Taking the Next Step

It's been awhile since I've blogged but I've been going through some stuff so I have kind of put it on the back burner.

Awhile ago, we had a meeting with The Beast's Early Intervention Teacher, his Speech Therapist and his Occupational Therapist to see where he was at.   He is actually doing amazing right now and has pretty much caught up with everything and is speaking at the rate of an older three year old and he is not even three yet.  So, we decided to drop the speech therapist because why make her waste her time with him when she could be helping kids who really need it.    We have made a lot of progress lately, this summer we were able to get rid of the pacifier and then in the last few weeks we have gotten rid of his bottles and his crib.    This went way easier than I thought it would so I was grateful for that.   Shortly after he was done with his bottles, I went up into his bedroom to check on him while he was sleeping and he had a pacifier in his mouth.   So, basically, he has been hiding a pacifier somewhere waiting for just the right time to pull it out.   I guess I don't mind because he doesn't use it nearly as much as he did.   He even went to grandma's house for three days without it and was fine.   I'm going to pick my battles.  

Our last major battle is potty training.   By this age both of the other kids were fully day and night trained and The Beast absolutely refuses to even try.    He has yet to even accidentally go in the potty chair.  He is so strong willed that there is no reasoning with him, I have tried everything; letting him pick out his own underwear (he chose lego batman like his brother), let  him pick out his own potty chair (a Cars one with a gear shift that makes noise) and I have even assembled a treat basket so when he actually uses the potty, he gets a treat.    The kids literally screams like I am killing him if I even try to put underwear on him.   If I put him on the potty, he does everything except sit still to actually try and go  potty.   It's so frustrating and I am so tired of diapers.    He will purposely hide when he poops in his diaper because he doesn't want me to change it.    It's disgusting and he has such sensitive skin that he ends up in a rash all of the time.   They don't make the only diaper he isn't allergic to in a size 6 so the poor kid always has a rash.

Anyway, at this meeting with the other teachers, we decided to bring in a therapist.   Our school district has a new grant for 0-3 year and they wanted me to try it.   A therapist will see The Beast in three different settings; our home, her office and one other place (maybe daycare?) and evaluate him to see if there are any issues that she can formally diagnose.   I told her that my hunch are any of the following: Sensory Processing Disorder, ADHD or Anxiety. 

It's not that I want him to have something wrong with him, it's not that at all.   I know he's doing well but there is just something about the way he acts that I don't know how to handle.   The reason I am bringing in the therapist is because he will not qualify for Early Intervention in January when he turns 3.    He is doing too well with his milestones to qualify.    But, I am worried that once he gets into school he is going to struggle and if he isn't in Early Intervention, it will be like jumping through hoops to get him any extra help.  If he is already enrolled in the program, he will always automatically have the help he needs right there in the school.   I am of course hoping that he doesn't need the extra help, but it's good to know that he automatically has it if he needs it.    He will also be able to start preschool next year in the 4 year old class, even though he is 3, because his EI teacher is in that classroom and she would take responsibility for him. 

Overall, I think this is a good thing and I am happy with my decision although family questions it.   They seem to think that I want something to be wrong with him and it's not that it all.    If there is something going on, I would love to find out so we can address it and simply move on.   It is always hanging out in the back of my mind and this will maybe put me at ease. 

So, I am curious to see how it goes today and hoping that it goes well.   The Beast will be on his best behavior I'm sure, just to make me look like I am a crazy person, that's what he does : )