Literally the Worst Day of my Life thus far..

So back when JJ was only 2 years old, my family went through the worst nightmare a family with autism could. Children with autism are known to be runners. Many of them start to wonder off without knowing where they are going, and before you or they notice, they are gone. This sort of thing happens so often with kids with autism that many parents have resorted to putting a micro chip in their child so that if it does happen they can be found. Oh what we would have done for one of these on this day.

I was a Junior in HS..school got out at 2:20 and I rushed to my car every day to get to work on time..
This day was no different...yet...When I got out to my car my phone rang..it was the guy who worked for my moms in home daycare..
"Amber, JJ was just rushed from here to the hospital in an ambulance.."
"What?!"
I immediately started balling my eyes out and couldn't catch my breath..
"What happened?? Is he ok?? Where's my mom??"
He filled me in on a horrifying story..
My mom had sneaked out of her back door so JJ wouldn't see her leave..he had major separation anxiety..
On this day he knew what she was up to and followed her without anyone knowing. He was 2 years old, could barely walk, and was only wearing a little t-shirt and diaper when it was below freezing outside.
The guy that called me was supposed to be watching him but hadn't gone upstairs to check on him for at least 45 minutes..
My poor bubby was outside all alone for 45 minutes before they even noticed!!
When my mom came home they both realized it and ran outside to find him..by now an hour had passed..
my mom called everyone she knew...our neighbors, or church friends, and even the cops, fire fighters, and helicopters...JJ was no where to be found...
About an hour longer a police man had found JJ...he had wondered all the way down the creek behind our house, fell down a 20 foot water fall, and was soaking wet and ice cold...he wasn't responsive to anything, and my mom was completely in shock..she rushed to the hospital in the ambulance with him, begging him to hold on..
This couldn't be real.
I have never felt the way I felt that day. I tried to gain my composure to drive to the hospital but I just couldn't. I parked at a starbucks and had my best friend pick me up and take me to the emergency room where my brother was all hooked up to IV's and had heated blankets and warm water dripping through his vains to get his body temperature up. He almost froze to death!
The worst thing was that his low body temperature wasn't what we were worried about most...the x-rays showed a crack in his skull...
JJ and I are so close, and when I saw him laying in that bed, he couldn't even smile at me. His face was all tore up and he had machines hooked up all over his body. I told him I loved him more than anything in this world and he was such a big boy and so brave...and he just had to keep on being brave and come back to us...I hugged my mom and went straight to the prayer room where my Mammaw and Papaw and I think my Cousin was...its sort of a blurr because my emotions were so high..
(It is so hard writing this, my tears are all over my keyboard)
I prayed all night long that he would get better, and that this crack in his skull was just a fluke in the machine and that it didn't really exist. I asked God to please just get him through this and I would be the best big sister in the world to him.
He listened. God really listened. And for the first time in my life I KNEW He listened.
The next day, JJ had another MRI to look at the crack, and it was gone.
The doctor's said that maybe because JJ wasn't completely still on the MRI table the first day it made it look like there was a crack, but there never was. I believe that there was a crack, and that with the power of prayer God healed JJ.
To this day JJ has a little scar under his nose..but thats it.
All of the deep scars on his belly and back are gone.
That day is a day that many of us do not like to talk about, but when I do I remember how God saved JJ and how blessed we truely are.

I loved that he was holding a Chicken Nugget and an Oreo...that's my baby brother...

Our darker days

When JJ was diagnosed he was right at the age of two.

Everyone knows about the terrible twos, and that's in typical children...

JJ was in his terrible twos and was severe on the autism spectrum so it was a whole other level of terrible.

By the grace of God my mom and I made it through, but let me tell you it was not easy!

JJ's Past at a Glance

He went through a phase where he would not wear clothes, no diaper, nothing.

This was always bad when he would go to the bathroom...see where I am going with this?

There was a point where he would go poop anywhere and everywhere.

After that he would sometimes smear it all over our walls and even his body..

Grossed out yet?

You see, children with autism many times have sensory integration disorder as well.

This makes playing with your poop fun because its all about the texture...aren't you glad all of your senses work for you??

The first time my fiance met JJ, JJ was having one of these days...

Ronnie didn't mind at all though (about half reason I fell so deeply in love with him)

Ronnie got the bright idea to tell JJ to go into my bedroom and poop..he really didn't think he would..

but just like JJ still does today..he looked up to Ronnie so just as he said he did!

Ronnie and I were so shocked we just laughed...

These kind of experiences are things that you just have to learn to laugh off.

Raising a kid with autism calls for an open mind and good sense of humor!

A Blast from the Past

So this month is Autism Awareness month so I wanted to do a tribute to the days when my brother was first diagnosed. For the month of April I will tell you stories of the way JJ was back then so you get an idea of how far along he has come and how blessed we all are.

I'll start with the story of how me and my fiance' Ronnie first met.

(I know your thinking, "I thought this is about JJ") Is it...and its a great story...

So I heard from a friend that this guy she knew had been checking me out on 

MYSPACE

I know...so 100 years ago right?

Anyways, I checked him out and I thought he was waaaaay out of my league...

I was super nervous to say something to him, but I figured I didn't know him and I had nothing to lose..

So as I am attempting to write him a message..JJ climbed up in my lap...butt naked 

(he absolutely hated clothes and ran around naked all the time...rain or shine, snow or sleet...he was naked..this became a problem considering he wasn't potty trained..whatever you're picturing..it was worse than that..but that's another blog in itself!)

Anyways at the time he was infatuated with computers,

He always wanted to type on them and click buttons and play games and so forth..

So I typed up something or another to say hi to my dream guy...and I kept deleting it and retyping...trying to find a way to hide my inner nerd...

before I knew it I had deleted all the words but there was still a ... on the message and JJ had hit the send button!

...

seriously? If I was trying to hide the inner nerd in me I sure didn't do a good job at it.

JJ didn't know it at the time, but because of his quick hands and savy computer moves he opened a whole knew world to me.

To my surprise Ronnie messaged me back!

???

was all it said...

Gosh how am I going to explain this one to this green eyed, tan skinned, brown haired hottie!?!

I told him that my adorable little brother JJ had autism and had sent the message..not me...

He didn't believe me at the time but says that I was so cute that he had to know where this simple, accidental message would lead us..

Well now were engaged and JJ will be Ronnie's little brother..and we wouldn't want it any other way!

I got a BIG HEAD Silly!

So It's just an ordinary Saturday for JJ.

Wake up at 7am...on the dot..

eat some bacon, bacon, and more bacon.

And just when you think he's full of bacon and you try to fix some for yourself,

he wants YOUR bacon!

I get ready to go to the bathroom, and what do you know, theres pee..all over the seat. (not too far from a typical man huh?)

"JJ! You better make a green choice and come clean this up!"

After that, its time to get dressed, I go to take off his shirt and I say,

"Skin the rabbit"

his shirt gets stuck on his head and he looks at me and said

"I got a big head silly!"

and we both cracked up laughing!

He runs into the living room and jumps in our sister's lap to tell her about his big head and his pants fall down in the midst of the jump!

"Pants on the ground pants on the ground, looking like a fool with your pants on the ground!"

My sister said, "Ugh! JJ did you toot on me!"

He said, "nooooo I farted! hahaha"

Little booger.

Now he's sitting here mocking every word I say and cracking up about it.

[Which is absolutely adorable because he's missing his two front teeth!]  

I love starting my day off with him, no matter how bad of a day I have, when I'm with him I'm always smiling.

Adventures at the Neighborhood Kroger

So every Monday JJ and I have a tradition.

He comes up to my work after school (I work at an after school care) and we hang out, play, and then make our grocery list for our traditional Monday Meal at Moms.

He's turned a boring old trip to the grocery into a fun, adventurous, "Mission!"

I've told you how he loves video games, so he likes to pretend we're in a real life video game and each item on our grocery list is one step of the mission.

Today started off as a normal Monday (for a 6 yr old with autism and his crazy sister)

We completed each step of the mission and ran out of the grocery before the whole store "blew up!"

We made it to our car in the knick of time and just as we got there I realized...

"Crap, I locked my keys in my purse, in my car.."

I called my cousin to come to Kroger with a hanger and tools...

(But knowing this proabably wasn't going to work..I hit up the local AAA...by now I have them on speed dial)

I didn't want to freak JJ out, so I told him that we had to go back into the "just blown up" grocery store to finish the secret mission...but on the way in...I dropped the grocery list...

He FREAKED!

There was no way we could finish the mission without the list, but the wind had already taken it...

Luckily my cousin came so I distracted JJ by going and waiting in her car until AAA got there.

We decided to sing songs..he sang...

"The speghetti on the bus says I love you, I love you, I love you, the speghetti on the bus says I love you, all thru the town... "

Speghetti is one of the few other foods he will eat next to bacon... 

He then looked at me, and laughed as he said "the sister on the bus says shhh shhh shhh, shhh shhh shhh, shhh shhh shhh"

I laughed and told him thanks for being so good and he said "ahhh your very welcome Amber"

After AAA got there and saved the day JJ looked and me and said "that rescue guy was awesome! but I still can't believe you lost my list for our mission!"

Getting to Know JJ

JJ, diagnosed over 4 years ago on the Autism Spectrum.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a disorder that effects 1 in 150 Children.

JJ is one of the lucky ones.

He has speech, great social skills, and is doing all second grade work halfway through his kindergarten year.

He's my little boy genious.

JJ is my little brother, so of course I am going to think he is absolutly adorable, but I figure if he makes me laugh, he will probably make you laugh too, and I can't be greedy and keep him all to myself, so I'll share some of his insights with you.

First, you need to know him.

He eats bacon, bacon, and more bacon.

He prides himself on not trying anything else.

He loves Sonic the Hedgehog videogames, and he knows that if he makes any red choices at school, he won't get to play them, so that's what keeps him making green choices everyday.

He's on a gluten and casein free diet...no dairy especially...JJ will be the first to say that

"Cheese makes me CRAZY!"

He's in a routine, if you get off an exit that isn't what he's used to, it freaks him out.

I decided to go the back way home one day, never will I make that mistake again!

All the way he home, "Mommy goes to exit 14, this is 13, you're going the wrong way! Why are you going this way!"

These are just a few starters on JJ, you'll get to know him better if you follow my blog!