Mason may have just turned 3, but he is definitely getting into some of the typical 2 year old behaviors. He is wanting to be more independent, which is great and what we want. He never went through the "I want to do it" phase of a typical 2 year old. We are really pushing him to help take his coat off, put on his shoes, etc. He is also figuring out how to get attention more by manipulating situations. He used to cry when he wanted attention, but now he does things like take his shoes and socks off outside as well as throw things or dump out bins. It is great that he is using problem solving skills. Now when I say "great," I really mean "so happy for developmental growth but it is not fun and super stressful at times!" When things don't go his way, he can have really unsafe tantrums and his comprehension is still really off, which can make recovering from the tantrum quite difficult for him. I just need to repeat the mantra, "I'm so glad he is growing and developing." "I'm so glad he is growing and developing."
His three appointments this week went alright. He was really sleepy for his speech appointment (which Zach came with too), but he was happy through it. By the end he was happy and interacting a lot with the speech therapist. It's great that he walks into his future school without melting down now. I'm so glad our speech therapist suggested meeting at school instead of our house for the last month or two. We also set up an appointment with an orthotic doctor through his future preschool's physical therapist.
His first OT appointment went similar to his appointment last week. As usual, he was happy to get there and play. He did have trouble engaging with the OT at first, but then he started playing with the light box and engaged more with her. It's always great to see him sit and play. It may sound silly, but he doesn't always use toys as they are meant to be used...which is a development task that I didn't know existed. He also doesn't have any imagination play, which makes playing with toys hard at times. We have been excited to see progress in this area in the last month or so. When there was 15 minutes left, he wanted to either go get a sucker, which is what they give when you leave. A big tantrum ensued and no one knew how to get him past it. It's defeating when you feel like there is not a strategy or solution for the situation and other therapists don't have ideas to help him in the moment. I completely understand that there is no way for them to have a "magic" strategy, but when three adults are looking at each other lost on how to fix the situation, it's tough. Instead of giving him the sucker when he wanted it, I carried him back downstairs. We made him put his shoes and coat on then went upstairs to get the sucker and leave. The OT pushed that we need to make it clear to him that he only goes upstairs to get a sucker and leave when his shoes and coat are on. We will see how it goes next week as Zach will be there too.
His second OT appointment started so great, but it took a rough turn after the first 5-10 minutes. This OT talked about limiting his pacifier use at the appointment. He usually gets so disregulated at this appointment that we give it to him. She was explaining to me that using his paci and using the suck reflex really turns him inward and limits so much engagement with others. He uses it so much when he is overwhelmed by something, and it can usually really calm him. Our OT does not want him to use it at appointments, so we can help calm him in other ways when he is feeling overwhelmed. As I said, he was great at first. Something didn't go his way (the floor mat was in a different place than it usually was, and he couldn't move it). He got really disregulated and wanted his paci. We told him it was "all gone." That caused him to get angry and hit/kick then just cry. He chewed on his shirt, on my shirt, on his stuffed bunny, on his finger. He never really got out of this funk. The OT was able to teach me a reflex technique that can hopefully help him with this oral fixation. She was also able to work on his feet a lot. Hopefully working on these reflexes at the appointments can make some progress.
I love having these appointments because I think they are beneficial for Mason, and I learn so much. But, they are really emotionally exhausting. They push Mason, which it great. Whenever you push someone past their comfort zone, it's difficult for them. I hate watching Mason hit these wonderful therapists. I hate watching Mason cry so sadly and powerlessly. Now, I think it is vital to face the difficulties of life instead of living in denial. I try to face everything with Mason head on. But let me tell you, I so want to bury our heads in the sand sometimes. It sounds so nice to always stay in our comfortable little Mason world with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, pacifiers, stuffed bunny, blankies, kitties, swings, and nothing challenging. We definitely let ourselves go to that little comfortable world at times (to keep our sanity). Then I think, if leaving that world is tough for me sometimes, I can't imagine how tough it is on Mason who does not understand that big scary world out there.
So much growth for our little 3 year old going on 2 year old. It can be amazing to watch your child overcome so much difficulty in such a short life. It just makes me love him more for all the happy times he has and that he brings others.
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