FIRED

I thought it was important to let everyone know that I was recently fired from my full-time position as a translator.  Although I took pride in this job, I am pleased to let you know that my translating services are coming to an end.   After three years of interpreting my sons mumble jumble, Branson is finally beginning to speak where other people can understand him.  He is able to hold his own conversations, voice his opinion, and even argue with his sister.  There are moments where he gets confused and moments where he reverts back to his own language but for the most part he is holding his own.  Daily my husband and I wait in anticipation to hear what he has to say.  I know his sister, Chandler, feels the same way because she rejoices with him every time he completes a sentence.  Just yesterday she would irritate him on purpose just to hear him yell "hey, stop that sister!"  Throughout the day we try to find things for him to talk about just to hear his voice and connect to his thoughts.  If I could, I would bottle up these days of verbal expressions just to remember every word he speaks.  I feel so blessed to have taken this road with SPD, because without it I may not have understood the true value of speech.

Breakthrough

Today my son, Branson, concord every toy aisle in Target! (Yes this is a big deal)! In the past we would have to skip certain aisles in order to have a peaceful outing.  The BABY aisle and the MONSTER aisle are the two main aisles we skip, thanks to the motion sensor toys that go off when you walk past. We also have to make sure that children are not in the aisle, because we know that typically every button on every toy will be pushed and unpredictable noises and motions are just not how we roll.  Okay so that is a normal Target outing, but today was different.  First we started in the puzzle/game board aisle and made our way to the legos.  This was easy until Branson found new display boxes that light up and make noise as you pass by.  At first he back pedaled quickly and wrapped his body around my leg.  Then in a matter of moments he was interacting with the display by pushing the buttons and listening to the new sounds.  He even looked up at me and said "mommy do you hear that noise?"  Next we headed down the dreaded aisle of loud monster trucks, unpredictable dinosaurs, and scary monsters (star wars and wrestling figures).  This aisle ended up being the hardest, but he did it.  I did help him pet the dinosaurs and he even ended up pushing the sound buttons on a few trucks.  After this aisle the rest seemed to be a breeze.  We looked at every toy possible and even took home a rubber snake and a grasping claw.  I have to confess that it is days like this that keep me humble and I realize that we can find a thankful spirit in even the small things.

How to Spot an SPD Parent

You know your a parent of an SPD kid if:

You cut your child's hair while they are sleeping.

You never take tag's off of new clothes or new shoes.

You know words like: vestibular, hyper or hyposensitivity, proprioceptive dysfunction,
neurological process...

You grocery list is ruled by foods with or without textures.

You find playing with moon sand, play-dough, and shaving cream is as relaxing as a spa treatment.

Your child has 5 different coats made from 5 different materials.

You know potty training is like breaking a wild stallion (O so difficult, but not impossible).

You carry an arsenal of random toys in your purse, car, or pocket.

Your home looks like the inside of an Occupational Therapist room.

You can spot Casein, Gluten, Food coloring, and Preservatives from a mile away.

Last but not least,

You diagnose other children with SBD (spoiled brat disorder), MMS (master manipulator syndrome), or any other acronym that suits the case.