Something Simple

Having a child with Asperger's Syndrome can be very disruptive to overall family life, especially if they are having an "off" day.  Although I've become very practiced at anticipating and avoiding what may trigger a meltdown for Little Guy, there are still some things that catch me unawares.  

And usually, it's something simple.

Something like taking a picture.

Middle Guy and Little Guy have needed new pictures for a while now.  I've been meaning to have a quick photo shoot with them, but we just never got around to it.  We were taking a vacation in Northern Utah three weeks ago and happened to be staying at the Homestead in Midway.  With its beautiful grounds and ambiance, I decided it would be a great place to snap a few pictures of my two youngest boys.

I wasn't too worried about Little Guy; I'd given him plenty of advance notice about what we were going to do, there were no crowds or noise issues to set him off, and we weren't in any rush - any of which can escalate his anxiety level.  In fact, I even let him bring some new legos to play with to keep him occupied while photographed his older brother.

Yep, I was pretty confident I had things well in hand. 

The session started off well, and I was able to get some shots I liked:

However, things began to quickly unravel.

Little Guy was losing interest, so I asked Big Guy's help in trying to engage him.  He started to joke around with his little brother - but apparently, Little Guy's tolerance level was paper thin because he immediately fell apart.

Not once,

Not twice,

But three times...

...within a thirty minute period.

I tried to catch Little Guy during his calm times, switching to Middle Guy during the meltdowns.  All I can say is THANK HEAVEN for Photo Shop to help me edit the most of the red out of Little Guy's eyes and face, or else the session would mostly have been a bust.

While our friends and family enjoy the results of our photo shoot by viewing shots like this one,

many won't appreciate the drama it took to get them!