So this was Christmas...

I hope I do not sound like Uncle Scrooge when I say this, but I am happy the holidays are over.
Not that Christmas and New Year's were not fun this year, they were wonderful, but very exhausting. I am sure a lot of you are also a little happy that the tree is coming down and the shopping is finished.

The holidays seemed to exentuate Brody's fun quirks. As you know, we refer to Brody as "Mr. Naked" around the house. It used to be very cute to find Brody naked, happily watching TV or eating breakfast, but ever since the holidays it is out of control. He now HATES wearing pull-ups, which is a great sign that we are close to potty-training the guy, but up until then, it is very hard to keep the child from dropping his pants at the drop of a hat in the living room. He especially loves getting naked and sitting on the couch...ewww. Thank goodness it is treated-leather.

The holidays also brought about a new trend with the Brodster and that is "tantrums." Brody used to rarely throw a temper tantrum; I mean rarely...he was not perfect, but maybe once or twice a week there would be an outburst. But this weekend we were in a grocery store in Branson and I bet the cashiers thought we were kidnappers. I also want to strangle the person who puts those M&M's (and hot-wheels cars)  in the checkout line.

Here is the scene...Destin grabs a packet of M&M's and starts begging for them. Brody sees his brother in distress, then gets mad. He starts head butting Destin in line and grabs the candy from him. Destin shrieks and Brody shrieks louder and busts the bag open. Candy goes everywhere as I run to the parking lot with the kids...Matt hastily pays the bill as I make the getaway. I am sure someone studied our images for America's Most Wanted.

On our way home from Branson yesterday, Brody was sleeping and snoring in the car, Destin was playing his Leapster. I looked at my husband and selfishly asked if things could get any worse right now. The kids were finally content after a lot of chaotic moments; I was hitting my breaking point. It was definitely a down moment. Brody is nuts over the holidays, we are exhausted, and what for?

Matt reminded me of how lucky we are to have Brody...he hugs us, kisses us, loves us and we know it. Many autistic children do not show affection. And have the help/support we need to get through a hard time. We have a home, we have good jobs, we have professional help. Not many people can say that, especially those with a special needs child. We are lucky. And yes, things can get much, much worse.

He also reminded me of how we are lucky to have each other...he is right (don't tell him that!).

So, were the holidays insane...yes. But would we expect anything different? Nope.
This is our new normal...and it is starting to feel like home.