...well, not quite the blood, but certainly the sweat AND tears.
That's been our house lately.
Granted, Colin IS having a rough time between teething and not feeling the greatest.
But, I feel like we have hit a "wall" of sorts in gross motor development. We are trying to move forward with Colin being up on all 4's and weight bearing on his legs but this is going so. slowly (as I would expect).
However, as soon as (literally as. soon. as) you put Colin in a position where he has to work hard, the hands instantly fly to the mouth and he cries and moans. We have tried snuggling him, we have tried working through this, and we have tried letting it go, but NOTHING is working. Well, of course letting it go works, but then we are not working on anything!
I know that he will do things eventually, and I know that he is just doing them on his time, but it is hard for me. It is hard for me because for the 1st time in his almost year of life, he seems like he is not trying at all.
Is it the teeth? (Very good possibility, one that I would like to believe.) Orrr, he is self-soothing? I mean, NOTHING has popped through yet, and he IS uncomfortable at times, but it's hard to tell. If it's the self-soothing, then what are we supposed to do? I will tell you based on my attempts that trying to get a baby to do something he just doesn't want to do, doesn't work.
We will keep trying and chugging along...
We are also still trying and working on "chunky" foods. This is also going slowly, but, it is progressing. Colin refuses any bit of chunk if it's on it's own (fruits, veggies, scrambled eggs, etc.), but if you mix it in to something smooth, then there is a great chance that he will eat it.
For example, take this mornings breakfast. Scrambled eggs and one of those granola DHA breakfast things...(has the eggs mixed into it on the right).
Colin hates the chunks so much he refuses to touch them unless it's to "sweep" them off of the tray.
(This picture is mid-sweep)
Here is Colin's pic #1: Scrambled egg on its ownHe is NOT having it!
(Please notice that the egg hasn't even made it INTO his mouth yet)
So, I then tried the scrambled egg mixed into the "smooth" breakfast, pic #2: Not necessarily a bad face, just an "unsure" face.
However, then Colin decided that the eggs mixed into the "smooth" food wasn't that bad.
Yep, this is what we are dealing with. Makes you kinda laugh, huh?
5 comments:
Oh he is just so cute. SO STINKIN CUTE! I wish I knew anything that could help with the issues going on. I remember that point in therapy being so hard, because everything really does take so much strength and at that point, the kids can't see the point of what we are doing! I think you are doing great with him though, I hope you get some great advice from others.
Oh, Kelli, I know those struggles well. There could be a couple of things going on. How is Colin doing in fine motor right now? Most therapists will tell you that kids tend to slack in other areas when they're making progress in one area.
I remember first trying to get Micah to rock on all fours. He would SCREAM! (Keep in mind that he didn't sit independently until his first birthday). His hips are still very weak. I wonder if working on Colin's core strength more would help. Does he have spio's? Micah HATED them, but they helped him learn to crawl correctly. It took a bit longer, I think, but probably worth it.
All that said... don't underestimate the teething thing. You might consider giving him a dose of ibuprofen about 30 minutes before working with him on gross motor and see if that changes things.
Oh Kelli, I feel your pain. I'm still amazed how Landon and Colin are so much alike! Landon, however, does the complete opposite of Colin, he does not like the smooth and lumpy mixed together. It's almost like he gets confused on whether to swallow or chew. But like you said, we just keep on trying.
Landon also hits that wall on occasion. And I have noticed like Jennie pointed out, that it all depends what's going on at that moment. Sometimes, he learns something new, and it's as if he forgets everything else. And then out of nowhere, he starts doing it all. Hmmmm??
As far as teething goes, nothing happening on our end. Landon still his little gummy smile. I am not looking forward to the whole teething thing. It wasn't fun with my other 2 either. Like Jennie said, try ibuprofen, it worked for my older boys!
The good thing is..... your not alone:)
(HUGS)
kelli,
you might try those "teething tablets"--you can get them at walmart and they dissolve instantly! all of my kids used them almost every day while those teeth came through.
does colin like sweets? you could try pudding or yogurt and add in soft fruit. blueberries were my way of tricking ben into eating something more solid AND getting in a little OT as well.
as for the gross motor stuff...give it time. i was crushed when ben wouldn't hold his head up, or sit, or crawl, or walk. but eventually, he did--sometimes with our help, but mostly because he wanted to and was ready. i think so many times we want our children to do what we see other children doing--you know, for our own comfort, to think they aren't falling behind. i mean it's more obvious when you see other one year olds running around and yours won't crawl or sit. it's hard on our hearts. but be patient! give him encouragement and love. that's all he needs. he WILL do all those things the others are doing. even if it takes a year or longer. it will happen! i promise. colin grabbing his mouth and crying may be his way of saying enough! and oh my goodness, isn't it heart-breaking to make them work through tears?? we took lots of breaks, tried something else or moved on. it's all a big lesson in patience and perseverance.
hang in there! i know it's hard. believe me, i do. you are such great parents and are doing everything you can. colin is doing great! just keep on loving him as much as you do and all will be good!
I definitely know what you are feeling. It was about this time last year that Anna seemed to hit a wall. She just seemed to be going nowhere...no improvement in any areas. It went on for what seemed like forever. At her 1-yr IFSP, I nearly broke down in tears (in fact I did as soon as everyone had left) because I was so frustrated and felt so helpless.
Then, one day shortly after, she just suddenly took off again. She started babbling, clapping, feeding herself, army crawling...all this stuff that we had been working on for, literally, months...and it was finally coming together.
Hang in there - it will all happen with time.
Hugs!
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