No Sleep Till….Well I’m Not Sure

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‘J’ was always a good sleeper. Well, once he was a few months old and out of the eat, sleep, poop, repeat mode. He was the baby you could put in the crib awake, he’d fall asleep on his own and if he woke up, it was solved with retrieving his binky. When he turned 1, he started going to sleep anywhere between 5:30 and 6:30 at night. Not as a nap, that’s just when he went to bed. In a way, it was great. It became a little more difficult if we had family dinner plans but he always adjusted well.

We knew that whenever we had another, we would not get as lucky in the sleep department. And we didn’t. ‘Baby J’ is adorable, happy, we are so lucky to be her parents. But the girl does not stay asleep. To her credit, she can also be put in her crib awake and fall asleep on her own. But she will wake up many times during the night. Most are quick and solved with a binky retrieval….but it still happens…alot.

Days before I found out I was pregnant with #2, ‘J’ decided it would be a good time to climb out of his crib. Convenient right? I mean we’d need the crib 9 months later anyway! With his new big boy bed came the realization that he could get out of his bed on his own. And so began the process of laying with him until he fell asleep. Two years later we’re still doing it for nap time and bed time.

Now throw in teething for ‘Baby J” and ‘Big J’ starting to have bad dreams and you get two zombie parents. I think we’re back to the days of appreciating a “good stretch of 4 hours” at night. I feel for both of them. ‘Baby J’ is in so much pain when she gets new teeth it’s heartbreaking. We know that ‘J’ is starting to have bad dreams even if he can’t fully comprehend or always communicate that which is horrible.

‘Baby J’ will still nap twice during the day which definitely helps for the nights where she is waking often. ‘J’ has been waking up extra early and sometimes during the night too which makes him more sensitive to his surroundings. I definitely get that. As adults, we’re not in a very good mood when we haven’t had much rest. I just want them to get a good night sleep, feel well rested and be happy when they wake up in the morning. In return, we’ll feel the same!

All I’m saying is as a collective unit, I look forward to us all sleeping through the night and feeling well rested the next day. At the same time, this is all a phase and it will pass. Once we are all sleeping through the night it will mean that they are growing up and soon enough will be in their teen years when I’ll be waking them up at noon. So even in this zombie mode, I will appreciate the tiredness (or at least try to) since I will (somewhat) miss it when it’s gone.

P.S. I love this post on Facebook from Parents Magazine:

SPD in Teens and Adults

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I often get asked if ‘J’ will grow out of his sensory processing difficulties. This is not something kids grow out of since it is a part of them. However, the work he is doing now and will continue to do will hopefully give him the tools to help him better handle his daily routine in the future.

The STAR Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) posted a great article: “How SPD Affects the Out-Of-Sync Adolescent’s Emotions” by Carol Kranowitz, author of The Out-of-Sync Child. Click here to read the article.

Are you wondering what Sensory Processing Disorder may look like in adults? Click here to read all about it on additudemag.com. Thanks to social media, I noticed this article by the STAR Institute’s tweet!

Although kids and adults are affected by SPD differently, gaining insight is always helpful. Knowledge is power.

Be sure to check out the STAR Institute’s website  for more information about Sensory Processing Disorder.

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Hear Ye Hear Ye

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About 7 years ago, my brother and I started a blog about our love for Disney. Although we’ve never kept up with it too much, it kept pulling us back.

In the last year, we’ve worked on our social media presence and in recent months we started hosting Theme Park Thursdays on The Improviser’s Guide Podcast.

But why am I talking about Disney? Well, The Improviser’s Guide Podcast has a new episode 4 days a week with a new topic for each day. This week I was lucky enough to be featured on “IT’S [Talk] TUESDAY” as a guest to discuss this blog!

I’ve mentioned before that I appreciate articles, blogs and groups I’ve come across that have helped me navigate speech delays and sensory processing difficulties. If reading this blog does that for someone else, even if it’s just providing some comfort that the reader is not alone, than I will consider that a success.

I really appreciated being able to speak on the podcast and educate others who may not know much about these topics, or might be starting on a similar journey.

The Improviser’s Guide Podcast is available via Apple, Stitcher, Castbox and Libsyn. Click here for quicker access to the Just My MomSense episode.

And now for cross promotion. If you’re a Disney lover like me, check out dillosdiz.com or @dillosdiz on Twitter and Instagram!

Thankful to be a Mom

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When you’re little, you dream of what you want to be when you grow up.

A doctor. A movie star. A singer. An astronaut. A Firefighter.

There were a few things on my list and they have changed throughout the years. The one constant is that I wanted to be a mom.

I had a whole plan of having 3 kids by the time I was 30. Since plans never actually go as…planned….I started at 32 and have two amazing kids today. Although financially stressful, I am fortunate enough to be home with them everyday. Watching them change and grow – mentally, emotionally and physically – has been the biggest joy of my life.

I’m only (a few weeks shy of) 4 years into mommyhood and I have learned so much about love, life and myself. There are a million stressful and tiring moments but I wouldn’t change them for anything. I am thankful everyday, appreciate all the ups and downs and can’t believe I get to experience my dream “job” and do what I feel I was meant to do. How many people get that lucky?

To all the moms out there (and dads) you’re doing an amazing job! If we can work hard to help these little people become kind, considerate, respectful, happy adults – we have succeeded! Keep learning and growing with them. One day when they’re adults with families of their own you’ll wonder with the time went and miss even the craziest of moments. Embrace the changes and don’t forget to cut yourself a break once in awhile.

You got this. You’re rocking it. And we’re in it together! Let’s help these little world changers as they embark on their own crazy journey. I can’t wait to see who they become!

Happy Mother’s Day 💕

Stop and Smell the Tulips

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Every May, our local park becomes so colorful thanks to beautiful Tulips.

When the kids woke up from naps on Monday, we went to check them out and of course stop by the playground. It had been a long week with ‘Baby J’ being sick, a few rainy days and another cancelled Chicago trip.

‘J’ has really been into Spiderman for the last month or two. He likes the Spiderman merchandise and books but he’s not that into the cartoons. On the way to the park he said he wanted to get a BIG Spiderman comic book. Then he started a conversation with his sister asking which comic book she wanted. He decided she wanted Minnie. We couldn’t resist the cuteness and after the park we headed over to the comic book store where he did indeed find a BIG Spiderman comic book, a Disney Princess comic book for his sister and the store through in some freebies along the way (including another Spiderman comic and Star Wars).

We came home and barbecued dinner. Being outside meant playing soccer, T-ball, chalk and bubbles. Once ‘Baby J’ went to sleep, we decided to make s’mores in our table fire pit. This was ‘J’s’ first time roasting marshmallows and since he can’t do dairy, it was more like a marshmallow sandwich. He loved every second of it. The night ended with his normal bath and movie routine.

All of these things happened in about 3-4 hours. Seems like a week’s worth of activities! We had so much fun and it was a great reminder that sometimes you have to just stop and go with the flow. It’s so easy to get caught up in the normal routine. We finally have some beautiful weather and we need to take advantage.

I highly recommend stopping, taking a deep breath and enjoying all the fun moments with your kids. It’s cliche but they really do change and grow so fast. The normal daily routine won’t make many memories, but days like Monday will.

It’s Spring! Don’t forget to stop and smell the….Tulips!

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Heavy Work Activities (Proprioceptive Input)

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Yesterday I talked about how Brushing Therapy can be used as a calming effect. ‘J’s’ Occupational Therapist and I have also discussed implementing some heavy work activities. She gave me a print out with some background information on how this may help:

Propriocepive input is the performance of tasks that involves heavy resistance and input to the muscles and joints. It is essential in helping our bodies integrate and process both movement (vestibular) and touch (tactile) information. Proprioception is a form of sensory input to the muscles and joints which makes us aware of our “position in space” (where we are in relation to other objects or people). Children to have difficulty grading and planning their movements and regulating their level of arousal.” 

Heavy work activities include:

  • Whole body actions involving pushing, pulling, lifting ,playing and moving
  • Oral actions such as chewing sucking and blowing
  • Use of hands for squeezing, pinching or “fidgeting”

The resistive input obtained through heavy work activities is generally organizing and can improve attention, arousal level, body awareness and muscle tone, as well as descrease defensiveness. 

The activities are broken up into the categories of: carrying objects, pushing or pulling objects, jumping and bouncing, climbing/hanging, sandwich/squishing, working on a vertical surface, resistive tools or toys, chewy foods, resistive sucking and blowing activities.

We’re not on any sort of schedule with these activities and most of them are already in his daily routine while he’s playing. We got a trampoline last year and he’s been obsessed with it ever since. If he can’t go jump on that, he is just fine jumping on the floor. He loves playing on his easel and writing with chalk. And lucky for us, he offers to help bring in groceries! Of course he can’t hold the bags that are too heavy.

I’ll definitely try some others on the list that we haven’t already to see how he responds. Like I’ve said before, a lot of this is trial and error and I’m willing to go through it all if it means helping him get through his daily activities.

Brushing…And I don’t Mean Your Teeth

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‘J’ will not be receiving Speech or Occupational Therapy (OT) over the summer. Both will start back up again in September.

We did have speech last summer and he just started OT in February. Therefore, I’m a little skiddish about not having either for a couple of months, while at the same time welcoming the break. In the meantime, we’re finally in a good groove with OT after a rough and late winter of snow storms in the midst of school breaks and I want to make sure we maximize the resource while we have it.

The Wilbarger Protocol

One of the newest activities of our days has been incorporating “The Wilbarger Protocol” or in simpler terms “Brushing Therapy.” The following was taken from nationalautismresources.com:

The Wilbarger Protocol (also referred to as brushing therapy) is often a part of a sensorysensory+clear integration or sensory therapy program. It involves brushing the body with a small surgical brush throughout the day. People who exhibit symptoms of tactile defensiveness are extremely sensitive to touch.

The complete protocol usually takes 2-3 minutes to administer. The first step involves using a soft, plastic, sensory brush or Therapressure Brush which is run over the child’s skin, using very firm pressure; it is like a deep pressure massage. 

After Brushing, we also do joint compressions in his arms and legs. Since it is similar to a deep pressure massage, serotonin and dopamine are released throughout the body resulting in a calming effect. For the first two weeks (we’re on Day 4) it is done on a schedule of every 2 hours unless the child is sleeping. In ‘J’s’ case, we’re also not doing it while he is in school. After the two weeks, we can reassess how much it has helped, if at all, and create a less vigorous schedule. So far he likes it. There is not a ton of research behind this technique but it has helped many.

Worst case scenario-it definitely can’t hurt. Stay tuned for updates!

 

*Image taken from Google Images

 

 

 

 

 

It’s Gonna Be May

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It’s May 1st-I couldn’t resist!

I can’t believe it’s May! May means 1 month and a few days away from ‘J’ turning 4. May means 1 month and 2 weeks until ‘J’ is done with his first year of school. May means finally nice weather and most of our days spent outside. May is feeling like a season of change.

Those who know me know that I am not a fan of change. I know change is necessary, a lot of it is good, but I’m a big fan of nostalgia and also wanting to freeze time. When ‘J’ turned 3, I felt emotional because to me going from 2 to 3 meant saying goodbye to the baby stage. I also knew then that it was much better than 4 which felt like more of a big kid. And now here I am, on the brink of having a 4 year old!

It also feels like the first day of school was just yesterday. It was the first time we were leaving him with anyone aside from a few family members. It was unknown territory and I was used to being with him all day everyday. The thought of having him in school two days a week for a whopping two and a half hours each felt overwhelming to me! Of course I knew he would benefit and grow from the experience. And that definitely happened. He loves his friends and teachers. Loves the routine of school and he’s having fun along the way.

I know he’s going to be so happy to celebrate his birthday. A lot of the family has birthdays in the fall/winter time frame, so he’s been waiting a long time for his. He’s also going to be sad when he’s not in the routine of school over the summer. Luckily I’m already in contact with the parents of his closest friends and I predict many play dates in my future.

Change can be good. ‘J’ is growing and figuring out his world. I’m so lucky to be a part of it and to watch it everyday. But I also can’t believe how fast time goes by and I try to soak it up as best as I can. Oh and it doesn’t matter how far he gets from the baby stage, he will always be my baby boy.

 

 

Feelings

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The first movie ‘J’ ever sat through in its entirety was Pixar’s Inside Out. If you’re unfamiliar with the movie, it takes viewers through the inner workings of an 11 year old’s mind. We get to see how her feelings, dreams and thoughts affect her daily life. The main characters consist of 5 feelings: Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust and Fear. I’d say those are 5 feelings everyone finds relatable.

I’m not sure I know many adults that understand their feelings so it makes complete sense that navigating feelings for a child is not an easy task. When ‘J’ started being affected by my niece crying or his sister crying, he also became extra sensitive to talking about any negative feeling. If you made a sad face as you were playing, it would result in crying from ‘J.’ If an adult said “oh, that makes me sad” or “oh I’m going to cry,” he would immediately react. We have Inside Out Box of Mixed Emotions books, one for each feeling. He got to the point of not wanting to read Sadness’ book. It broke my heart to see how affected he became by just the mention of a feeling.

Although I was starting to suspect that there may be some sensory processing issues going on, I also wasn’t sure if he was going through a phase. I started looking into other books that talked about feelings, singing Daniel Tiger songs about feelings and was even trying to get him to talk through his tantrums. For a 3 year old, whose words are still catching up to his mind, this was a lot of work. And again, for an adult, this is a lot of work. I didn’t want to push him too much and risk him keeping everything inside.

One of the books I got was “The Way I Feel” by Janan Cain. It goes through all the feelings one could have: silliness, frustration, happiness, boredom and many more. There are pictures associated with each feeling’s description to help the child understand it even more. I mentioned Daniel Tiger songs, but I also picked up Daniel Tiger Happy and Sad books. The show, the songs and his books tackle so many things that kids go through and I find it really helpful. Once we were getting through our Mickey Mouse Clubhouse addiction, ‘J’ had moved into Daniel Tiger and I’m glad he did. We countdown to calm down just like Daniel and associate different situations to how Daniel has handled them. What does Daniel do when he gets mad? How did Daniel feel when his sister wanted to play? What happens when Daniel’s friends didn’t want to play with him? What did Daniel do that was kind? The list goes on!

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Feelings are so tough to navigate and if you’re someone that has sensory processing difficulties and becomes overwhelmed in a lot of situations, it becomes even tougher. Whatever tools you can use to help are worth trying. Books, shows and songs are great for kids since they are drawn to those things already. They’re learning without realizing they’re doing any work. It’s kind of like sneaking vegetables into their cupcakes ;-).

I will always try to get my kids to talk through their feelings. Even when they’re teenagers and they find me extra annoying. Communication is one of the most important tools in life and the sooner they’re able to have that in their tool box, the better!

Below are links to the various books on Feelings as referenced above:

The Way I Feel

I’m Feeling Happy (Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood)

I’m Feeling Sad (Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood)

Inside Out Box of Mixed Emotions

Bag ‘O Fun

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As I mentioned in my last blog, “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” we took a trip to Pittsburgh two weeks ago for Spring Break. We’re lucky and thankful that our kids are great on car trips, as long as plenty of snacks and activities are packed. They normally make it to the final hour or two before they need the iPhones.

Although having activities and snacks comes with dropping activities and snack which results in me turning around to get them most of the trip. But it’s a small price to pay for having them locked in seats for 7 hours.

The times the car rides become less fun is when ‘J’s’ sister (‘Baby J’) becomes unhappy because that is an automatic trigger for him. This was one of my earliest red flags of thinking this was all more than just empathy. The result is screaming and crying long after ‘Baby J’ is done whining or crying.

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Along with checking out the Mister Rogers exhibit at the Heinz History Center, we also stopped by the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. If you haven’t been there, I recommend it. It’s huge and there’s so much to see and do!

Since it’s so big and it was a Saturday, there was a big crowd. ‘J’ was definitely overwhelmed. He wasn’t unhappy just unsettled. He didn’t stay in one place too long, didn’t go over to exhibits if there were too many people around it and was extra clingy. Luckily they have a great art area with painting and clay. This was a much quieter space and we spent most of our time in this spot.

I was talking to ‘J’s’ Occupational Therapist after our trip about his triggers and she suggested having a backpack with some items they may help calm him in these situations. At home, he’s good about going to his room to reset himself if he’s feeling overwhelmed. When we’re out in public or he’s locked into a car seat, it’s not as easy. Luckily we have quite a few backpacks on hand and I’ve since put one together with his headphones, sensory bottle, his squishy fidget dinosaur, small toys and his water bottle. We brought the headphones on our last plane ride and for some reason I didn’t think to bring them on the car trip. They definitely would’ve been helpful for when ‘Baby J’ was upset.

She also mentioned carrying the backpack may help him since weighted items can provide comfort. We’ve already tried this on shorter car rides (30+ minutes) and so far it has come in handy.

I’m willing to try any and everything that will provide him any comfort or organization for his mind and body. Not all will work, but through trial and error, I know we’ll find the best combination of sensory items and activities.