What Happened to Summer?

On August 27, 2018 By justmymomsenseIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

I think something is wrong with my calendar. It seems as though we’re in the last week of August, summer is coming to an end and school starts next week.

It went way too fast. I had ideas for the summer, things I would be doing with the extra time we’d have everyday and most of those things didn’t happen. Don’t get me wrong, we had fun, saw friends for playdates, saw immediate family and some of our adult friends. At the same time it seems like we should have done more. But in the paraphrased words of Carrie Bradshaw, we shouldn’t “should” all over ourselves.

Let’s recap what I had hoped for from my pre summer posts.

Potty Training
- Attempted, no success
A daily schedule
- Written out, happened twice
A road trip to visit some of our friends
- I can’t remember if I wrote about this one but regardless, it didn’t happen

Here we are at the end of summer. As I await details of ‘J’s’ class information, I wonder how his adjustment back into the routine will go. Monday and Wednesdays he’ll have Speech and OT again and Tuesday/Thursdays will be school. He went two days a week last year for about 2.5 hours a day. This year, he will be there for 5. I wonder which of his friends will be in his class again and my hope is that he’ll love it as much as he did last year. I know that won’t always be the case so if we cant hang onto it for now, that would be great. As for ‘Baby J,’ we’ll get back into a Mommy and Me class routine and I’m sure she’ll be missing her playmate around the house during the day.

A schedule is great but I want to hang onto these summer days just a bit longer.

A Summer Potty Party

On June 25, 2018January 30, 2024 By justmymomsenseIn Uncategorized2 Comments

Two weeks ago was the end of school. Last week was the end of Speech Therapy and Occupational Therapy. And now it’s summer.

My biggest goal? Potty training! A Summer Potty Party.

‘J’ is 4 and we have attempted potty training since he turned 2. It’s never gone well. He’s gone on the potty here and there and we’ve celebrated! We’ve tried the three day rule. We’ve tried no pants. We’ve tried underwear. We’ve tried a Paw Patrol Potty Seat, an Elmo Potty and a Mickey Mouse Potty. Bribes big and small. Aiming for Cheerios. You get the idea. We’ve been through it!

Understanding more of his Sensory Processing difficulties also helps us understand why this whole potty thing might not be so easy for him. Things have never progressed past a few hours because he is so overwhelmed, upset and affected by the process. Hesitation and some resistance is one thing. I definitely expect that. I expect accidents and I don’t expect things to go smoothly. But I also don’t want him to feel scared and that’s what I’ve seen in the past. Overwhelming fear.

I haven’t even pushed potty training in awhile, just mention it here and there, letting him know that it’s available. Now that we don’t have a set weekly schedule, which allows for more flexibility, I’m hoping we can come up with a plan he feels comfortable with and we can move on from the diaper days.

And hey, maybe ‘Baby J’ will show interest and I’ll have two potty trained by the end of the summer!

I kid…I don’t actually think that will happen.

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Milestones

On June 15, 2018June 15, 2018 By justmymomsenseIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

First off, I promised a blog everyday this week and I failed yesterday. But it was for a good reason!

‘J’ turned 4 on June 5th. 4! How did that happen? Remember when High School felt like forever? And college?! And yet you start on an awesome adventure of being a parent and 4 years go by in a blink.

In 4 years he has grown and changed so much. I’ve been lucky enough to witness every milestone: rolling, first steps, the long awaited first words and so much more! Toddler days are over and the personality he’s always had continues to flourish. He’s loving, sweet and funny, strong and smart, cute and full of energy. I see him interact with his friends and have flash forwards to years from now catching a glimpse of who he might be. I want the best for him and hope that when life lets him down, he can use his new strength to navigate out of it and turn it into something positive. His smile and laugh are contagious and I never want to see that fade.

Yesterday, ‘J’ had his closing ceremonies for his first year of school. Much like the first day of school can be more emotional for the parents, I think the same can be said for the last day. After talking with some of the other moms, I’m thankful to know I wasn’t the only one not accepting this change. This has been our routine for the past 9 months. We hit the jackpot with his teachers and the kids in his class. We’re going back to the same school in September but with different teachers and kids. I know it won’t always be as good as it was this year which only adds to not wanting to let go. I’m so thankful he found a safe and happy place in his classroom. He knew if he felt overwhelmed, he could go to his teachers for comfort. I heard about a day he was randomly crying and saying he missed me. His teachers said his friends gathered around him to make him feel better. Hearing that makes my heart explode. Of course I want to be there to scoop him up and make the tears stop. But I love that if I can’t be there, he found comfort in his friends.

I’m so proud of how he did in school this year. We continue to navigate through his speech and sensory difficulties. He works so hard everyday between school and his therapies. He’s insanely smart and blows us away daily. At the same time, he’s only 4 and sees everything as a way to play. And isn’t that the best way to learn?

It’s hard to see time go by so fast. I want my babies to stay babies forever, but I also want them to grow to be healthy, strong, independent adults. This is nothing compared to what I’ll be up against in the coming years. I look forward to all of it!

In the meantime, I’ll try to hide my lack of enjoyment when it comes to change so he’s just as excited for school in September as he was this year (hopefully).

Hear Ye Hear Ye

On May 15, 2018May 15, 2018 By justmymomsenseIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

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!

Heavy Work Activities (Proprioceptive Input)

On May 4, 2018 By justmymomsenseIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

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

On May 3, 2018May 3, 2018 By justmymomsenseIn Uncategorized1 Comment

‘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 sensory 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

Feelings

On April 25, 2018June 21, 2018 By justmymomsenseIn Uncategorized1 Comment

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!

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

On April 23, 2018April 23, 2018 By justmymomsenseIn Uncategorized4 Comments

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.

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.

Wiggling Our Way Through Meals

On April 18, 2018April 18, 2018 By justmymomsenseIn Uncategorized3 Comments

For the last few weeks, ‘J’ has been getting up mid-meal to jump, spin or run. He’s not upset when he’s doing it, not having a tantrum, it’s almost as if he just needs to do it.

‘J’ loves jumping on the floor, trampoline or his bed. He loves climbing anywhere he can. The fact that he’s a fan of this in general, it’s not surprising that once he’s sitting and eating for awhile, he needs to change things up.

He’s always been good about sitting at the table to eat. I’m torn in the sense that if he feels like that’s what he needs at that time because of how he’s feeling, I don’t want to stop him. At the same time, it’s not the best habit to teach, especially if he carries it over to a restaurant (knock on wood-that hasn’t happened yet).

I mentioned it to our OT and she suggested a wiggle seat. When I was talking with our speech therapist about it, she mentioned she had one we could try out. The last few days have gone well and he seems to like it. I don’t see him jumping or spinning as much. Who knew that a tiny little seat can do so much?

But what is it actually doing? The following was taken from sensorysolutions.co

The inflated chair has a slight texture on the surface, which already works to provide a certain amount of sensory stimulation. The angle and shape of the chair causes the child to engage their core section and balance themselves on top while sitting.

This stimulation actually sends signals to the brain to allow their minds to focus easier. What this means is that your child’s subconscious focusing on their posture and balance while sitting on the wiggle chair directly influences how their mind focuses. This makes the chair perfect for classroom settings.

The seat can help calm and organize the body. Since it’s working so far, I’ll keep it going. Stay tuned for updates!

Listen to Becky, from Sensory Spectacle talk about why someone with Sensory Processing difficulties may bounce on their bed:

A Hairy Situation

On April 17, 2018April 17, 2018 By justmymomsenseIn Uncategorized6 Comments

‘J’ had his first haircut on the day he turned 1. We were in Disney World and went to the Barber Shop on Main Street. It was so much fun and he did great! He may have been ok with a haircut or two after that one but since that timeframe, it has been a struggle.

As time has gone on, it’s not just a struggle to cut his hair. Washing his hair is usually being done as he is screaming or crying. Brushing his hair is a big battle in the morning. Sometimes I try wetting the brush a bit since he definitely has a big case of bed head every morning. I’m trying to give up wetting the brush since he hates feeling the water and only makes him hate the experience more.

It’s tough when we’re getting ready for school and he’s running away screaming not wanting his hair brushed. Or if I was able to brush it, he then has to rub his head in the couch, bed or on his hand while screaming which puts us back to square one.

This is an ongoing process to see what may help him get through these activities. It’s another example of something most people take for granted, but for him, it’s an extra sensitive situation. Like most things in parenthood, it’s trial and error until we find the key to what works.

Below are two videos from Sensory Spectacle. The first talks about why someone with SPD may not like brushing their hair, the second discusses why they may not like washing their hair and the last is all about haircuts.