Sunday, May 23, 2010

It's always a learning process

So the weekend was good, despite how my blog from yesterday might have sounded. 
I was enlightened though.  I often forget that Jacob's entire world is different than what it was 4 months ago.  This made me try to think of what could possibly be the same.  I couldn't think of anything.  How hard that would be on someone; especially a 2 year old. 
He lived in the city, we live in a small town. 
He rarely left home, we go somewhere everyday. 
He was being raised by 2 parents, now he has 1. 
He didn't have a lot of children around, we have a little girl come over a couple times a week and we go to a play group at least once a week, and we see his cousins at least once a week. 
His parents were quite elderly, okay just really old, and I'm young!  Hey I got told I look 20 this weekend, I'm using it to my full advantage. 
He wasn't talking at all, now he chatters away all the time and the majority of the time it is words, not just vocalizations. 
He was fed his food, I let him feed himself (by this I mean they literally spoon fed him and he didn't seem to have a say in how much he ate or didn't eat, now he controls the utensil and when he says "done" I let him be). 
He was told "sshh quiet!"  I never tell him this unless we are pretending someone is sleeping.  I know that this happened because this was one of the first things he would say on a consistent basis and it was always at meal times.  We talk non-stop at meal times now. 
He wasn't potty trained, now he's almost there. 
He didn't have a regular sleep schedule, now he is up everyday between 7-7:30, nap after lunch for a couple hours, and bed at 8pm. 
He hated baths, now he loves them. 
He wasn't an affectionate little boy, well that's what his assessments said.  He always comes running and wants to be cuddled or snuggled.  He easily falls asleep in my arms at least 3 times a week.  (I'm a sucker and sometimes I let him do this just so I get to hold him). 
He didn't have any pets, now he has 2 dogs.
He had temper tantrums to the point he would bang his head.  He hasn't done that in over a month, in fact he rarely has temper tantrums anymore.  Oh sure I'm not going to lie, he does get upset and starts crying but nothing like he used to be when he got upset.
He even drank all his liquids warm.  I have to admit he has now had 4 slushes, little ones, but he loved them all just the same. 
When I think of all these changes and how I would cope with them I begin to realize the magnitude of the change of what has occurred in his very young life. 
This has made me realize that I do need to understand that although I feel like he has never not been in my life, sometimes I can't treat him like that and I need to understand that if he can't and doesn't want to sit through yet another chapel time it is okay for us to leave and go sit in the foyer and I hold and tickle him.  Which is exactly what we did today. 
My life needs to adjust to him, not always his to mine.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

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(I guess I'm too used to FB...maybe I should start blogging again...)