Today was a huge day. Parker had 4 teeth pulled. For any other kid his age it would've been a scary situation, but not for my Parkey, for him it was traumatic. He was born with extreme tactile issues. I knew something was up when he refused to nurse or take a bottle for the first 3 days of life. We went through a ton of therapy, testing and more therapy. He refused ALL solid food until he was 2 and he'd suck on black pepper jerky. At 2 1/2 he ate an entire corn dog, his first meal ever! I worried constantly that he had some form of autism, but was repeatedly assured by Dr.s and therapists that he didn't. When the therapists described his unnamed condition to me they said;
Imagine having the worst sunburn you can imagine and people are constantly touching it. Parker feels like that every moment of every day. All of his senses are heightened and he's always dealing with sensory overload. He's great now, but still has extreme sensory issues with his mouth. Brushing teeth is a 1/2 hour ordeal. The dentist was extremely patient taking a 1/2 hour just to get into his mouth and numb it. Next he had molds, those are even hard for me and I considered us lucky that he only threw up twice. Finally his 4 teeth were pulled. Parker screamed and shook and kicked because the pressure was to much for him to handle. They had to close the door. As I laid on him to keep him still I had a rush of emotions. I wanted to protect him and pull him from the chair, but I knew I had to be strong and restrain him so it could be done. This was a hard experience for both of us and it gave me the realization that bigger and harder experiences are on their way. I only hope that I'll continue to have the wisdom and courage to allow my kiddos to learn and grow into the amazing people I know they have the potential to be.
Today was a huge day. Parker had 4 teeth pulled. For any other kid his age it would've been a scary situation, but not for my Parkey, for him it was traumatic. He was born with extreme tactile issues. I knew something was up when he refused to nurse or take a bottle for the first 3 days of life. We went through a ton of therapy, testing and more therapy. He refused ALL solid food until he was 2 and he'd suck on black pepper jerky. At 2 1/2 he ate an entire corn dog, his first meal ever! I worried constantly that he had some form of autism, but was repeatedly assured by Dr.s and therapists that he didn't. When the therapists described his unnamed condition to me they said; Imagine having the worst sunburn you can imagine and people are constantly touching it. Parker feels like that every moment of every day. All of his senses are heightened and he's always dealing with sensory overload. He's great now, but still has extreme sensory issues with his mouth. Brushing teeth is a 1/2 hour ordeal. The dentist was extremely patient taking a 1/2 hour just to get into his mouth and numb it. Next he had molds, those are even hard for me and I considered us lucky that he only threw up twice. Finally his 4 teeth were pulled. Parker screamed and shook and kicked because the pressure was to much for him to handle. They had to close the door. As I laid on him to keep him still I had a rush of emotions. I wanted to protect him and pull him from the chair, but I knew I had to be strong and restrain him so it could be done. This was a hard experience for both of us and it gave me the realization that bigger and harder experiences are on their way. I only hope that I'll continue to have the wisdom and courage to allow my kiddos to learn and grow into the amazing people I know they have the potential to be.
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