I am thankful for.....

Happy November! It’s only the first day after Halloween, so as you can see I haven’t OD’d on candy….yet. But it has been awhile since I have written anything except a paper for school, and I apologize for my complete lack of blogging time. I could make excuses about being busy, and while it is true, I HAVE been busy- I should really be forcing myself to write more often. I have stuff to say, I just haven’t made the effort to sit down and write said stuff down.

So here we go. It’s November (yeah- I know we already covered that) and like a bajillion others I will be using my blog, Facebook page and Twitter to talk about things I am thankful for.

I am thankful for loads of things throughout the year, but as we wind down, and Thanksgiving is right around the corner I start really reflecting.  This year has sucked in so many ways. 98% of them financial.  I dwell on the major suckage way more than I should. It’s not healthy and it doesn’t make for a happy mama or a happy family. I NEED to focus on good things. I need to remind myself of the things what I do have, not feel sorry for myself for the things I don’t. After so much time worrying about all the bad, it becomes harder to remember the good. Countless studies prove that the act of acknowledging our blessings and taking a moment to express gratitude can change lives. It may not change my circumstances, but it will change my outlook and that makes all the difference.The best way for me to do this is to come up with something I am thankful for each day for the next 30 days. It might be something that happened six months ago, or 6 seconds ago. It might be something as general as “my family” or “my health” but even a general statement such as that will bring forth a memory, or several memories that make the negative feel less.  I would love to say I will write a blog for each day of this month, but I am somewhat realistic, and I know that I won’t. And I am perfectly ok with that. I would love to say I will make a gratitude list every day, but I may not do that either- at least not every day. Maybe if I start with a weekly gratitude list that will be a catalyst to a daily thing. Right now, I am going to focus on this month, this day. And then tomorrow. And then the next day.

I love to hear what other’s are thankful for. Post on my Facebook page! Comment on my blog! Make yourself feel good, and bring a smile to my face as well. I am truly a person who revels in the happiness of others, and I look forward to hearing everything you are thankful for as well!

November 1,2012: Today I am thankful for an amazing experience at the dentist with The Boy. Nobody likes the dentist, even though without them we would be a bunch of yuck mouth nasties with terrible health problems all around. Autism takes this fear to a new level. Sensory issues make the dentist a nightmare for a lot of parents with kiddos on the spectrum. We have been fairly lucky, the pediatric dentist we have been seeing is great with kids on the spectrum and has always taken good care of The Boy. We have hit some rough patches over the last year though. He has a TERRIBLE gag reflex- which makes it extraordinarily difficult to get X-Rays or do anything beyond a cleaning. A few months ago his dentist discovered two pretty bad cavities, that were causing him a lot of pain. She recommended sedation dentistry for him to get it done as quickly as possible with minimal pain and trauma for him. The first dentist we went to see that specialized in sedation dentistry was an hour away and our insurance didn’t cover IV sedation for The Boy..apparently he wasn’t considered “autistic enough.” In other words, he wasn’t biting, screaming or completely losing it (which happened on his first dental visit). I didn’t know what to do, he was hurting and his regular dentist didn’t do “laughing gas.” She then recommended Dr. Golnick. Our first appointment was in June of this year. We discussed treatment plans, and my concern with using nitrous oxide. I was immediately impressed by Dr. Golnick’s knowledge of N.O. and autism, as well as his knowledge of ASD in general. We have had to wait almost 4 months to get back in- and it was well worth it. They were so good to The Boy. From the explanation of the mask to administer the gas, to talking him through everything they were doing- it was a long, nerve wracking morning-but The Boy was AMAZING. He never cried and he never fought them, in fact he was so good and quiet that other staff was coming in to see him and compliment him on how awesome he was.

Dad and I were amazed, and so proud of our boy. He had two major cavities filled, and has to go back for two more later his month. And even though he was a little out of it (ok, a lot!) on the way out he told the assistant, Tracey, he would tell her more stories on his next visit. As I was making his next appointment, Tracey told the receptionist to make sure it was her that was assisting and told me what an amazing kiddo I had.

So a not so fun trip to the dentist turned into a surprised mom and dad and one amazing young man who made an impression on an entire dental practice.  That’s my boy- making his mark wherever he goes.