GoTeamKate
  • GoTeamKate
  • MomBeast (Couch to Crossfit)
  • Entertainment/Shopping
  • Contact Us
  • Writing Services
  • Basic Bitch Baking
  • Photos by Kate
  • Photo Gallery
  • Diary of a Dad
  • The Diagnosis
  • Shanell's Portfolio
  • Shop
  • Help and Advice

I talk about Autism, a lot

A Monumental Meltdown and a Snow Day to Recover

2/18/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
I knew there was a potential snow day looming last night.  As a teacher, I was cautiously optimistic and careful not to jinx it by thinking about it too much.  Sure enough, the radio announced that the kids and I did not have to battle through 40 cms of snow today.  For some that might mean sleeping in a little.  For us, this is not the case.  Alex was up at the crack of dawn to snow blow the driveway so he could get to work (no snow days for engineers) and I made the girls pancakes (I only burned most of them).  I could have technically sent the girls to daycare as it did not close today but I like to take the opportunity to stay home with them whenever I can.  Working mom of a special needs child guilt and all that crap.  

Today, in hindsight, the children might have been better off a daycare.  Before 10 am Kate was gluing my good paintbrushes to the carpet and Grace had already received a swinging punch to her eye courtesy of her little sister.  If you know Grace, you know she did not react because she does not like to rock the boat or upset her sister.  We are trying to help her stand up to Kate but she is passive right now.  She is such an awesome kid and we are working hard to help her stand up for herself.  Anyway, It has been one of those days that usually follows a night like we had last night.

On the weekend, Alex and I left the kids with Gramma and went away for the night.  It was rest we both really needed but we knew that disrupting Kate's routine would probably lead to some issues.  We actually leave our kids with either set of grandparents pretty regularly.  We were careful to make sure that our kids would be comfortable staying with family from early on.  Kate is quick to wave good-bye when we drop her off and is usually only upset when she is separated from her sister.  Still though, it does take some adjustment for Kate to get back into her own routine.  So, when we arrived home, Kate had a record meltdown when I tried to change her diaper and then, when it was bedtime, well just forget about it.  It was rough, it was violent and it was heart-breaking.  These nights are relatively rare but they knock us down when they happen.  Kate tries so hard to communicate what she is feeling when she is mid-meltdown (see awesome description of a meltdown vs. a tantrum above, borrowed from Autism Daddy) and she gets so frustrated that all the phrases she knows come out all wrong and she spirals to a point where she cannot calm herself.  She screams, 'be ight back, no, go, no, no, no, mama, seep no seep daddy, mama no, I take, I take, be ight back, is ok, is ok."  And on and on.  When the words do not get her message across she resorts to screaming. On this night, autism sucked.  On this night, it was so clearly a disability and not a 'difference' to be celebrated that I was willing to take on the neurodiversity crowd with a vengeance.  Once I broke the cardinal rule and cuddled with Kate until she calmed down and fell asleep, I headed for bed myself.  After a restless sleep, we all got up and started our day.  

So, while I type this Kate is squishing her banana into the couch and I am seriously considering getting up and doing something about it.  I should be using this time to work on Kate's therapy or help Grace work on one of her art projects.  Instead, I put on "Hotel Transylvania" and took ten minutes to update the blog readers.  I might even take a few minutes to have another coffee and then I am going to suck it up and get back to work/play.  It might be exactly what I need.  

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Click Here to support my Patreon
    Happy Mail to:
    GoTeamKate

    27 Wellington Row
    Saint John, NB
    E2L 4S1
    I've been a tad overwhelmed with teaching Kindergarten during a pandemic (masks and all) butttttttt, I have not forgotten my sweet patr https://www.patreon.com/sunnyandsinclair
    https://www.patreon.com/sunnyandsinclair
    Click to Browse ETsy Shop
    Patreon
    Email Me

    Archives

    October 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012

    Author

    Grace and Kate's mom. (Shanell)

    RSS Feed

Contacts for Team Kate
Shanell Mouland
Alex Mouland

Blogs We Like
Rockstar Ronan


Links We Like
National Autism Centre
  The Greenspan Floortime Approach
  • GoTeamKate
  • MomBeast (Couch to Crossfit)
  • Entertainment/Shopping
  • Contact Us
  • Writing Services
  • Basic Bitch Baking
  • Photos by Kate
  • Photo Gallery
  • Diary of a Dad
  • The Diagnosis
  • Shanell's Portfolio
  • Shop
  • Help and Advice