the beauty regime. My makeup doesn't even recognize me any more. I haven't worked out since last weekend. I haven't showered since...wait- I'm going to stop trying to remember because I think it's been a really long time... Tuesday maybe?

Extreme parenting is like Extreme Sports which are activities perceived as having a high level of inherent danger and often involve speed, height, a high level of physical exertion, and highly specialized gear.

Here is the gear for Extreme parenting...


CA- you have NO idea how bright of a light you shined on my day!!! Thanks for dropping off the caffeine!!!!


Later in the afternoon I was given a prize from Heaven. A wonderful Friend picked up Doodle to get him out of the house for a couple of hours...

And this happened at the same time...



And for an hour I didn't do a single thing...



This evening we passed the remaining time outside...


Over the past 5 days Parker has thrown a million rocks in the pool that I had to fish out... And in the middle of fishing I look up to see Parker...



Chilling... He always makes me laugh...

When you are at the end of your rope- try the Extreme... Extreme Teaching, Extreme Menopause, Extreme Chemotherapy, Extreme Autism Diagnosis... Power through and find a way to love the lesson it brings.



Just dive right in...


Greyson wants one thing for his birthday. I can't give it to him - but you can...




Awareness... Please share a link to our blog with everyone you think could relate... Put it on your Facebook page with a personal rec from you. Say you are Helping your Friend Greyson change the World...

Have a wonderful weekend...

Greyson's Mom...

Chrissy