Ahh....what a roller coast ride the last couple of weeks have been. I worked super hard to prepare for a vacation to the ocean 12.5 hours away from our home. When you are on the GAPS diet this means that you have to take every single item of food that your family will consume. There was a lot of cooking and planning involved.
Brandon stayed home due to having to work. I drove the 12.5 hours with my 2, year old, 4 year old, and 11 year old nephew. All in all the drive went well. Yes, there was some screaming and crying on the kids part but we did it and we did it together. I was nervous about driving that far by myself and now feel that I have another item to check off on my been there done that list.
Hayden loved the ocean. He was so happy playing in the sand and water. Ruby was not a big fan of the beach and fell asleep while I held her. It was such a peaceful moment on the beach holding my sweet daughter, watching my little boy play in the sand, and hearing the waves crash in. It was the highlight of our very short vacation.
We stayed with another family that graciously invited us on their vacation. Their son has autism as well and are utilizing the Son-Rise Program too. Hayden tantrumed more than normal. He was tired, in a new location, and well there is only one of me to go around. Hayden asked me several times to go home. So after being there less than 24 hours I made the decision to pack up and head home.
I have to admit I was nervous about driving another 12.5 hours so soon. The kids did great for the most part. Hayden was an absolute angel. I think he was relived to be going home to where he is loved, safe, and 100% accepted. The last hour of the drive was hard on me. My vision began to blur and Ruby was screaming on and off. I don't blame her. She wanted out of her carseat. We made it home about 1am. I put Ruby to bed, gave Hayden a bath, and put the food away. Then I crashed hard until my sweet brown eyed alarm clock went off at 6am.
So here we are tanking it up in the borrowed hbot. Hayden is playing his iPad and I am blogging. I can't help to look at Hayden and see what an amazing gift he is. I am also thinking enjoy your iPad buddy because today is the last time you are going to play with it.
The iPad just supplies him with things to script and takes his attention away from the world. I want to make reading books our new fun way to spend time in hbot.
During the drive I had a lot of time to reflect on the trip and what I learned. So here it goes................
1) The BEST place for Hayden is in his therapy room and there will be NO more breaks from Son-Rise for him.
2) I want breaks and vacations for myself. I am already working on taking an overnight trip to visit a dear friend.
3) I am a FREAKING awesome Mom. The love I have for my kids is like no other. I love my kids enough that I am starting to see to be the best Mom that I can be I have to take care of myself.
4) I CAN drive 12.5 hours in the car with my children with NO help from anyone.
5) Hayden's I pad is going to be a item of the past. He only uses it in hbot but that is going to stop.
6) That I can choose to be happy no matter the situation. This is what I WANT.
7) I am strong and determined and I don't let bumps in the road stop me.
8) I am phasing fruit back out of our diet. It is too hard to monitor Hayden's fruit intake (it is only suppose to be 15% of his daily intake). I want him to develop a deeper love for vegetables and the sugar in fruit is NOT Hayden's friend.
9) Ruby is an amazingly gifted child. She is such a ray of sunshine in my life. Even when she is screaming that she has to potty for the 100th time in the car. My nephew and I actually turned it into a game and laughed hysterically about it ;)
10) Modern medicine tried to kill of my husband this week. He is on the mend but still not up to par.
Happy to be home in our very user friendly environment and my hubby at my side :)
XOXO,
Brandi
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