2 1/2 Year Old Antics

We had several days of me wondering what happened to my sweet Landon and who is this little boy who replaced him... On Sunday, Jimmy had to get him out of the house for a bit so that I could finish dinner. He was sleep deprived from not napping. He kept demanding things and when I would try to figure out what he wanted or give him what was my best guess, it ended with screaming and insisting on being picked up. I was cooking and trying to get dinner ready and neither of us were giving in. Jimmy calmly picked him up and whisked him away so that I could have some peace and quiet. Monday morning didn't go any better so I threw meds and milk in the car and headed to my mom's house for the day. I know my limits and I know that my patience isn't what it needs to be in dealing with a little boy who is not quite sure what will make him happy. I have to say that yesterday brought about my little boy again. He went to school and actually stayed by himself in his classroom for 1 1/2 hours out of the total 2 of the school day. It wasn't perfect. On a few occasions, his teachers brought him out to see that Mommy was only sitting in the hall and that I did not leave him. I smiled when I heard his teacher say, "go tell her, tell Mommy how big you are!" He came running out of the room with a big smile on his face, yelled "Big!" and ran past me to go to the gym. There's a point for his teachers for managing the transition so well. I heard him cry a handful of times throughout that 1 1/2 hour time, but it was manageable and his teachers handled is beautifully. I could hear it all! I realize that I have been giving him more control than I ever expected I would. I believe in giving kids choices and I like to be creative in getting him to do things that he doesn't want to do. Today he got partially dressed while standing in the laundry basket but flipped when I attempted to put his pants on. I decided to give him a moment to flip and then I picked up him and put his clothes on with a battle, but I got them on. The funny thing is that I understand behavior pretty well... I'm trained as a therapist and I have worked with pre-school age to teen age. My sister-in-law flatters me in saying that she counts on me when it comes to what to do about particular behaviors with her daughter, her friends children etc.. I'm certainly not an expert, but I do have some knowledge and experience. But, when it comes to my own child, it doesn't feel so easy all the time. There's way too much emotion involved so sometimes I have to take a step back and remind myself what Landon is trying to tell me or what he is trying to accomplish by acting out. Jimmy is more of a black and white thinker than I am... This certainly helps when look at him with that defeated expression. Lucky for us, one of us can pull it together to handle situations. On another note- we visited the Children's Institute today. The breathing/swallowing expert was there today and told me that she'd like to do a bit more testing. She really wants to get the picture of his esophagus when he is swallowing. So, we scheduled the swallow study test for next Friday. I have a few tricks up my sleeve that may help this to actually happen. I'm not totally confident, but I trust the experts in the room with me and I know Landon. We are in a much better situation than we were when we originally tried to get the test done at Children's Hospital. Landon has become much more comfortable in the environment and with the therapist. Maybe too comfortable.. haha.. Today he was sitting in the high chair and the xray machine was positioned in the way it will be during the test (on each side of his head). We were trying to get him to take some bites and he looks to the side and proudly says "S!" I asked him where he saw an "S." The therapist giggled and in a surprised tone said, "yes, there is an S written there." He followed up by reciting the other letters that he saw in order. He spelled out the manufacturer's name. The therapist said, "wow, he is pretty good at distracting." My response was, "you have no idea." I admit that I looked forward to the day that he wouldn't seem like such a baby. I know any parent reading this will shake their head and say, "it goes so fast. Don't rush it." You have to understand though. It hasn't gone all that fast with Landon. This disease kept trying to hold him back in so many ways. He has conquered so much and now, really is a typical 2 1/2 year old. He was not a typical 12 month old, 18 month old, 2 year old... Now he asserts his independence, he tests boundaries, he sat at the table and ate scrambled eggs with ketchup this morning and insisted that I add more and more ketchup while he watched Wiggles and wore his pajamas and fireman's hat... He laughed hysterically as a I danced in the front seat of the car to the song Gangnam Style, he sat at his table this afternoon with a plate filled with cheesey chicken casserole leftovers from last night and strawberries then had to be reminded to eat his noodles and not just strawberries... This all JUST started for Landon, for us. So yes, are his 2 1/2 year old antics frustrating- absolutely! But, we'll take the not so good with all of the incredible things going on right now... We are certainly blessed and there's not a moment that goes by that I don't know it!