Meltdowns and Articles

It’s been a busy month around here. Jax is getting into the swing of things at preschool. He’s making new friends and is learning the rules of the classroom.

His teacher sent me a note yesterday. It said “I just had to tell you at the end of the day Jaxson came up to me and said “My mom would be so proud of me!” I gave him a high five and said “You’re right! You did a great job today at school!” He really is doing a much better job of sitting a group and engaging in activities the adults are picking for him. So fun to watch his progress!!”

The teacher is right! I am so proud of him!

There are lots of great things about school, but it’s also been a challenge because he doesn’t get naps anymore. When he gets home from school, he is exhausted, which makes the transition even harder. But, we’re making it work.

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When he gets home from school, he generally has meltdown time. I’m doing everything I can to help him through this transition. I have snack ready at the table and I have his chewie* ready so when he feels the need to bite himself or me he has another outlet. We also have his resistance tunnel* ready so we can do some slow pulls across the floor. Pulling in the tunnel helps him get the deep pressure that he needs to regulate.

There is a lot of crying and biting and hitting and yelling and throwing. I do my best to stay calm and offer hugs and cuddles when he’s ready. It takes a lot of deep breathing on my part – it’s hard not to let his emotions and behavior take control. I know he’s not doing these things on purpose or to “get back” at me, so I remind myself that it’s my job to stay in calm and keep him safe. I don’t take it personally when he tries to bite or hit me. Instead, I firmly hold his head/hands away from me and tell him “I can’t let you bite me.”

The meltdowns have been getting progressively better as the month goes on, so I’m confident that we’ll get the hang of things soon. However, it’s hard not to worry about the future. Right now, I can hold Jax and keep him safe. But what will happen when he is bigger and I am not strong enough to stop him from hurting himself?

I guess that’s what all these therapies and strategies are for – to give him the tools he needs to be able to regulate himself as he gets older. Yesterday, he walked in the door and asked “Mommy, where’s my chewie?” That’s huge! He’s already recognizing his needs and becoming his own advocate and that makes me so proud. ❤

In other news, we’ve had a couple of articles featured on some pretty cool sites lately.

I’ve been reading the Pregnant Chicken site for a while. It’s hilarious – and they like to swear, so really, it’s right up my alley. I’m honored they selected to publish my article Pumping in the NICU: Liquid Gold or Liquid Guilt?   Please head on over and take a look!

Here’s an interesting one…our story was featured in Catholic Health World Magazine. It’s interesting because we are not Catholic (and we like to swear). However, Jax was born in a Catholic hospital that is part of the Catholic Health Association.  I think the article is great because it shows that using Prayer Points in the NICU, even with families who are not particularly religious, can be helpful.

“Mullenmeister said she and her husband don’t subscribe to a particular faith tradition. Even so, they found Ajayi’s prayer points a useful tool. “To have something like that to hold on to was so helpful,” she said. “He described it to us as a short-term goal to focus on, a way to not get consumed by the ‘what ifs.'” Read more…

 

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