These guys. The simultaneously fill my world with joy, frustration, laughter…all the feels. I’ve been kicking this blog idea around in my head for a while now…an effort to share our topsy turvy world as we learn to navigate SPD, ADHD, possible ODD and the wonderful world of being boys.
My oldest child is less than 48 hours away from being 8. My first born, the one that opened my heart instantly when I held him. He is as unique as they come. He’s a sports nut, a walking football encyclopedia, and the most inquisitive person that I’ve ever met in my life. I try so hard to give in to his questioning nature, but there are days that I divert out of conversation frustration.
My youngest, my love bug. He is 4 1/2 and he has opened my heart even further, grown my compassion, my desire to learn everything and fueled my mama bear instincts more than I ever conceived. He lives in a limbo world that isn’t neurotypical, but isn’t on the austism spectrum. He’s not “normal” enough to blend in with his peer group, not “different” enough to get the help he needs.
Just over a year ago, we got a diagnosis that Owen has Sensory Processing Disorder (you down with SPD, yeah you know me!), focusing on his proprioceptive and vestibular systems. Two words that I never even knew existed. I don’t know if this is cause were his 2 year vaccines or the ‘roids that he was on for RSV (yeah you know…wait, no one’s down with RSV) or if the wind blew an SPD seed up his nose and planted there or if it was aspertame in a Diet Coke I drank while I was pregnant. I have no way to know, yet I will constantly wonder.
He was such a go with the flow baby. He could not have been more laid back and different from his brother Wyatt. Some where around 2 1/2 a switch was flipped. He became aggressive with his peers. He was the evil kid in preschool that you picture wielding acts of violence while laughing and wiping rogue snot away. Possibly with a tattoo that reinforced that he was in fact bad to the bone. His behavior led us to a play therapist (shout out to Robi and http://kidtalkfrisco.com/) who picked up on his sensory issues pretty quickly. She referred us to an Occupational Therapist (a what? we want him to make money, but it seems early to train him for work). The wonderful OT at Kidz Therapy Zone (another shameless shout out – http://www.kidztherapyzone.com/), was the one that gave us the SPD news. Fun fact – SPD is not recognized by the American Board of Pediatrics as real thing (no shout out for you ABP!). And that is why I’m here. To share our journey, our bumps, the good times, the stupid things that people say and so much more. I don’t know if anyone will read this. I don’t know if anyone will care, but I’ve had to fumble my way through this and felt like someone might benefit from our trial and error.
Our SENSE-ational Life 