This may sound not-so-loving coming from a doting mother (and I do dote on Lucas), but summer vacation needs to end now! It has only been a month since summer school ended and he has been home with me all day but in this short span of time, Lucas has gotten into more shenanigans than he has the whole year. To tally up: Lucas has already landed in the ER twice requiring stitches on his lower lip and chin; first fall from his activity set in the patio (see previous blog) and another fall while going down the stairs in the most goofiest and dangerous way possible in his already hypotonia induced drunken walk. He has broken 3 ceramic plates from his growing curiosity of everything in the kitchen sink and counter. It's funny how he never pulled out pots and pans from the coverts as many typical children that I have babysat have done. He fallen down the stairs twice and has developed an aversion to bathing for some reason. He screams and panics as if in sheer terror when I announce "bath time!". What the heck could have triggered this behavior? I am not sure but as I try to pretend to be psychic and a mindreader (which would really help me out raising Lucas) I am thinking maybe he felt the cold water on his skin and the sensation made him afraid. The tap has always needed time to warm up but why does he react now and has never noticed it before? Are his senses developing more and he is now aware of more sensations that were unnoticeable to him in the past? If only I knew and had the answer. He has begun to pinch his neck and abdomen incessantly and sometimes pinches me, too (not sure why, maybe he wants to make sure this is all not some really weird dream). Could he be having skin issues? Itchiness? Allergies? This not knowing is the hardest part about raising Lucas. He refuses to go out to play in the patio (he is traumatized from being locked out there!) He was playing with water in the wading pool and I had the patio door closed because the air conditioner was on and it was a very hot day. He didn't seem distressed to be out there but maybe being "locked out" scared him. I am just coming up with my own reasons out of the top of my head and it is impossible to know if they are true but there must be a reason why these insights pop into my head, right? Mother's intuition? He is eating poorly and we have wasted so much food (he refuses to eat anything on a spoon or fork) and has had almost daily meltdowns due to boredom or something else (God knows what). Not to mention my own meltdowns as I feed off his vibe. He definitely misses his routine of getting up in the morning and going to school and I think he misses his classmate friends, too. And, I miss getting to drink a hot cup of tea or coffee in the morning instead of a cold one in the early afternoon when I get a chance to drink it. We are restarting ABA but it won't begin until September. It would have been perfect timing to have had it during his vacation.
Most days, Lucas just runs around the house back and forth, falls off the back of the couch head first landing on his hands (he looks like a gymnast when he does that), and goes to the kitchen to break stuff like plates. Around mid afternoon, he gets bored of what he is doing and has a meltdown. I then try to take him for a walk either around the complex, park or the mall. One thing he absolutely does love are car rides. Some days he enjoys his outing but other times, I am stuck with a major meltdown in public with a scared infant (my younger son) in the stroller. We went to LeFunland and L had a major meltdown in the food court. He refused to sit down, and I stuffed my face as quickly as possible, and ate standing up while all the people just stared at us. I should have ordered a happy meal to go but we were at the table with a tray and there I was with my mouth filled with a burger with ketchup running down my chin with Luki in one of his foul moods. Some people looked sympathetic and I got a 'God bless You" from a lady who said she has two kids with autism of her own. I said God bless you right back at her. Two! She must think I am a saint. Another lady looked irritated and came by to say,"he is so loud!" Well, no shit sherlock! I would have profusely apologized for the noise but both my cheeks were filled with food like a chipmunk that I could not get the words out. I was trying to eat as fast as I could and get the heck out of there.
I probably should be doing more therapies with him but it is so hard with an infant to care for.
Today I received a member notice of authorization of services from my health insurance for applied behavior therapy through Easter Seals.I am wondering if this is what Lisa Williams was alluding to when she said "help is coming".
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