Catching up

We have been busy here...Sickness, therapy, photo shoots, etc!

Therapy has been going well for the most part, but Friday J had a rough day. He came down with a cold and a friend of mine, Ange, told me that when kids with SPD get sick, they get extra irritable and their behavior may get worse. Well Jayden was the text book picture of an SPD child who wasn't feeling well on Friday. He woke up very congested even after I had his humidifier running all night. He barely touched his breakfast and was pretty clingy to me. Also he was getting very frustrated with any and everything, including my shooe that he couldn't tie (and he does NOT know how to tie shoes!!). Also if he even saw my lips thinking about saying the word "No" he freaked out. He was banging his head all morning long. And let me be the first to tell you that no matter how "harmless" that behavior is said to be, it doesn't make it any less painful for a mother's eyes to see. That shatters my heart. Everytime I see him do it I get a sick feeling in my stomach. So when the therapist arrived, I warned her that he was indeed out of sorts and not feeling well and that he had been banging his head all morning. The therapist had yet to see this behavior and I really think that she assumed that when I said head banging that it was just a typical toddler flinging his head back in a tantrum while not being aware of his surroundings and hitting his head on accident; she soon witnessed what I meant... She noticed that J was not himself so did light activities with him, but at one point she took some blocks that he was quietly playing with and she hid them under a cup and told him to say open if he wanted to see the blocks. J refused to say open and pulled at the cup. The therapist wouldn't give in ( this sounds mean of her but I'm not angry at her b/c I know it's her job to get him to talk) and J kept pulling the cup and then he lost it. He literally threw himself across the floor and started rolling around (imagine an alligator after it catches prey) wildly all over until he hit something hard with his body. In this case it was his bounce and spin zebra. He then got up on his hands and knees, facing the zebra, and started rocking back and forth banging his head on the zebra. The therapist replied "Oh.." and looked at me. I told her that I just let him do it as long as he's not in any danger and then once he's done I give him a bear hug which includes pressure to his head and it calms him down. J knew he wanted his bear hug after he finished banging his head so he came straight to me and I hugged him and he calmed down. Of course that meant marks on his spreadsheet, but oh well, it's our reality. He continued to bang his head throughout the weekend, and while it still hurts my heart, I am doing what I can to help him cope. Today's session went alot better. He babbled the entire sesison which is certainly progress b/c he used to play very quietly. The babbling tells us that if he knew how to form words he would use them, so he's trying. Which brings me to some beautiful news from the weekend!!

Saturday I had a very long shoot so J spent the day with Daddy. I got home at around 7:45 and the guys weren't home. Daddy took J for a haircut, but the place was too crowded so Daddy decided it would be best for Jayden if they came at a less busy time. Great move! So they were on the way home and Daddy decided to call me from the onstar phone in our truck. J loves to hear us talk through the speakers in the truck. So I said "Hi Baby!!" He didn't respond but Daddy told me he was smiling. I said it again, "Hi Baby!" and J yelled "Hi mommmmeeeeee!!" Awwww! So then I asked, "J how old are you?" and he yelled "Doooooooooooo!!" YAY!! I then said "Awww, Momma loves you J!" and he said "Yah yuuuuuuuuuuuu!" I love how he sings everything! So they got home, J ran into my arms and gave me a hug and we sat down for a late dinner and J babbled the entire time. You could tell that he really wanted to talk so I called my mom to see if he would talk on the phone to her. When she answered I said "Mom someone wants to talk to you." and I gave the phone to J. I said say HI to Nana and J said "Hiiiiiiii!!!" and the I asked "How old are you?" He grabbed the phone and said "Doooooooooooooooooooooooo!" I took the phone back and my mom was screaming and CRYING!!! She told me that was music to her ears!! We are all so proud of him. Moms with very verbal toddlers, do not take it for granted. Sure sometimes you wish they would just be quiet for just a few minutes, but just remember that there are so many kids who are quiet for far too long and their parents long to hear their voices! So let your kids talk all they want and listen to that sweet voice and thank God for it!!