Since last I blogged we have had many changes in our family; some progressive and some concerning. So let me catch up a bit. Abby continues with ST, OT and is now receiving PT services, she has added a few more fancy terms of why she is the way she is, adding to CAS is SPD, Dyspraxia, & severe hypotonia. Andy is still not speaking @ 27mths which has concerned his therapists enough to set in motion a frequent therapy regimen. Possibly the biggest change we have had is that we have introduced a new little one into our family: Archer who is now just under 4mths.
I will post more about Andy's progress in a separate post. I have titled this post "adaption" and although change effects everyone including my 2 year old it seems to be an ongoing battle for Abigail.
This year Abby will need to adjust to many things, a new therapist, a new classroom, a new teacher, new friends and most of all a new brother. The changes that are happening in her life seem to be elevating her already challenged cooping skills. She has becoming "needy" at home. Seeking attention in anyway she can - throughout the day and throughout the night. It does not stop. She has developed what I refer to as safe word/phrases that helps her when she needs more stimulation. "applesauce, applesauce, applesauce" over and over and over again for no seen reason.
Now turning 5 I have been told by therapists, doctors and other mothers that Abby should be able to hold a conversation for a few minutes, she should be able to watch a full TV episode, she should be able to sit for at least 15 minutes in an organized circle. These are things that are so hard for my princess to do. She needs to be jumping, swinging, standing on her head. We have an everyday routine which puts her in bed by 8p yet she can not stop her body and her mouth until close to 11p.
With a new little one in the house I do have to say that my patience with this symptom of SPD is very thin. I ask myself "why can't she just stop, I am telling her to stop". It rains one day and we have anxiety over umbrellas, it's sunny out so we have anxiety over whether we will go to the pool or not. yes even the weather effects her and the way she will handle the day.
Good days are far and in between at this point and I find myself frustrated to the point of yelling. Then something happens that pulls me out of my own frustration and into hers. Like not being able to move because there is a truck in the parking lot and it is idling and the sound of the engine, the smoke coming out of the muffler, and the smell the diesel is producing is just too overwhelming. So we stop and we wait for these things to take root in our body. We wait for our noses to acclimate, for our ears to stop vibrating and for our eyes to process what these new things are. We wait, just a minute, sometimes even 30 seconds - which seems like an eternity to others. Andy holds her hand and I pat her head and we walk into the building leaving the truck behind. This truck causes a domino effect for the rest of the day - its like she has just taken a big swig of Red Bull. She seeks stimulation continuously the rest of the day. How frustrating it must be to not be able to stop...
