He's a Big Boy

Elijah has been - how shall I put this - challenging lately.

It's kind of difficult to put our finger on what is wrong. We know Elijah is teething, but he has been for months. Two of his two year molars are poking through, but those suckers are taking forever. And to think there are two more to go. Sigh.

At the age of two our little man finally started to sleep through the night fairly consistently... and then it all changed. Teething, perhaps.

The thing is, though, that there are a lot of changes taking place in Elijahland. There might be more to it than just some teeth. Little man seems to be trying to assert his independence in whatever ways be can. He seems to be having the typical two-year-old "me do" mentality. Problem is, he isn't able to tell us verbally what he wants - which is frustrating to all of us.

His receptive language, however, is coming along. He's showing us that he is indeed understanding some phrases that we say. For example, if I say it's time to eat, he will walk to the table (usually laughing as he goes).

And, diaper changes. Elijah has hated having his diaper changed for the longest time. I'd explain what was going to happen, lay him down and he'd absolutely freak out. We finally figured out that he didn't like to be laid down. He wanted to do it himself. We tell him that he needs his diaper changed and he very compliantly lays down on the floor to have it changed. He'll even lift up his bum sometimes to help out! I know it might not sound like much, but to us...it's a big deal. Not only does he understand, he has a preference to how his diaper is changed, and he wants to do it all by himself. He's a big boy and he's desperately trying to let us know.

Speaking of being a big boy, we're making the transition to a toddler/day bed. We've been thinking about this for awhile now, since Elijah's getting scarily tall for his crib. We turned his crib backwards (because the back of his crib is taller than the front), but then I needed a stool just to reach him! Not ideal. We've been apprehensive to make the change, wondering if he's ready developmentally. And guess what? Elijah seems to be sleeping better with just having his mattress on the floor (we're doing it this way first to make sure he doesn't take a big tumble out of bed). It's going to take some training to teach him how to stay in bed (and it would with any kid), but he seems to be so much happier. He's a big boy. He wants freedom and independence - just like any other two year old. And just like any other first time parents, we're trying to figure it all out. We'll get there.

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Temper

It's been a bit of a rough week. Our little man has been having a lot of temper tantrums, which we think we can mostly attribute to teething (Elijah is getting his second set of molars).

The good news? He only needs three and a half more teeth. The bad news? You guessed it - He only needs three and a half more teeth (he's been working on that 'half' for a few weeks now).

Mealtime has been particularly rough. He wants to eat, but once I start to feed him he freaks out - biting and banging his head on the high chair. Not pretty. We finally figured out that he's in pain (the poor guy).

When Elijah first started to have temper tantrums, we were thrilled. It was during his first set of HBOT dives that he started to tell us that he didn't like getting his diaper changed and that he didn't really appreciate getting put in his car seat. Over a year later and he still doesn't really like those things and still lets us know.

Having to come back inside after playing outside also sets him off - as does not letting him go somewhere he wanted to go.

A lot of this stuff is just typical two-year-old stuff. While some of the ways he deals with his frustration isn't so typical (i.e.-biting his hand to the point of causing it to bleed), a lot of it is your run of the mill temper tantrums (and from what I understand - some self-injurious behaviors can also be considered 'normal').

I remind myself that there is a reason that "they" call these the Terrible Twos. Elijah does have disabilities, but more important than any of his diagnoses is this fact - he is a two-year-old. There is more that makes Elijah similar to his peers than what makes him different. And I believe that statement is true when it comes to every single child, no matter the disability. We are all linked by a human connection. It is so important for me to remember this.

The temper tantrums this week got me to thinking...what causes your kiddos to lose their tempers?

I'd love to hear from Elijahland readers who are parenting or have parented (special needs or not) a child who has temper tantrums. What gets your child upset? How do you deal with it? And, if your kiddo has never had a temper tantrum, what do you wish they'd get mad about? Because, I know when you're parenting a child with special needs, there are things you never thought you'd wish for. I never thought I'd see temper tantrums as a blessing, but I do. The blessing is in never taking anything for granted. Write a comment and we can share stories (you don't have to have a blogger account to do so...just post it anonymously and sign your name at the bottom). I'd love to hear from Elijah-fans (yes, you!). Okay, so is that a totally pathetic attempt to get comments or what? :)

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