So much has happened over the last six months of life for you! With a major surgery under your belt, we were hopeful that better sleep & better attitude would come. At first we saw progress and then some severe regression during the summer months. At the start of August, I was beside myself with your behavior and how to address/fix/help with it.
While your sleep became better and you only were waking once in the night and then able to fall back to sleep quickly, your demeanor changed as I found you throwing toys and objects all the time. At people, in the house, at things, and so on. The more I asked you/begged you/yelled at you to stop, the more you kept at it. You began hitting other kids especially little kids (those who were younger than you) and your cousin Boston. I could see that someone would say something that hurt your feelings but instead of trying to talk, you would hit them. It was painful to watch and I cried many frustrated tears over it.
We ended up meeting with a behavioral therapist who helped give us some tools and tricks to combat your negative-attention seeking behavior. We put these to work and things have been so, so much better.
Around the same time, you began sleeping through the night FINALLY! After a year of not sleeping through the night, we both woke up completely different people. I began using lavender on your pillowcase in a desperate attempt to get you to sleep before your baby sister arrived. I have no idea if its the lavender or just your REM cycle came full circle, but I can see the change in us both with this new found sleep!
You are beginning to come into your own a bit and gain some independence. You are able to get yourself dressed from the waist down...shirts are still a struggle for you but we are working on it! You take your dishes to the sink, rinse them, and put them in the dishwasher. You are brushing your teeth and hair by yourself & you love setting up your nightlights for bedtime.
You are taking your big brother duties more seriously now with Brighton and Salem. You have begun to show empathy towards them, asking if they need your help. You also want to be the line leader and be in charge.
You are into sports and loving every minute of them. You have been taking weekly golf lessons for a few months and are already playing full holes on the Exec course. You are back to tennis and hitting backhands like a champ. You started swimming without floaties at the end of the summer which had you going off the diving board with no fear!
You amaze me with how much you love going to school now! The first day you gave Mrs. Evans & Mrs. Kinney the biggest hugs and shed zero tears. You just nonchalantly waved goodbye to me. Such a difference from last year! Thank you Lord!
You are enjoying Sunday School at St. Margaret Mary so much. You are in the class without Adelaide which I think makes it special for you. You are learning about God and so many wonderful life lessons which makes me happy.
We have our own special Tuesdays where we get to spend some one-on-one time together. We have been to House of Boom, road animals at the mall, enjoyed the park, or just hung out talking. I think we are both enjoying that time together.
I am excited to see what the next six months bring as you inch closer to being four years old!
I love you!
Love,
Mommy
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