The Chronicles of Mr. C and... Little A

It's a girl!!

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel S) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 23:39:00 +0000

I guess I have failed to mention that we will soon have a new bundle of joy. As exciting as it has been to have two very wonderful boys, I am happy to announce that we have a precious baby girl on the way!

I have to admit I have always dreamt of having a daughter one day, but as thankful as I am for her I know it doesn’t really matter whether it’s a boy or girl. You love them just the same!

So, sometime at the end of February we will have become a family of five and I am sure the adventures will only continue to get better and better.

Another Doctor Disaster

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel S) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 23:37:00 +0000

It was finally time to take Mr C to get his cast off and unfortunately I was the one that had to take him. It started off as though it wouldn’t be a problem, until they brought out the saw. I had brought a sucker and book to occupy him along with some head phones to hopefully help with the loud noise, but these were no consolation to a scared 4 year old.
The woman that initially tried was a bit of a softy and didn’t seem willing to do it without Mr C’s consent, but getting his consent was not going to happen. She said she would send the doctor in to take it off claiming he was “really good with children.” I suppose if just taking it off regardless of how he was acting is “really good with children” then he was exactly as she said.

Another doctor’s appointment red in the face with sweat on my brow was not what I was hoping for. Mr C began screaming and kicking the doctor so hard I was afraid he might accidentally get him right in the crown jewels. The worst part was that even after he finally got it off while I held his arms and legs best I could, he couldn’t stop screaming. Full fledge in a fight or flight reaction to the fear of the saw cutting his cast off. You would have thought he had actually cutting his arm off as well.

After he thought his arm was still broken and demanded the doctor put his cast back on. I said everything in the world to try and calm him and finally the only thing that worked was to say they might call the police if he doesn’t calm down. Miraculously this brought his ranting and raving down to a whimpered cry. Hey, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

When the doctor came back he joked that Mr C had frightened all of his other patients away for fear of what he had done to him. Mr C continued to demand that his arm was still broken and wanted the cast put back on. ‘Please no,’ I thought to myself. ‘I can’t go through this again.’

He was finally satisfied with an ace bandage, which it took about a week after getting the cast off for him to finally take off for good. Whew! Now we are just trying to keep his rough play to a minimum to avoid another broken arm being that it can break more easily over the next few months.

Broken Arm

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel S) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 14:24:00 +0000

Mr C has experienced his first broken bone after an unfortunate event over the holiday. He and his cousin were goofing around on an air mattress and he ended up falling off and fracturing his left arm. Although it was heartbreaking to see him in so much pain he was actually kind of adorable the way he reacted.

He kept saying, "I'm not strong anymore, I've got a broken arm." most likely not understanding that it could be healed in a few weeks. Of course we told him otherwise, but based on his facial expressions and the way he was lying around you would have thought he was on his deathbed or something.

A couple days later he went to get a cast put on by a specialist and seemed to be in better spirits then. He asked for a green cast, usually his favorite color, but when the doctor was all done he said, "No, I think I want red instead." Typical four year old I tell you. Now he is back to his old self, adjusting to his new dependency on his right arm. Thank goodness it wasn't his right arm he broke or we'd really be in trouble!!

Patio Potty

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel S) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 18:00:00 +0000

The summer has gone by with the blink of an eye and I can hardly believe the beginning of school is already here. We didn't go many places this summer, but managed to get a trip in to visit my husband's family and a friend of mine that both live in the same city. Our friend has just recently moved into a new home and it was great to spend time with her and her two children that are similar in age to Mr C and Little A.

There was only one incident that left me feeling a bit mortified over the weekend. My friend and I took Mr C and her children to a local science museum, while my in-laws took care of Little A for the day. Upon returning, Mr C immediately ran into the backyard to play on the jungle gym set up in her neighbor's yard that it seems her neighbor has no problem sharing. I ran over to my in-laws to pick up Little A leaving Mr C in the care of my friend.

As she went inside to get the others situated she peeked out the back window to check on Mr C, but couldn't seem to locate his whereabouts at the time. Frantically, she ran outside calling his name. Shortly after she found him squatting on their neighbors patio behind a bush ready to take care of business. "What are you doing?" she exclaimed. "I have to go potty." he said. "You need to use the toilet inside, not the neighbor's patio." she said. "Oh, okay." he said.

As she told me the story when I returned, I couldn't help, but laugh. That was until I realized that her neighbors were likely home at the time with a car in the driveway and a light shining from the kitchen. Did they see?!? Not sure what I would do if I saw some stranger child crouching on my patio. I suppose I might go out and interrupt, but then again it could be an awkward situation. Luckily, a light hearted conversation with the neighbor mom later in the evening revealed they were unaware of what had taken place. Whew!!!

I guess we need to work on toilet training a little bit harder in unfamiliar territories. "Yes, honey. We use a toilet no matter where we are! If you don't know where it is, then ask!"

The Song Singers

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel S) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 19:00:00 +0000

It looks like Mr C finally has a friend! Of course he has made friends in school and daycare, but this friend is one he can finally really hangout with outside of school and daycare. This friend was on the T-Ball team with him this year, which recently ended and will be in his preschool class in the fall.

His parents had all of us over the other day for dinner and it was very nice to spend time with adults and for Mr C to have someone to play with during that time. Watching them interact is so fun! At one point his friend came running into the living room saying "Announcing the 'Song Singers'!"

Mr C proceeded to follow him into the living room and the two began singing a song that his friend had learned at Bible camp the week before. "Jump, Shout, Give a high five, Jesus is alive!" They continued singing this while dancing, jumping and giving eachother a high five. It was about the most adorable thing ever!

I only hope Mr C learns, remembers and shares similar songs when he goes to Vacation Bible School at the end of July!

Fourth of July!

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel S) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 18:52:00 +0000

Well, this year was probably one of the best fourth of July's we have had. I think because Mr C is getting big enough to really appreciate the fun. We spent the day at our local country club swimming in the pool, eating great food and jumping on the fun children's blowup toys.

This year Mr C had a friend to hang out with, which was great for us. We didn't feel as pressured with Little A to play with him every minute we were there. Although he enjoyed our front row seats for the fireworks, his sensory issues related to hearing seemed to really bother him. We had to get ear plugs for him to wear and he still covered his ears with his hands.

Recently, I have been doing a photo contest for kids on my website and I really had to smile when the most recent submission was a picture of a boy with his hands covering his ears at the fireworks. Just like Mr C.

Little A was another story. He fussed a bit at first and I attempted to cover his ears with my hands, but by the middle of the show he was sprawled out in my lap with his hands behind his head watching the fireworks in a very relaxed manner. Suprisingly too, since he had woken up from his nap around 3:15 and hadn't fallen back asleep yet at 10 p.m that night. Too much action going on! I did try, but how do you compete with all the fun things to look at.

Anyways, Hope everyone had a great fourth!!

Spring Highlights

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel S) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 18:41:00 +0000

Has it really been March since my last post? Where has the time gone? Life sure is busier with two. I can't believe Little A is about to be 6 months old already. CRAZY!?!? Well, we have been living in the fast lane over the past few months. Returning to work was a transition for me, but we have found a great sitter to watch Little A, so I feel better about the 1-2 days a week I have to spend away from him.

I love that part of my job involves working on my website the Child Behavior Guide because I can easily do so in my spare time while at home with the kiddos. Mr C has certainly been keeping us entertained lately. Some of my favorites...

"Mom, what is poop made of?"

Me - "What are you doing?" (He is staring into space while sitting at the dinner table in front of his food)
Mr C. - "I'm just pretending to watch a movie."
Me - "What movie?"
Mr C - "Um, it's just a movie about me."

Me - "You need to clean your room please."
Mr C - " But mom, I can't cause I'm a penguin and penguin's don't have hands." (as he waddles across the floor)

Little A is getting so big and I can hardly believe it. He just popped his first two bottom teeth and his been a bit fussy, but still pretty darn good despite his pain. Both still seem to be getting along well, but Little A isn't quite getting into his stuff yet, so we will see!

Taekwondo

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel S) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 14:35:00 +0000

We decided to sign Mr C up for a Taekwondo class and I have to say I am pretty pleased so far. It really helps teach him how to pay attention and focus on his body and how to move his body purposefully the way he wants. He also absolutely just loves all of the physical movement.

Our biggest distraction is the mirror at the front of the class, which he is constantly looking at himself and making funny faces. However, I think it is really good for him to learn how to tune out distractions and focus on the task at hand.

The first week they sat down and went over the rules of the class and then worked with the kids on learning their full names, parent names, address and phone number. I was almost mortified when Mr C was asked where he lives and he responded with, "In a barn." "We don't even live on a farm or near a barn!" I said. I had to laugh anyways. He has the best sense of humor, which I'm pretty sure he has learned from his father.

This week they were learning the meaning of 'Che Dee Yut' which means 'Attention' We had to practice with them saying it and then asking them what it means. We kept telling him it means 'Attention Mam,' but he when asked he just kept smiling and saying 'Attention boy!' the little stinkerpants. We'll have to keep working on that one at home!

Following Directions

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel S) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 16:47:00 +0000

Lately, Mr C's favorite phrases are, "Can you do me a favor?" and "Hold your horses Mom." I love it. Even though, he is usually saying hold your horses when I ask him to do something. I try to hide my amusement and make him follow through on the request. Then he usually says, "Can you do me a favor? Can you ...?" (whatever I just asked). I don't think so. So, I persist and finally he says, "Fine, Mom!" and does it.

We have been learning that the first 5 years of life should be entirely focused on getting children to follow directions. I think once a child can master this skill, the other desirable behaviors will fall into place. If you wait until they are older to focus on it, then you have a very difficult time getting them to follow through because they start to become bigger than you!

With the use of positive reinforcement and some logical consequences for not following directions, he has been getting better everyday. So, there is hope!

Pertussis??

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel S) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 00:06:00 +0000

Little A has gotten his first illness, which has been miserable for the both of us. Not only has he been fussy, but I've had to change my shirt at least three times from him throwing up on me after coughing. We took him to the doctor and ended up getting him tested for Pertussis, which I am a little freaked out about.

For some reason it seems like most babies at risk always seem to be right around 2 months of age, which he currently is right now. Although I was hesitant to put him on antibiotics because I know frequent use can cause resistance and other problems, I finally decided the benefits outweigh the risks.

Sure enough it must have been something bacterial because he started feeling better later that day after the first dose. The day after we went to the doctor the nurse that helped us called to tell me the test results wouldn't be ready until 3-4 days and to start the antibiotic anyways.

I happened to be in the back bedroom and didn't hear my phone ring. Mr C answered and asked her if she wanted to come over to play. Then when she asked to talk to me he told her no and hung up. When she called back a minute later he said, "Why do you keep ringing me?!? Stop Calling!" and then hung up on her.

I was practically in hysterics when she called back an hour later and told me this. The funny part was that right after she had called my husband called and he brought the phone to me this time. Except he didn't know who it was and before handing me the phone he kept saying, "What your name?" He must not have heard him say it was daddy cause he kept asking it over and over getting louder and louder sounding really irritated.

Here I am saying, "Give me the phone please." when finally he said, "Oh, it's daddy." and handed it over. Looks like we'll have to keep our phones out of reach from now on...

Better Sleep

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel S) — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 20:28:00 +0000

For weeks now, Mr C has just had terrible sleep. We couldn't quite figure out why it had gone down hill so rapidly until speaking to our holistic nurse practitioner.

She said since we had stopped giving him the fish oil (he was refusing the applesauce we had to put it in), the lack of essential fatty acids can cause sleep disturbances.

So, we went to a local herb store and picked up a different type of fish oil that most kids love. It's flavored with mango peach and has a thick creamy texture - all natural of course.

After taking it yesterday for the first time and doing a little acupressure trick the woman at the store recommended, he actually slept through the night for the first time in weeks and slept in!!

Boy, was my husband happy. He has been the one getting up with him since I have been getting up to feed Little A, who by the way sleeps better than Mr C if you can believe it. Little A slept from 11:30 til 5:45 a.m the other night. The straight 6 hours made me feel like a new woman.

So, if your child has sleep problems and isn't taking any omega 3 fish oil supplements. I highly recommend trying it, but we will have to see if this continues...

Nightmares!

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel S) — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 02:52:00 +0000

As if having a problem sleeping wasn't bad enough, now Mr C is having nightmares as well. They seem to involve some type of killer penguins?? I'm not sure if that is because they made little penguins at school recently or what.

Unfortunately, I made the mistake of trying to explain to him about dreams since he seemed to think they were real and was afraid they would come back. After trying to tell him that when we sleep we have dreams, he decided he didn't want to go to bed at all. Great! That's just what we need. Going to bed is usually not a problem it's more waking up too early that we have had to deal with.

After some coaxing, which involved saying a prayer while waving my hands over his head to remove all bad dreams, he decided it was okay to go to sleep. It must have worked because he asked me to do it again tonight, once again saying he didn't want those penguins coming back. Poor Guy!

Little A

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel S) — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 15:09:00 +0000

It's official. Mr C is now a big brother and doing very well with the transition. Of course he has his moments, but for the most part he is so sweet to his little brother, whom we have nicknamed Little A. When he came to see us at the hospital he said, "He looks like baby Jesus, can we take him home with us?"

He just loves hugging and kissing him, and he always asks to hold him. This morning he said he wanted to tell him a secret. When he whispered in his ear I heard him say, "I love you." It about just made me melt!
The difficult part has been learning how to follow through with discipline when I am trying to also care for Little A.

Overall, it has been great having two sons. I am excited for when Little A is big enough to play with Mr C as he is constantly desperate for a play mate. My husband and I get exhausted trying to entertain him all the time, but hopefully not for long!

Embarrassing Questions

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel S) — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 22:41:00 +0000

Despite being a child in discovery of the world, I have to say that it's still embarrassing when Mr C asks a question about someone you would never normally say out loud. Loud enough so the person can hear, if not directly to their face, makes it even worse.

We have just finally gotten past the point where Mr C wasn't asking most females in sight, "You gotta baby in your belly?" and have transitioned to the new question for bearded males, "Are you Santa Claus?" At first the whole baby question was difficult if the person wasn't aware that I was pregnant, but the most good natured response I heard came from my mom.

She said, "When your mama was a baby, I had her in my belly and when Aunt Kaytie and Aunt Beth were babies I had them in my belly too. Now... I'm just fat." His response was, "Oh.." with a puzzled look on his face, which was actually pretty funny since I'm sure he didn't really know what she was talking about.

Then he asked at a funeral in front of the widow, might I add whether the man in the casket was Santa Claus (AHH!) and today once again as a man from down the street rode by on his hoverround with a dog dressed up in what appeared to be a reindeer outfit, he asked loudly, "What is he riding on? Is he Santa Claus?"

It did sort of look like he was riding on a sleigh with 'Rudolph' pulling him along, but I would say perhaps we need to work on some discretion here. At least my husband got a pretty good laugh out of it!

Bedtime Prayer

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel S) — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 02:44:00 +0000

I just love the way kids can say something without even necessarily knowing the significance a particular comment can have. After going through our beditme routine, Mr C and I always do a small prayer (Now I lay me down to sleep...) and then I ask him what he would like to thank God for today and who he would like to pray for.

Sometimes, it can take some urging on my part, but usually I say things like, "Do you want to thank God for your friends at school or for your toys?" You know the regular stuff we generally thank him for. Usually, he'll give a one word answer and a couple times he really surprised me by saying he wanted to thank God for Jesus and the baby in mommy's belly, which he came up with completely on his own.

However, this time was different. He told me he wanted to thank God for Jesus, his walls, the windows, the lights and lightbulbs, the moon and stars, his clock, his bed, his blankets, and toys - especially lightning McQueen. At first I thought it was cute that he must have just been looking around his room and naming things he could see. Then I thought about how much we take these things for granted every day and especially in this economy many are without these very seemingly simple things.

What a great reminder of how important it is to acknowledge and be thankful for even the simple things in life, especially when the bigger things seem to be lacking at the time. Kids are so smart!

MSG and Asthma

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel S) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 02:21:00 +0000

We are eagerly awaiting our newest addition to the family with about 6 weeks left to go! Mr C has continued doing well in school, but his asthma has suddenly taken a turn for the worst. I tried to eliminate the last medication, which is a corticosteroid and it turned into daily use of albuterol and all previously used medications to help with symptoms.

He also caught a terrible cold with an ear infection, so we are slowly trying to regain his health. I guess as you are trying to heal the body there can be ups and downs as the body adjusts. However, I am determined to figure out the solution to this as I find it difficult to believe that he should have to be on multiple medications, including steroids and albuterol (what I also refer to as liquid speed) for an extended period of time.

My latest research has been regarding MSG or monosodium glutamate. This is actually known to provoke and cause asthma symptoms among many other health problems including symptoms of ADHD, sensory challenges, and Alzheimer’s disease. It is an “excitotoxin” or neurotoxin that leading neuroscientists say has degenerative and deadly effects on the brain and nervous system.

The worst part is that it has almost 30 different names and after reading the labels of what we generally eat, it’s in everything! Even meat that we were buying has ingredients that are considered to be MSG and products that say no MSG are not necessarily MSG free.

Research shows that in the 1950’s the average person in America consumed about 12 g of MSG each year. Now, it is estimated to be around 400-500g per person/per year. How could this not be affecting our health? Could this be the missing link to the latest health epidemics? For more information check out the following brochure on MSG.

Healing Update

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel S) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 17:41:00 +0000

I can hardly believe the end of October is almost here. Things have been going very well so far with Mr C. His teacher and I agree that his speech is not only on target for his age, but even past that of many of his peers in class.

We recently have finished his mercury detox and have determined that his yeast overgrowth is under control. We are still keeping him off wheat, but have decided to also completely put him on a gluten free casein free diet with fish oil supplements to help with his asthma and ability to focus. We are down to almost no medication for his asthma and his teacher reports that his ability to follow directions the first time and work independently are greatly improved.

We are still experiencing some sleep problems, but even these seem to be fading somewhat. If you are interested in more information about biomedical treatments for autism, ADHD, or sensory processing disorder, feel free to contact me.

Let the healing begin!

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel S) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 13:05:00 +0000

After reading the book about healing autism, ADHD, asthma and allergies, I was able to find a holistic nurse practitioner that came highly recommended. She used muscle testing on Mr C as well as an interview assessment and we were able to get the results this week. She stated that he tested positive for mercury poisoning, yeast overgrowth, bacteria, and wheat sensitivity.

As a result we have recently started him on a wheat free, anti-yeast diet to help his body heal. We have also been giving him supplements that rid the body of toxic metals, yeast, and bacteria. This is his second day on the program, so it’s hard to say whether there is any improvement at this time. We should see some differences in as little as two weeks and she said the whole process usually takes about 3 months.

Although I am just appalled that he has been carrying around mercury in his tissues, I am so happy to have found something to help him rid his body of this overload. The book showed how mercury can cause yeast overgrowth and sensory processing challenges. The yeast overgrowth causes inflammation that also leads to sensory processing challenges, allergies, and asthma.

It feels like such a relief to have likely found the actual cause to all of his difficulties in order to eliminate those as opposed to just constantly treating his symptoms. Time will tell if this actually works, but I highly recommend this route for all parents of children suffering from similar challenges.

What are you going to do?

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel S) — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 19:56:00 +0000

Well, I knew it was probably too good to be true. Mr C hadn't woken up in the middle of the night for weeks until yesterday around 3 a.m. Although it was actually very easy to put him back to sleep. A quick brushing, 2 minutes of rocking and he was back to sleep before I even laid him in bed. However, I was not as lucky.

After tossing and turning for a couple hours, right when I was just about back to sleep again, I hear "Mommy, I need help!" At six in the morning, I groggily walked into the bathroom to find Mr C sitting on the toilet. "What do you need help with?" I said. Mr C proceeded to tell me that his lightning McQueen miniature car was in the toilet. I looked in the toilet and only found a nice pile of you know what.

I said, "I don't think so honey, I don't see him." He said, "No mom, he's under my poop." What!?! "How did he get under there??" "I don't know." he said. Just great, but what are you going to do, right? Nothing like fishing out a toy from underneath a pile of poop at 6 a.m. Gotta love little boys!

Mr C is going to be a big brother!

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel S) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 01:04:00 +0000

Well, things have been very hectic lately, but I am excited to announce that Mr C is going to be a big brother. We went for the ultrasound last week and decided to take Mr C with us. This turned out somewhat similar to the experience at the eye doctor.

At first he began to get extremely upset and scream irrationally while jumping up and down. After my husband took him to the lobby for a short period of time we were able to gently coax him into the room long enough to see the baby on the screen. However, when asked by the tech if he wanted to hear the baby's heart beat he immediately replied "No!"

Since seeing the baby he has been especially interested in my belly and making lots of effort to hug, kiss and talk to the baby. The other night, when asked what he wanted to thank God for that day, during prayer time, he said "For the baby." So sweet!

Things have been going pretty well with him otherwise lately. His language has really improved substantially and we have about three more weeks left of the therapuetic listening to finish. Our next step begins this Thursday at an appointment with a holistic nurse practicioner. We are going to get Mr C tested for any possible heavy metals within his system, yeast overgrowth, and additional allergy sensitivities.

As the result of a book that was recommended by a holistic doctor friend in Michigan titled, Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Allergies, and Asthma, I have become very interested in these aspects as to how they relate to behavior and these 4-A disorders which I believe also includes sensory processing disorder. Very very interesting, check it out!!

Swimming lessons

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel S) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:42:00 +0000

We started swimming lessons with Mr C yesterday and I was very surprised at how well he did. I wasn't able to be in the pool or even near the pool, except for looking through a window to watch, and he warmed right up to his instructor. She even had him blowing bubbles in the water and putting his face in the water to play a game of limbo under a noodle.

I'm so excited for him to be able to start swimming on his own and to help lessen his fear of the water. I tried giving him lessons myself and he ends up holding onto me with a death grip. This can make going into the pool with him less than comfortable. I think that his therapy has really been helping him to be more accepting of situations that in the past he was really freaked out about.

His fine motor skills have improved immensely with him being able to write the letters in his name with so much more clarity and he has also been talking so much more. He is even singing all the words to really difficult songs, such as I've been working on the railroad. Although, he says "Someone's in the Chicken with Dina, someone's in the chicken I knoooow. Someone's in the chicken with Dina, strummin on the old Jo!" I love it!

We went to a family event the other night and a cousin said, "He is so cute!" He responded with, "I not! I'm Carter!" So funny!

Therapeutic Listening for Sensory Processing Disorder

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel S) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:33:00 +0000

Well, we have been doing the therapeutic listening with Mr C for about 3 1/2 weeks currently and I have just really started to notice a major difference in his attention. Today his teacher that is tutoring him for us over the summer even said she noticed a substantial improvement in his attention and ability to independently do a task.

So, at this point I am pretty excited about the results. His language seems to get better everyday and he is even starting to use a little bit of sarcasm, which can actually be pretty funny. We are continuing to have some difficulties with his eating habits, but I guess that is somewhat typical for a 3 year old. His obsession with plain tortillas is something I really can't quite understand.

Yesterday, he cried as if he was absolutely devastated when we had told him we were out. It didn't help that he was exhausted from a long day, but I was suprised that he seems so attached to this seemingly dull food item. Could it be his comfort food?

A friend of my mother's has a son with Sensory Processing Disorder and said that for the longest time he would only eat bread and cheese. We are lucky not to be in that position as I limit these foods unless he has eaten fruits or vegetables, but he definitely could be described as a cheese and white carb lover. Lately, he is willing to simply not even eat unless it's one of these items, but we keep on trying.

Eye Doctor Disaster

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel S) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 13:13:00 +0000

Last week I had an eye doctor appointment that I had intended to go to alone, but after my husband got caught up at work, I decided I had no choice but to bring Mr C. along. I thought it wouldn't be a big deal, as the appointment was a follow up for contact lenses. However, I was mostly worried about him touching things he shouldn't or refusing to sit quietly while I had the appointment with the doctor. What happened was not what I expected!

Things started off well with him waiting patiently in the waiting room with me. We went into the exam room and he sat in the corner chair while I hopped up into the examination chair. Then, the doctor came in and dimmed the lights. This is when it all started. At first he got out of the chair and started saying, "I'm scared, it's dark." I tried to reassure him to no avail, but it was when the doctor went to put the eye glass machine on my face that things really started to heat up.

At first he was just crying pretty bad and trying to run out of the room acting as if the doctor was going to hurt me or something with the machine. I tried to console him and convinced him to stand quietly on the other side of the door while holding the handle, hoping he wouldn't look anymore. Unfortunately, he began to peek through the crack in the door and with the widest eyes I have ever seen he began to scream the loudest pitched scream I had ever heard as the doctor tried once again to examine my eyes with the machine.

The look on the doctor's face was priceless. I don't think he had quite had that happen before. I tried to explain Mr C's sensory issues although I'm wondering if other children may have reacted the same?? It's so hard to tell anymore. Finally, a wonderful nurse came along and distracted him with stickers, so that I could finish my appointment.

I admit however, I was a little embarrassed about the loud screaming. I think even the people in the waiting room heard that. He acted like the doctor was murdering me or something. By the time we were leaving he was going in and out of the rooms pointing at the machines with a smile. Go figure....

Waterpark fun

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel S) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 00:39:00 +0000

We went to a waterpark over the weekend and Mr C had a blast. He was able to go down the big slide in a tube with another adult and loved it. He pretty much just asked to do that the entire time we were there. I wasn't able to take him myself because Mr C is going to be a big brother, but my family was great at helping me out.

The waterpark was in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and thankfully it was inside because the weather was cold! It must have dropped 20-30 degrees between our home and the vacation spot. Mr C did great in the car and loved getting to spend time with all of his cousins. I was of course exhausted by the end of it all, but it's worth it when you see the smiles on your child's face.

The only issues we had was with all the fun he didn't get much sleep and ended up being pretty emotional by the last day. Small price to pay for a ton of fun!

Eating Inedibles

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel S) — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 23:16:00 +0000

One thing I have noticed lately is that Mr C is getting much better with putting inedibles in his mouth. I’m not sure if he is just slowly maturing or if the brushing has helped to eliminate his desire to mouth objects (symptom of sensory seeking). Just a month or so ago we went to a local gym that offers open recreation for children to be able to rock climb, play on gymnastics equipment, such as trampolines and foam pits, and also play in a sandbox that has small pieces of black rubber instead of sand.

Well, initially Mr. C was playing so well in the sandbox pushing around trucks. Then, suddenly he decides that the small pieces of black rubber might be good to taste. Before I could stop him, he had a mouthful. Of course, he immediately started to spit them out, but not before it hit his gag reflex.

The next thing I know he had thrown up all over the black pieces of rubber in the box and down the front of him. You have got to be kidding me right now?!? I quickly took him into the bathroom to clean him off and then went to go take care of the mess in the sandbox. Luckily, there wasn’t anyone around to notice my awkward situation and the throw up in the box was easily removed with a number of the small pieces of black rubber.

I did mention the incident to the person in charge, but she didn’t seem too worried. She seemed to think it had probably happened before at some point. Yuck! It might be that this incident was punishing enough for him to realize that maybe he shouldn’t put things in his mouth without making sure they are edible.
It’s funny, I can’t get him to even try strawberries or raspberries, but small pieces of black rubber.. mmmm now those look goo-ood!