2 for the 2nd Time

On January 9, 2019 By justmymomsenseIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

I have a two year old….again.

‘Baby J,’ as she’s known in these posts turned 2 today. I can’t believe it. Of course when you have a baby everyone says not to blink because it all goes by so fast. And it’s 100% true. It’s all going way too fast and my anxiety shoots through the roof thinking about it.

It’s been amazing to watch them both grow and change. I’ve loved watching the sibling dynamic form, especially in this last year while ‘Baby J’ has learned to walk and talk. Once those switches went on, there was no stopping her. She’s so smart and sometimes I question how she’s only now turning 2. She’s cute and she knows it. She loves hugging all three of us, cracks us up and knows how to push ‘J’s’ buttons. Within seconds they can go from making each other cry, to hugging each other and saying “I love you.”

‘Baby J’ completed our family in an amazing way. I learn something new about her everyday as she learns something new about the world. Hearing ‘J’ tell her that she’s his best friend makes my heart melt.

I feel like the luckiest person in the world to have the family I do. They are my world. Every minute of everyday isn’t perfect but it’s perfect for me. The ups and downs, stressful times, and ongoing exhaustion are worth everything.

I hope my baby girl had a great birthday and I’m so thankful to be her mom!

Not Understanding Doesn’t Equal Not Existing

On January 8, 2019 By justmymomsenseIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Sometimes when people don’t understand things, their automatic go-to is that it doesn’t exist.

When a person breaks their arm, you can see it. You know how it gets fixed and before long, the arm is back to new. With other conditions such as anxiety, depression or in my world, sensory processing difficulties, you can’t see it. There’s no cast to put on, and if someone hasn’t experienced it on some level, they’re not going to understand it. But, it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist.

I’ve talked about this a little in a past post, “Is This a Real Thing?” I’m sure I’ll talk about it again in the future because it’s an ongoing conversation. Being a part of various social media groups, I read so many stories of families not being supportive of a child with sensory processing difficulties. Often the parents will hear that they don’t discipline enough or that their child needs to learn respect. Sometimes a spouse doesn’t understand what’s going on, is scared of what others will think and therefore rejects the idea of an evaluation. When really, the sooner you get your child the proper therapy he/she needs, the quicker they will begin to thrive.

I don’t think everyone in our world fully understands what ‘J’ is going through or even what it all means. But they are supportive and only want the best for him. We’re still learning everyday. I’m lucky to have a spouse that is on the same page as I am and we work through it all as a team. I feel for those who don’t have the support since it’s stressful enough on it’s own.

There is plenty to catch up on from the couple of months I’ve been away from blogging and we will definitely get to it all! A person won’t be cured sensory difficulties, but they can be given tools to help them through everyday instances that most of us take for granted. I hope those that are starting off without the support they need, eventually find it.

A Paw Pa-rrific Halloween

On October 30, 2018October 30, 2018 By justmymomsenseIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Over the last 6 months, J has gone through different phases of characters he’s into. We were way into Spiderman (he kind of still is), Sid the Science Kid, Super Wings and Paw Patrol. I wanted to wait on buying a costume this year until I knew one of them was sticking. Paw Patrol was the winner and tomorrow J will be dressing up as Marshall.

This time last year, more red flags of a possible sensory issue were coming to light. One of them was how bothered J was by his Woody costume. He seemed so uncomfortable with the feel of the costume and absolutely hated the sound of the velcro on the back of his neck. Every time he moved he would beg me to cut the tag out. I would assure him I already had and this was velcro which helped the costume stayed on.

When we got home from the store a couple of weeks ago and tried on his Marshall costume, I saw him immediately cringe. We cut any tags out and I reminded him of the velcro. He’s not a fan but pushes through in order to wear it. We’ve worn it twice so far for other Halloween activities this month and there’s been a meltdown associated each time. Normally because he does not want to wear the costume in his car seat. He is visibly overwhelmed. Talking it through with him, taking some deep breaths and giving it some time usually does the trick. He tugs at it here and there but overall accepts the costume since he so badly wants to wear it.

Most people around him wouldn’t notice it, unless they witness the major meltdown. But there are looks he gives me when he’s uncomfortable and looking for reassurance. There are various situations where I’ve seen that look and Halloween season is just one instance. Overall, he loves pumpkins, Halloween decorations and the idea of dressing up. He’s looking forward to his Halloween parade at school tomorrow and Trick-or-Treating in our town.

For those with sensory difficulties, so much is going on behind the scenes in order to get through different situations and daily activities.

Another Hairy Situation

On October 28, 2018 By justmymomsenseIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Back in April I wrote about how much J did not enjoy getting his hair wet or having it cut. Here we are in October and not too much has changed.Bath time has gotten easier, although he still has his moments. We still can’t wet a brush or comb when styling his hair.

Before school started, I took him to get a haircut. We made multiple attempts in multiple locations and none of them ended well. He was crying, screaming and trying to run away. It got to the point of his hair being in his eyes that we knew we had to try a different route before school started. My husband took on the duty of adding stylist to his resume. It was a struggle and took over an hour, but ultimately J had his hair in a much better state than he started with.

Hair grows fast. This weekend we found ourselves once again in the position of needing to take J to get his hair cut. We figured we’d skip the struggle of getting it done somewhere and just have my husband do it again. Needless to say, it didn’t go well (not horrible but could be better) and we will definitely be going back to the professionals for next time.

Click here to read “A Hair Situation,” which I posted back in April. I also included 3 videos from Sensory Spectacle in the post discussing why those with SPD find washing, brushing and cutting hair difficult.

Since we’re discussing hair cuts again, I have included that video below. What may not be fun for some kids is heightened for those with sensory difficulties.

World OT Day

On October 27, 2018October 27, 2018 By justmymomsenseIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

I couldn’t let today go by without acknowledging World Occupational Therapy (OT) Day.

I’m so thankful for J’s Occupational Therapist. She has taught us so much, made J feel comfortable during his sessions and is always available to answer our questions. Although a complex profession and not centered around one specific niche, Occupational Therapists work to promote independence for their clients. Whether they’re working with children or adults, they work to help them grow socially, physically and emotionally.

For us, it seems appropriate to celebrate OT during Sensory Processing Awareness Month. OT helps J navigate through daily activities easier while providing us with a better understanding on how we can help him succeed.

Sorting Fun

On October 19, 2018October 19, 2018 By justmymomsenseIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Impromptu sorting game for a lil TGIF fun!

My kiddos are 4 and 21 months, so we worked on a variety learning objectives with this one. Each plate had the name of the color written uppercase in that color. I also wrote it out in lowercase on the bottom. I grabbed random toys from around the house and threw them in a big pile in the middle.

This ended up being a great success!

I had them sit on the couch to listen to the instructions. #listeningcomprehension
They worked together to sort random toys on the correct plate. #teamwork
‘J’ was able to read the words on the plate. #reading
When there was more than one of any item, we worked on counting. #math
Speaking candidly, ‘Baby J’ was over the sorting portion a lot sooner than ‘J,’ so she started putting the mega blocks together. Working on those gross motor skill, right?

Sometimes I forget how easy it is to create games with things you already have in the house. They both had fun and we’ll definitely do it again soon!

Auditory Sensitivities

On October 13, 2018October 13, 2018 By justmymomsenseIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Imagine sitting in your living room, watching TV and your 4 year old pops up and says “hey, what’s that?” But you don’t hear anything. He knows there is something and starts looking around until he gets to the window, lifts up the blinds and reveals a fly.

‘J’ has always been able to hear sounds from far away. As a baby playing on the floor, far in the distance there would be a horn honking and he would lift his head up. When we realized he had a speech delay, I was asked if I had concerns about his hearing. I said no.

Fast forward to a few months after his sister is born, the three of us driving in a car and she is hysterical in the back. ‘J’ loses it and I think he’s being empathetic for his sister. He was and still is, but he’s also negatively affected by her crying. It’s a trigger for him. As you know from a previous post, “When is it Empathy and When is it Sensory,” this was one of my first red flags and what lead me to learning more about Sensory Processing Disorder.

Another great book I came across, since I follow them on Twitter (@sensorysmarts) is “Raising a Sensory Smart Child.” In the book, authors Lindsey Biel and Nancy Peske takes the reader through the various reactions to sound, how it connects to learning and the vestibular connection. I would definitely add this book to your library for anyone navigating through sensory difficulties.

I notice a change in ‘J’ when sounds are affecting him. They’re not always loud, they’re not always sudden but it can affect the way he feels or acts in a snap. Sensory Processing Difficulties are different for everyone. This is just one of the ways it affects ‘J.’

World Mental Health Day

On October 10, 2018October 10, 2018 By justmymomsenseIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

As parents, we all do so much to keep the household running. We’re responsible for tiny humans, jobs, bills, house, extended family, the list goes on. There’s not too much time for us and it’s easy to put ourselves on the back burner.

I spend a lot of time trying to talk through feelings with my kids. We work on identifying a feeling and how to navigate through it. Not an easy concept. Not even for adults. There are books, and great kids programming to help educate on feelings as well. I even wrote about the “Breathe, Think, Do” app in a recent post. All excellent items for a kids’ toolbox.

But it’s hard for us to remember to stop and breathe.

Like so many others, I’ve dealt with my own ups and downs when it comes to mental health. Even though for me, it’s been awhile since I went through it, I remember being there.

If you’re struggling in any way, there’s no shame in getting help and it’s not too late. Talk to a friend, a family member or a therapist. Like our kids, we need tools in our toolbox. The only way we get them is to keep learning and working on ourselves. It’s not easy and might be one of the hardest things you have to do. But if there was ever a time to take a big leap, it should be on yourself.

Change of Weather

On October 9, 2018October 9, 2018 By justmymomsenseIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

I have horrible allergies and sinus issues. These get worse when the seasons are changing or if there’s rain. I’m also not myself if it’s a rainy day. I think many others are like that too, right? How many times do you hear ‘it’s a perfect day to stay in and watch movies.’ Knowing all of this, I shouldn’t be surprised that I notice a change in ‘J’ on non-sunny days.

When trying to pinpoint when I noticed the shift, I think it was last year during a windy day. He was having more meltdowns, seemed tired and overall was not himself. I couldn’t quite figure out what was going on until the next windy day when it happened again. Over time, I picked on cues from him on cloudy days, rainy days, a major shift in temperature, etc.

For those with sensory processing difficulties, a change in weather also means a change of clothing. Many people don’t enjoy socks on their feet or sweaters. They may feel overwhelmed in a jacket or get overheated easily with too many layers. We have these experiences on a smaller level, as ‘J’ is not a fan of tags in his clothing.

Sometimes what may not be a big deal for us or something we’ve gotten used to, will be a much bigger deal for someone with sensory processing difficulties. I hope all those that experience more difficulties during weather changes, have a smooth transition as we go from Fall to Winter!

One more thing: I should also mention that almost everyday, when we open the front door to leave the house ‘J’ will say “wow! it’s a beautiful day outside!” even if it’s not. Sometimes he can be a glass half full kind of kid.

October is Sensory Processing Awareness Month

On October 1, 2018 By justmymomsenseIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

1 year ago, I didn’t know that October was Sensory Processing Awareness Month. We were just starting the process of researching which eventually lead to approval for Occupational Therapy.

This blog was inspired by the fact that ‘J’ has sensory processing difficulties. I will be working hard this month to help spread awareness by sharing our stories.

‘J’ works so hard in Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy and school. I’m so proud at how far he’s come and love watching him grow.

Click here to read where our Sensory journey began.