We finally had our first appointment yesterday with Children’s Autism Center yesterday. On the way to the doctor’s appointment, Bailey wanted to know if he was going to have to have a shot.  “Of course not” we both replied “We’ll all just be talking to the doctor today”.  After doing a lot of talking one of the things they want is a genetic test because we don’t know who Bailey’s father is and this will put together some of the pieces to the puzzle that makes up Bailey.  I heard her say that this would be a blood draw but I knew that Bailey hadn’t so I just let it go.  When we left we needed to go to the hospital for the test.  We get registered and then when we are settled down, waiting for them to call him back I finally take him hands and tell him that they are going to have to take some blood for this test.

That sent him into a full blown panic; he gets that deer in the head-light look and says this is a bad idea and we need to go and get in the car and go home.  I try to explain to him this won’t be hard or last long, a little pinch.  He is freaking out, wanting to know if they will put it back in when they are done with it, will they clone him with it, on and on and on.  I keep trying to calm him down and finally they come to get him  (thank goodness) and the two of us go back.  He want to see the needle and the nice man says he will see it when he gets ready to put it in.  Then he ties the tourniquet and asks Bailey to make a fist.

Of course now Bailey is really getting worried and scared and wants to know why so I’m just asking him to do it and holding his other hand and getting him to look at me.  I see that there now not 1 but 5 viles on the table.  Then with no warning-in goes the needle and into overload goes Bailey! I also have to grab to head to make him not look and he is squirming so much he is worring me.  He just keeps saying over and over to take it out, take it out.  Thank goodness it was over quick!  Of course when the cotton ball and that blue wrap is put on, he can’t bend his arm.  We are telling him in the car that he can take it off, but it takes almost 20 minutes to convince him of that before he try to pull it off.

They think that he falls into the high functioning autism disorder but he is going to go back and see a physiologist, an occupational therapist and they want him to have a full educational evaluation. We walked out of there yesterday with mixed emotions. We were thrilled that someone finally had listened to us and agreed with us, but then there is the sadness of the uncertainty of what will be for this child.  I am Bailey’s grandmother and mom now.  I’m only 57, but I want to make sure that we have him on the right path with the best help possible so that he can be what ever he wants to be.
So many questions, so few answers.

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