Just Another Day!

Well the past few weeks have been a little crazy with the new year almost a month behind us. I spent a week back in Dallas for my good freinds wedding. It gave me time to think about where I am in my season of life. It is time for a fresh start!! I have been through the challenge of accepting Chases diagnosis and the challenge of owning my own business. Now it is time to take what I have learned the past 3 years and apply it to something that my dear Lord wants me to do. That is where I question myself and him. What could it be? Everyday, everywhere I go we meet someone with autism or they have someone close that has an autistic child. Is that the direction my life is to go? Help others struggling with an autstic child or just try to accept the fate I have in raising my own?

On the flight to Dallas my seat partner told me about his friend and there 2 boys that moved to Australia to recieve the best care possible. The wife and kids stay there while the husband works her to support them. Then at McD's for a bathroom stop on our way to Destin we ran into a man with a 10 year old daughter on the play area on his way to her ABA therapy which is 48 miles away 3 times a week at $95 a session. He said it is the only thing that has helped her get to where she is today. The stress it has put on his family breaks my heart. Those are only two of stories I have heard in the past few weeks. There are so many more. My question is why is this happening?

Eric and I have decided that we need to get to another part of the states to start receiving better care for Chase. The lack of support here in Jacksonville just baffles me. And the expense to even be able to have certain services is beyond what most families can afford. Without insurance covering anything other than speech therapy we are in a trap. Colorado just approved that all services must be covered be all insurance programs if your child has an official diagnosis of autism. The clock is ticking as we are putting full resources into finding another location for our family.

So it's just another day in the Doss household...

Welcome 2012!!

It is crazy to think that another year is starting. The last 5 have gone by with such a blur. From 2007 when we moved into a newly built home to 2008 when we found out Chase has myoclonic epilepsy. From that we spent most of 2009 in 5 sessions of therapy a week to get him to where he needed to be. In 2009 he received his AUTISM diagnosis and was a year of driving all over GODS green earth to therapy and programs for my little man. The costs that year to just barely make it through all his testing and therapy topped out at 42K that year. Thank the Lord Eric still had a great paying job. And in 2010 we decided to open a health food store all while managing him starting a full time public autism ESE program and the other two being in kindergarten and 2nd grade. WHAT WAS I THINKING?? Well we survived! 2011 was the year we closed the store, Eric lost his job and tried to play catch up with everything we got ourselves into.

So with all that being said we start 2012 with a clean slate. Well maybe not but at least I am trying to look at it that way. So many things can go one way or the other this year. Chase has come a long way in his own little world. He is HAPPY all the time except those few melt downs that I have no explanation for. He is trying so hard to communicate with us. We are blessed he has a sister that works so hard to understand him and a brother that wants so hard for him to just be part of the family.

There are so many of our friends that truly see what it is like to live with a child that has Autism and we are so grateful that they understand us. We are always on guard. Never taking a break from what he could get himself into. We do live in a hole with all doors locked so he can't runaway. And we do turn down many offers to go to parties or events because it is just too much for us. But it doesn't mean that we do not want to it just means that we can not handle the situation and actually enjoy oursleves. We are so thankful that many of our friends come to our house just because it works out better for our Chase.

What 2012 has to offer us we have no idea but we are super excited to see!!!

10 Random Facts about me!

Thanks to Laurie Dennison at  http://unavoidableawkwardness.blogspot.com/ for tagging me in Ten Random Facts! Here are ten random facts about me:

1. Mexican food is my favorite.

2. I lived in Lago de Chapala Mexico for 3 years.

3. I am secretly the geekiest home schooled person you will ever meet starting college at 15 yo.

4. My hubby and I meet at a night club and haven't been apart since!

5. I am an entrepreneur.

6. My family owns a dry cleaners back in El Reno, OK since the early 1900's.

7. I wish I was back in a small town.

8. I have trouble saying NO!

9. I grew up in a church yet didn't truly understand God until recently! He is amazing!!

10. My sorority life taught me what true friends are all about.

Heading to Tampa

Oh how I love my children!! But we all need a break right? After an entire summer of these beautiful challenging children I now get to go spend a few days scrapbooking with a dear friend in Tampa. Of course the topic of my pages will be of my special little people.

As I was preparing to go I ran across photos from 2008 of my littlest man Chase. It brought tears to my eyes. He has always had such an amazing smile! What has occured over these past years with him has been so challenging and everyday I wonder what is going on in his little brain. Has he always been this way people ask. We will never have an answer for that. But he looks so normal some people say. Well, he comes from a normal happy and loving family. Maybe he will just grow out of it I hear from others. As if it is a phase that he is going through we could only HOPE. The truth is Eric and I live everyday not knowing what the next will bring with this little man. We rejoice over every attempt to communicate with him and we watch at every moment to see a glimpse of what is in his mind.

So therefore I scrapbook every moment I can of him and my other two kiddos. While I am away please pray for Eric as he gets all three kiddos to himself this weekend!

Rain Rain don't go away!

Finally the northside of Jax gets rain!! Chase loves water so much he stands in the window seal watching it rain. His little girlfriend is over asking him to come down and play but he won't. Her mom took Chase for 2 hours today so the older kids and I could have a break. It was our first real break from him for the summer and they kept thanking and hugging me. Didn't realize he was making it hard for them this summer. I guess I do ignore them when we are out and about just to make sure I have my eye on little man. I am working on that.

Packing for grandmas house in Niceville(just over the bay from Destin). Hoping to get a few hours of freedom while I am out there or at least have her take the big kids to the water park or something fun to finish off our summer.

14 Days till School!

Well after an entire summer mostly at home we are ready for school. The last week has been rough. Chase has been into just about everything he can find in the house from climbing to dumping to pulling my hair. The lack of routine this summer has taken him for a loop. The last three days he has slept oh maybe a total of 12-14 hours which is not giving mommy a pretty face in the morning.

The older kids are ready for some normal schedule again. We have had to adjust to a new lifestyle after Eric lost his job in May. The kids are taking it much harder than we are. Made me realize they are spoiled! I guess we have always just gone places everyday or spent money all the time. Because the lack of not doing anything or going to buy anything has really worn them down this summer. I myself have a whole new outlook on life. I have started minimizing things from material stuff, volunteering for everything (yes I mean everything) to friends that wear me out.

What will I do when school starts?
SLEEP!