Wakey, wakey, eggs n' bakey!!

Anyone familiar with autism knows that these kids routinely have problems with: falling asleep, staying asleep or getting any sleep at all.

I was raised in a family where you invest the time to get your kids on a schedule and you stick to it. The kids love the routine and respond beautifully when you put their needs first. Out of love and devotion they, for the most part, have better dispositions, learn better, have beautiful manners and give their parents a regular block of time each day to feel like a human again.

That was the plan.

Then the "A" word came into our lives and unfortunately, the rules don't apply.

Now my kids were put on a schedule and it has helped immensely. I would be a serious drooling fool if I hadn't had the structure that I did. But it wasn't a cure of Autism, that is for sure. When they were toddlers I had to buy those tents that attach to cribs. I zipped them in at night and, heaven forgive me, left them in there until the morning.

Unless they were spewing like the exorcist out one end or the other, they were fine. They could wake up and vocalize, humm, sing and then fall asleep again. They KNEW they were fine and that I wasn't going to get them out for playtime.

Our oldest, bless his enormous heart, slept like a log and missed much of the show.

Now that they are older, it has gotten more complicated and dangerous.

My birthday present last year was a doozy. Fire alarm blaring at 1:30 in the morning. Upstairs sink plugged with a towel and the water soaking through to the living room below. Spencer was just having some fun!

We were lucky that time that we woke up.

Well. Tyler has started the "Midnight Run" again. It has been 3, 4, and 5 am visits from the "eeeeee"-ing monster.

For awhile his problem was falling asleep and we got some relief now that he is taking Ambien to fall asleep. What a blessing.

I guess he is getting too much sleep. He is awake and refreshed and ready to go as if he were 80 years old!!

I always sigh with relief when we make it through another bout of the sleeplessness. You never expect it to come back. What a nasty surprise when it does. I'll be double checking all the locks tonight!!

YUCK!!