oh man, he's showing signs....

2014 is here! Had an interesting wake up call this morning. I wasn't terribly early (thank goodness), just odd!

The sound of the blender, cereal being poured, lots of movement in the kitchen.

Then I hear Brian say to Ty, oh Ty I"m still sleeping, can you put that in the kitchen until I wake up?

The boy made a milkshake with peppermint ice cream, milk, cereal (yes I said cereal). Yep, a very interesting way to wake up to the New Year!

I"m feeling a bit worried right now for my little guy. You know how as a mom, or a parent, you KNOW your child

I mean KNOW Them so well

so when one little thing is different or off, it's noticeable (especially a kid on the spectrum where things have to be the same)

Anyway, I made 2014 Chocolate Chip, GF/DF of course, pancakes for brunch (because that's the way things were rolling this morning)

We sat down as a family, enjoyed our pancakes... and Ty, who usually has eaten his first serving before I can even finish serving everyone, stated he was simply done. He didn't want anymore, he was full, and he only had 2.

And this is where you know your kid... only 2... are you kidding me... he's usually begging for more- can't wait, becomes crazy and impatient until he gets more

and he's done after 2?

Then it's dinner time, and he simply doesn't come to the table. He couldn't be bothered with food right now... he was playing a crane driving game on the ipad.

And it's normal for him to not eat what the rest of us eat, and he simply asks for a sandwich.

But not tonight- now I know he did eat 2 potato bars earlier, after he woke up from a nap....

That's typical when he wakes up , it is either 2 potato bars or instant oatmeal.

But he still usually eats dinner no matter what- he may not eat the greatest of foods, especially from the fruits and veggies dept., but he eats food! When you have a kid who literally was starving himself to death- because he just couldn't stand the sights and smells of food- all foods, and was literally wasting away- losing weight so fast- oh and when you are 5 and 7, you not supposed to lose weight-

and yes we did have to remind the doctor's of this... he lost 4 lbs when he was 5 in a matter of 2 1/2 months- and trust me he did not have 4 lbs to lose.. he was, well, just so thin and sickly looking. It broke our heart because there was nothing we could do...

Anyway, so our experiences are - yeah, he's eating- who cares what it is.. he's eating!

So it gets us to the next question

is he getting back up?

Is he in need of a clean out- which of course he is now 8months out from the last clean out- which is record breaking.

It's usually about every 6months or so, and we are going into the 9th month since his last clean out. And this is not a home procedure- it has to be done in the operating room under anesthesia

even with his mickey button in his colon for nightly irrigation, his bowels still get blocked- and it gets blocked up high where it affects well, everything. Reflux increases, vomiting occurs, because he is full way up high so food doesn't even have a chance to get through.

So that's where we are-nine months since the last clean out, Brian going in on Monday, that's 5 days from now to donate a kidney to his big sister. Then his recovery, and Ty is showing signs of being backed up.

I just pray all things can hold off, for about a month.. that would be good!

A month will give Brian some time to heal a little bit, because let me tell you it is more than hard to get him to the hospital for the clean out. And even with all the pre-meds, his ability to struggle is super human, and I'm just physically not able to do it anymore with him- he's gotten to be so big! So, have no idea how things will play out... I wish I had a magic 8 ball, but when he gets backed up, it will just be where he can't wait one more day- it's that urgent!

And that sucks... it's hard, and some prior notice would help me out ALOT!

But for now, one day at a time with Ty, Brian will be going in in 5 days, we'll have our world as we know it turned upside down, and no way to predict how Ty will handle all things that will challenge him to his core.

Unfortunately, he doesn't have a good track record of "tolerating" things well... I guess now is a good time to put away a few breakables I am brave to have out right now! :)

And I just pray that I am wrong and that there is a depth to him that is able to take over in a positive coping manner that helps him more appropriately handle this situation of constant change and routine upset.

That he will help take care of daddy and bring himself to this plane of empathy that he struggles so much with .

I pray we get through this time, that Brian heals and recovers without too much pain and discomfor; that his sister begins to recover and feel better; and that our family will continue to heal and make progress together.

We will continue to experience happy moments, despite the struggles that will come our way.

But it's gonna be scary!