Ups and Downs

Sometimes Jake can be so on. And other times so off. :( Example of a cool "on" moment. Yesterday he went in to make his bed and Lydia came toodling behind saying "I help you?" So, they went into Jake's room, he shut the door and a little bit later they emerged (well, tried, his door was stuck so he had to call to me to let him out.) The bed was made and he said, "Mom. We did it. We made the bed together. Me and Lydia. I did the bed (i.e. blankets) and she did the pillows!" He was so proud.

And the week of his birthday he learned to ride his bike without training wheels. He was so on then and communicating his success and pride.

I'm still seeing moments of being "on" like yesterday morning when he came in my room and said in this frightened voice, "Mom, I heard the storm coming." I said, "Oh ya? How did you feel when you were in your room and heard that?" He said "I felt scared." I said, "Well, how do you feel now?" He said, "I feel much better. I love you, Mom." But, lately he has been so dysregulated. So hard to engage. Running around the house. Lots of Peter Pan talk. I've banished all toys to the basement except puzzles, board games, blocks, puppets and magnadoodles. I needed a break from the upstairs clutter, but more than that he needed a break from pretend land. These times worry me sick, break my heart, and keep me up at night (it is 2:15am). I'm not entirely sure what has brought on this rather sudden wave of dysregulation and difficulty with engagement over the past week. He is skipping his nap some, but he is getting plenty of sleep at night. I would love to have him keep napping to keep his schedule consistent, but he is 6 years old. Most 6 year olds haven't napped in quite a while. So, if that is it, it is something we will have to work through. He did nap today for the first time in 3 days, but it wasn't very long. We are getting him to bed earlier when he doesn't nap. He is a great sleeper...he requires lots of it (just like his momma and dad). Seasonal allergies could be a factor. They are just starting to hit us in the midwest. Yesterday was definitely his most "off" day. Major sensory seeking and stuff. And yesterday was the worst day so far allergy wise. Although, I haven't seen any big symptoms out of him yet. I guess he was sneezing a bit, but his eyes looked ok and that is usually the worst part for him. I will start his Patanol eye drops tomorrow just in case.

We started OT for some fine motor work. He really does OK with writing, coloring and cutting but his coloring and writing are a bit disorganized and he is kind of slow as he finds it challenging. He also doesn't like it much, but is starting to like it more as he is improving slowly. I ordered the Handwriting without Tears program and we are going to begin that this week. I want him to feel competent and comfortable with his writing/coloring/drawing skills so that he embraces that work in school and doesn't have problems with getting off task. Allison has worked with us for 2 weeks now. Jake loves her. Even she noticed a big difference between yesterday (her 2nd visit) and a week ago. He was just so sensory seeking and dysregulated and bouncing off the walls. I started back the brushing, massage, joint compression, wheelbarrow walking, etc that he used to need all the time when he was little bitty. We did all that after bath and before bed. It seemed to help I think. I will continue it tomorrow.