Autism, we're not the only ones tired.

It was a pretty typical Monday night for the kiddo and I.  Daddy Fry was having a late evening at work.  He had just finished a full day of school followed by an hour of speech therapy. We swung by the local pizza joint for a slice because if Daddy ain't home, Mama sure ain't cooking.  Plus it's his main motivator for "good listening" in speech. We're at our kitchen table munching in silence when I see him do it.  The move that almost breaks my heart. He puts down the slice with one hand while plopping his other arm on the table and slumps his forehead into his hand.  Followed by a sigh that I swear her channeled from his great grandmother. The kiddo was wiped out.

It kind of hit me like a ton of bricks and I has to catch my breath not to cry.  He didn't even have a "bad" day. It was a pretty good one actually but it also pretty damn busy.  Now that school is back to full time and we're going hung ho with therapies out the wazoo. Up since "Dark Thirty". He is done.  The wall has been hit and I worry because we only just started this schedule two and a half weeks ago.  

Then I get to thinking it's not just getting back to this current schedule that may be wearing him out.  The kiddo has been in some sort of therapy since he was barely 22 months old. He's 9 now.  That's a long freaking time.  Is he worn out?  Is he bored?  I used to really panic a few years ago when we would have to get a new therapist here and there.  Mainly because they are all women and predictably they all get pregnant and go on what we call "The Baby Vacation". Now I'm thinking that is a good thing. Maybe a change in routine and person and their own bag of tricks might help keep my kiddo engaged. Give him a second wind.  The kiddo has had four different OT's go off to have babies. I'm beginning to think he is a fertility idol and almost want to warn his newest one to use a back up method of contraceptive if she's not planning on a family right now. As she just only replaced the previous OT who went to go selfishly have a baby, I would like her to stick around a little while longer.  But hey, if switching them up now and then perks the kiddo up a bit, I guess she better start knitting booties.

I can't fix the problem tonight.  Or find the perfect solution.  All I know to do is go into Mom Mode and make sure the rest of the night is chill.  We get changed into pajamas and hop on the couch to watch the same three DVDs we watch every night.  The ones where we only watch certain scenes and recite the lines of course.  I then get him up in bed and snuggle up next to him.  I know I'll probably drift off and in an hour wake up completely confused.  Where am I am and why am I sharing a twin size bed with someone? Oh wait. I'm not in college. This is my son's room, not my dorm room.  I will then go to my room and within minutes, he'll probably follow me.  Yep, back into the routine and with a small elbow in my side to remind me he's worn out too.