Things with Connor have been really difficult lately. He is super defiant at home, anything we say he responds with the exact opposite and his sleep is terrible. He is still showing us this somewhat new bedtime anxiety and demands that we stay in his room with him until he falls asleep. He also demands that I be the one to put him to bed majority of the time. This has been hard for us but I have decided it is not worth causing him extra stress to try to encourage him to fall asleep on his own or have Abe put him to bed. We give him Melatonin about 30 minutes before bed so usually he falls asleep quickly. The hard part has been him waking up anywhere from 445 to 630. This is entirely too early for him and since he goes to school monday through thursday, he is no longer taking naps. This has been extremely frustrating and effects our entire day with him. When he wakes up he acknowledges that he is still tired but refuses to go back to sleep. I have tried bringing him into bed with us and laying with him in his bed but he still flat out refuses to go back to bed.
Last week we met a new child psychologist who will start to see Connor next month. She was really great and I think Connor will really enjoy spending time with her each week. She seems to have some really interesting views on what we are dealing with at home and I look forward to learning some of her techniques for dealing with Connor’s challenging behavior. It was a heart breaking when she said it sounds like the relationship between Connor and I is strained and needs to be repaired. I was so caught off guard and still don’t totally understand what she means by that. Definitely anxious to learn more about what she meant by that.
Dr. Beth also briefly touched on how important diet is with children and how making some changes in what Connor eats can really improve his behavior. I spent some time researching different diets for behavior and came across GFCF- gluten free, casein free. After reading numerous blog posts and different articles, I think it is absolutely worth a shot with Connor. My goal is to learn as much as I can and get started soon. I’m sure changing the way we eat will have its challenges but if we see improvement in Connor’s behavior and sleep, I am all for it!
Early next year we also plan to start occupational therapy again and add physical therapy as well. We have some concerns with his gross motor development that we hope will improve with physical therapy.
Christmas break starts today so Connor will have 2 weeks off. I’m nervous for this but looking forward to it as well. I plan to stay busy with the boys and encourage nap time 😉 Abe will be home the entire first week so that will definitely help.
I will keep you all updated on the progress we make over the next couple months.
I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas! (I cannot believe Christmas is this week and I also cannot believe I am headed to the mall 4 days before Christmas…) and I look forward to a new year of blogging!
See ya next year!
