We tried to be proactive and take everyone on a grocery run during the morning before we ran out of gas. Denis took Audrey to Jewel and I took the boys to Costco. Ronin was really hooked on playing with a backyard play house that was set up for customers. Nikko was curious about it, too, but wouldn't stay in the house very long or if I was out of sight. We came home and got lunch for the kids. Crackers seems to be the golden gotta-have-it food of the moment. When I asked Nikko what he wanted to eat besides his pizza, he looked up at me and tilted his head as if I wouldn't approve of what he was going to ask for. I asked again, and he said, "Crack-grr!" I said, "Cracker, please," expecting him to say it and just sign please. But he said, "Crack-grr PLEASE," and signed please at the same sign. I was surprised! So I gave him crackers and praise. How could I refuse that kind of request? :)
11:55p - After lunch I took the kids into the basement to play a while, then came up to put Ronin down for a nap. I was also pretty tired from waking up at 2:30 thanks to Ronin, so I lay on the floor for some sort of a nap with Audrey climbing over me. Nikko lay next to me and I believe I fell asleep for 30 minutes in front of The Wiggles and Audrey behind me. Nikko fell asleep for an hour and I didn't have to wake him up since he automatically bolted into the kitchen upon waking. After 5pm we all went to our group's annual post-holiday get-together, this time at the Owsely's residence. The kids and I have been there twice before for play dates, and when Ronin came inside he took off his coat and shoes and ran right to the basement where all the toys were. Nikko didn't stray too far from me all night because there were many people and kids milling about. Audrey missed her late afternoon nap, unfortunately, and was extremely cranky and clingy. Overall, the kids behaved rather well, playing with toy cars in the living room and only fighting minimally in the grand scheme of things. There was a gift exchange for the kids and I was so humbled that my girlfriends had been really thoughtful in their gifts to the kids, giving Ronin Disney Cars-themed things, and Nemo-themed things for Nikko, and Hello Kitty for Audrey (and me). The kids went to bed late (almost 11-ish) and were very tired. Ronin was cranky as all hell. Nikko didn't fight sleep, but I hope he doesn't wake up at 3:30a. Audrey was exhausted and was glad to find her crib.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Best behaved @ the ped
Nikko's speech report:
Getting a good approximation on "open" to get doors open! Said "hi" to mommy picture & said Daddy many times! Close approximation for Audrey! Good "hi" & "bye".
Kathy also emailed me (responding to a library book mix-up) that it's probably easier for Nikko to say Daddy than it is to say Mommy. Boooooo. Nikko came home with an extra backpack that had a stuffed polar bear and two polar bear books plus a journal. We are supposed to play/interact with whatever is in the backpack and write about it for Tuesday. All the kids took kindly to Polar Bear, and I read the books to the kids during lunch. I don't plan to take it on all our weekend adventures, however, because it's [sort of] white and I don't want to get it dirty. Nikko almost started playing with it during lunch, and he was still eating pizza, which would make the polar bear streaked with red.
After lunch, Audrey had a 3pm appointment at the pediatrician for her 15 month well visit. I had to take everyone with me, of course. Our regular pediatrician wasn't in today so we had another one on staff. She's somewhat new to the practice and seems very conservative. I also don't think she's that warm and fuzzy because once she ordered that Ronin should go to the ER during a spell of breathing troubles and I didn't follow her advice, opted to stay at home and monitor him instead. I think she called the ER to follow up and found out that I kept him home instead. I just didn't think Ronin needed another round of albuterol pumped into his veins. Anyway, I brought the DVD player, a backpack of toys and some crackers for the haul. Nikko was the most behaved of all the kids, watching the Other Cars on the DVD player. Ronin was pesky because he found the container of crackers and dangled it in front of Audrey and me every few minutes, asking for some. Audrey wanted to eat as well, and she got very annoyed when she finished a cracker and wasn't given another one right away. She squirmed and fussed, whining like a little animal. Ronin was all over the place and really making me look frazzled while I dealt with the squirmy Audrey. It took us a long time to pack up our gear and get out of there. Nikko didn't cry at the doorway like he did last week when we visited the ped because he was sick. And thankfully he followed me outside, albeit slowly, as we trekked back to the car. When I set Nikko down and tell him to stand right in one spot while I put the other kid in the car, he really doesn't move. I have to keep an eye on him, of course, but he doesn't dart away like he used to. I shouldn't have 100% confidence that he won't bolt, but thus far I've been lucky that he stays put until it's his turn to get into the car. It reminds me of that Chicago Botanic Gardens visit last year, Mother's Day, where he got away from everyone and ran REALLY far away from us. That was an awful post. :(
We were supposed to go to the in-laws for dinner tonight but Denis wasn't feeling up to par and has been hacking all over the place. I didn't mind staying home, but kind of wanted to get out and see other people at the same time. We'll be seeing our group of friends tomorrow at our post-holiday get-together. It will be crazy over there because there will be so many kids around, and mine will be exploring and we'll have to keep an eye on Audrey because she'll be looking for stairs, so maybe it won't be as relaxing as I hope. Nikko almost fell asleep on the way home from the peds, but I woke him up and he didn't fall back asleep until bedtime. I hope he stays in bed until at least 7a in the morning. Now that I've said it, it won't happen. Booooo.
Getting a good approximation on "open" to get doors open! Said "hi" to mommy picture & said Daddy many times! Close approximation for Audrey! Good "hi" & "bye".
Kathy also emailed me (responding to a library book mix-up) that it's probably easier for Nikko to say Daddy than it is to say Mommy. Boooooo. Nikko came home with an extra backpack that had a stuffed polar bear and two polar bear books plus a journal. We are supposed to play/interact with whatever is in the backpack and write about it for Tuesday. All the kids took kindly to Polar Bear, and I read the books to the kids during lunch. I don't plan to take it on all our weekend adventures, however, because it's [sort of] white and I don't want to get it dirty. Nikko almost started playing with it during lunch, and he was still eating pizza, which would make the polar bear streaked with red.
After lunch, Audrey had a 3pm appointment at the pediatrician for her 15 month well visit. I had to take everyone with me, of course. Our regular pediatrician wasn't in today so we had another one on staff. She's somewhat new to the practice and seems very conservative. I also don't think she's that warm and fuzzy because once she ordered that Ronin should go to the ER during a spell of breathing troubles and I didn't follow her advice, opted to stay at home and monitor him instead. I think she called the ER to follow up and found out that I kept him home instead. I just didn't think Ronin needed another round of albuterol pumped into his veins. Anyway, I brought the DVD player, a backpack of toys and some crackers for the haul. Nikko was the most behaved of all the kids, watching the Other Cars on the DVD player. Ronin was pesky because he found the container of crackers and dangled it in front of Audrey and me every few minutes, asking for some. Audrey wanted to eat as well, and she got very annoyed when she finished a cracker and wasn't given another one right away. She squirmed and fussed, whining like a little animal. Ronin was all over the place and really making me look frazzled while I dealt with the squirmy Audrey. It took us a long time to pack up our gear and get out of there. Nikko didn't cry at the doorway like he did last week when we visited the ped because he was sick. And thankfully he followed me outside, albeit slowly, as we trekked back to the car. When I set Nikko down and tell him to stand right in one spot while I put the other kid in the car, he really doesn't move. I have to keep an eye on him, of course, but he doesn't dart away like he used to. I shouldn't have 100% confidence that he won't bolt, but thus far I've been lucky that he stays put until it's his turn to get into the car. It reminds me of that Chicago Botanic Gardens visit last year, Mother's Day, where he got away from everyone and ran REALLY far away from us. That was an awful post. :(
We were supposed to go to the in-laws for dinner tonight but Denis wasn't feeling up to par and has been hacking all over the place. I didn't mind staying home, but kind of wanted to get out and see other people at the same time. We'll be seeing our group of friends tomorrow at our post-holiday get-together. It will be crazy over there because there will be so many kids around, and mine will be exploring and we'll have to keep an eye on Audrey because she'll be looking for stairs, so maybe it won't be as relaxing as I hope. Nikko almost fell asleep on the way home from the peds, but I woke him up and he didn't fall back asleep until bedtime. I hope he stays in bed until at least 7a in the morning. Now that I've said it, it won't happen. Booooo.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Ah Choo!
Nikko and Ronin ran into the kitchen while I sat here and Nikko said, "Ah, ah, ah, ah--- Ah CHOO!" And he cocked his head back and whipped it forward in a fake sneeze. Then he giggled. He was getting a kick out of it so we all mimicked him and he did it again. We even took turns sneezing. He did this two days ago and I wonder if he picked it up from school. I thought it was particularly funny today so I wrote it down.
2:48p Nikko finished his ABA session with Maria, the President of the company, around 2:25. I heard the baby gate being moved so I opened the door and Nikko was grinning at the foot of the stairs. Very cheerful coming up. Maria said he did really well. He had cried a little at the beginning, when I was leaving the basement with the kids, but the crying didn't last long at all. Maria said he sat for her, she did 20 minutes of drills, he played, he had a little snack of fruit snacks, and when they did more drills he caught on reall quickly. She thought she'd have to leave my picture with him, but he didn't need it. I went ahead and asked Maria her thoughts regarding Nikko's 3:30a wakings and should I remove Ronin from the room. Her first suggestion to me was to be consistent about putting Nikko back into bed without talking to him. Then to come back in 15 minutes and do it again. Like Ferberizing him all over again. But the point is to be consistent. She said not to move Ronin out of there right away, see how it goes with putting Nikko back. It's like reteaching him how to sleep again, that if I give him an inch he'll take it and more. I gave Nikko some leeway because he was sick last week, and this week was his full ABA week, but probably starting tomorrow (Friday) I should try not to sleep on the floor anymore. That will be good for my back, too.
2:48p Nikko finished his ABA session with Maria, the President of the company, around 2:25. I heard the baby gate being moved so I opened the door and Nikko was grinning at the foot of the stairs. Very cheerful coming up. Maria said he did really well. He had cried a little at the beginning, when I was leaving the basement with the kids, but the crying didn't last long at all. Maria said he sat for her, she did 20 minutes of drills, he played, he had a little snack of fruit snacks, and when they did more drills he caught on reall quickly. She thought she'd have to leave my picture with him, but he didn't need it. I went ahead and asked Maria her thoughts regarding Nikko's 3:30a wakings and should I remove Ronin from the room. Her first suggestion to me was to be consistent about putting Nikko back into bed without talking to him. Then to come back in 15 minutes and do it again. Like Ferberizing him all over again. But the point is to be consistent. She said not to move Ronin out of there right away, see how it goes with putting Nikko back. It's like reteaching him how to sleep again, that if I give him an inch he'll take it and more. I gave Nikko some leeway because he was sick last week, and this week was his full ABA week, but probably starting tomorrow (Friday) I should try not to sleep on the floor anymore. That will be good for my back, too.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Meijer / ABA thoughts
Nikko doesn't have therapy on Wednesdays so that's a free day to do afternoon errands. He came back from preschool in a good mood and hungry. I had planned to take the kids to Meijer (a superstore with grocery in it as well) right after lunch, forgoing Ronin's nap. But Nikko fell asleep leaning against the couch around 1:30p so instead of waking him up right away, I let him sleep. I decided to put Ronin to sleep after all, but he resisted quite a bit. We didn't head out until almost 4p, which was exactly what I didn't want to do. Bitter cold outside today. I had to go to Meijer because we ran out of Ronin's Sunbutter this morning. It tastes almost like peanut butter except that it's made from sunflower seeds. It tastes much better than the soy butter I got. Yuck! And Ronin really likes it, demanding it for the past two mealtimes with the Ronin-safe bread I've been baking (Rhodes frozen bread). I decided to get a few other things such as Play Doh for Nikko's ABA, a few groceries, and a gift card for the group's post-holiday get-together. A few things also led to a Veggie Tales DVD, a mini-Lighting McQueen car and a Land Rover truck on clearance. I wanted to get Play-Doh because in Nikko's therapy I had found some clay from Rose Art that is really not as good quality as Play-Doh. The clay was really stiff and the color (Nikko's been using blue) has been bleeding onto hands. I got another smaller set for Ronin to play with because I recall a few months ago that he was very captivated by sitting in his high chair playing with a small wad of Play-Doh. Nikko seems to love playing with clay, so why not push it in therapy? Nikko and Ronin both did great in the store, but things were a little dicey because I had to go to the toy section to find the Play-Doh. We passed by other toy aisles and I saw Ronin slow down to look at this and that. He wanted everything in sight, so I had to point out two trucks he could have. Nikko was eyeing some moon sand, but I steered him away from it. As I walked slowly around the store with Audrey in the cart, the boys followed me like ducklings but at a slower pace. I took a stop to give them some vanilla Oreos and that preoccupied them. Nikko was happily munching on his for a long time while Ronin would wolf his down and ask me if he could open his truck to play with it. One of the thermoses in the food bag wasn't closed all the way and subsequently leaked. The bottom of the food bag is all wet, thanks to me not making the thermos secure. Grrr.
Nikko had napped for a little over an hour and I think it affected how he fell asleep tonight. I had the boys tucked in and left the room. Nikko continued to babble to himself. Eventually he got up and cried at the door so I went to put him back to bed. I heard Ronin sleeping deeply and was glad he withstood Nikko's gibbering. This doesn't mean that Nikko will be in bed for the rest of the night. He may wake up at 3:30 or 4, like he did last night. I went to bed at 1a, late for me nowadays, and then I heard him cry long and hard at 4a. I must not have moved fast enough because when I opened the door, I saw Ronin just getting out of bed, woken up by Nikko's crying. I put them both back in bed, told Ronin to go back to sleep, and then pulled out some blankets and a pillow for me to lay on the floor. Again. I think I knocked on wood too lightly in the last post. :( I'm going to ask Maria tomorrow what her opinion is about getting Nikko to stay in bed. I have a feeling she'll also suggest putting Ronin with Audrey so Nikko can cry himself to sleep, but my initial feeling is that I don't want to segregate Nikko. I don't want him to be alone at night. But I also don't want him to wake up Ronin with his antics.
One more thought regarding ABA... I still wonder if it will work for Nikko. I have read about how it is the most scientifically proven of all the autism therapies, meaning that there are studies with measurable results. Of the many, many posts I've read regarding ABA, almost every mother has said that they have seen significant results. Not miracles, but that ABA has helped their son with skills. It's discrete trial-based, but there also seems to be a hybrid of styles out there. The company we're going through has told us that it blends different styles with the sit-down-at-the-table method. We're in the initial stages of ABA, and it looks like a regular DT session to me, but that's also because I have to leave to take care of the other two kiddos. I think it's in the way they play with Nikko that makes the difference, using motivating tools and incentives to get Nikko to respond. When Nikko is downstairs, I will have to use my time better, depending on which kid is awake. Or maybe I should just play with the kids that are awake instead of trying to accomplish filing and sorting, since it's an expensive 1.5 hours of respite. Quality time, right? It's not really respite if only one kid out of three isn't in the room, you know. Anyway, I don't expect Nikko to love it this week since it's the first real week that he gets to interact with all three therapists. Next week he'll meet up with them again, so by week three he should understand that when the therapists come, it's time to go downstairs to play/work.
Nikko had napped for a little over an hour and I think it affected how he fell asleep tonight. I had the boys tucked in and left the room. Nikko continued to babble to himself. Eventually he got up and cried at the door so I went to put him back to bed. I heard Ronin sleeping deeply and was glad he withstood Nikko's gibbering. This doesn't mean that Nikko will be in bed for the rest of the night. He may wake up at 3:30 or 4, like he did last night. I went to bed at 1a, late for me nowadays, and then I heard him cry long and hard at 4a. I must not have moved fast enough because when I opened the door, I saw Ronin just getting out of bed, woken up by Nikko's crying. I put them both back in bed, told Ronin to go back to sleep, and then pulled out some blankets and a pillow for me to lay on the floor. Again. I think I knocked on wood too lightly in the last post. :( I'm going to ask Maria tomorrow what her opinion is about getting Nikko to stay in bed. I have a feeling she'll also suggest putting Ronin with Audrey so Nikko can cry himself to sleep, but my initial feeling is that I don't want to segregate Nikko. I don't want him to be alone at night. But I also don't want him to wake up Ronin with his antics.
One more thought regarding ABA... I still wonder if it will work for Nikko. I have read about how it is the most scientifically proven of all the autism therapies, meaning that there are studies with measurable results. Of the many, many posts I've read regarding ABA, almost every mother has said that they have seen significant results. Not miracles, but that ABA has helped their son with skills. It's discrete trial-based, but there also seems to be a hybrid of styles out there. The company we're going through has told us that it blends different styles with the sit-down-at-the-table method. We're in the initial stages of ABA, and it looks like a regular DT session to me, but that's also because I have to leave to take care of the other two kiddos. I think it's in the way they play with Nikko that makes the difference, using motivating tools and incentives to get Nikko to respond. When Nikko is downstairs, I will have to use my time better, depending on which kid is awake. Or maybe I should just play with the kids that are awake instead of trying to accomplish filing and sorting, since it's an expensive 1.5 hours of respite. Quality time, right? It's not really respite if only one kid out of three isn't in the room, you know. Anyway, I don't expect Nikko to love it this week since it's the first real week that he gets to interact with all three therapists. Next week he'll meet up with them again, so by week three he should understand that when the therapists come, it's time to go downstairs to play/work.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
2nd ABA session - Jenna
Nikko's progress report from school today:
OT - Nikko was so happy to be back at school and we were happy to see him! Lots of vocalizations during therapy. Doing body awareness & movement activities, then at table did a small block design activity.
Speech - Nikko was so happy to be back! Said Bus, Car, Truck, Ball, Bye & tried to say Open!
I knew it, that Nikko would be happy to be back in school where there's lots to see and do, and his peers are. Last week he was so uncharacteristically listless that it pained me to see him not be stimulated by anything. He is acting much like his healthier self lately. Nikko had downed two pancakes for breakfast this morning and when he came back from school he ate two pieces of pizza. There was down time in the afternoon. He only wanted to watch the Mighty Machines DVDs, which are very boring to me. The Real Trains for Kids DVDs were more entertaining. I had Ronin down for a nap when Jenna arrived just a little after 4:30p. We headed downstairs and Nikko was curious about her but still stood very close to my side. Jenna has a lot of experience in special education because she teaches pre-K and K special ed up in Gurnee (district 50?) and she's worked with Maria and her family for 7 years. Jenna also had a very friendly demeanor and she quickly warmed up to Nikko. She even picked him up to bounce on the foof chairs. He scrambled away from her at first, but rounded the chair with a smile. I gave them a few minutes to get to know each other, then I scooped up Audrey and headed upstairs. Nikko immediately started crying and protesting, but Jenna took the exercise ball and started to engage him with it. I listened for his crying, and it took maybe 10-15 minutes for the protesting to subside. I could hear Jenna talking and praising Nikko, and later she told me that he would cry and protest, but still engage in the activity through his whining. Jenna recorded some of their activities, saying that he was very good at some of them and not as great as others, but did well overall. When they came upstairs after playing with clay I took Nikko to the sink to wash his hands and he was in a good mood. Jenna seemed to enjoy Nikko very much. I am glad that the session went well. We get tomorrow off, and then Nikko will have therapy with Maria on Thursday. I really hope that she works well with Nikko.
Since Nikko didn't take a nap all day, he was understandably very tired after dinner. Denis helped to keep him awake while I gave Audrey a bath. I think with Nikko being exhausted by day's end, he has a better chance of sleeping through the night. For the past few days I haven't had to go in and sleep on the floor. KNOCK ON WOOD! It's been Ronin who has early jailbreaks, but he goes back to his bed generally after the first reprimand.
OT - Nikko was so happy to be back at school and we were happy to see him! Lots of vocalizations during therapy. Doing body awareness & movement activities, then at table did a small block design activity.
Speech - Nikko was so happy to be back! Said Bus, Car, Truck, Ball, Bye & tried to say Open!
I knew it, that Nikko would be happy to be back in school where there's lots to see and do, and his peers are. Last week he was so uncharacteristically listless that it pained me to see him not be stimulated by anything. He is acting much like his healthier self lately. Nikko had downed two pancakes for breakfast this morning and when he came back from school he ate two pieces of pizza. There was down time in the afternoon. He only wanted to watch the Mighty Machines DVDs, which are very boring to me. The Real Trains for Kids DVDs were more entertaining. I had Ronin down for a nap when Jenna arrived just a little after 4:30p. We headed downstairs and Nikko was curious about her but still stood very close to my side. Jenna has a lot of experience in special education because she teaches pre-K and K special ed up in Gurnee (district 50?) and she's worked with Maria and her family for 7 years. Jenna also had a very friendly demeanor and she quickly warmed up to Nikko. She even picked him up to bounce on the foof chairs. He scrambled away from her at first, but rounded the chair with a smile. I gave them a few minutes to get to know each other, then I scooped up Audrey and headed upstairs. Nikko immediately started crying and protesting, but Jenna took the exercise ball and started to engage him with it. I listened for his crying, and it took maybe 10-15 minutes for the protesting to subside. I could hear Jenna talking and praising Nikko, and later she told me that he would cry and protest, but still engage in the activity through his whining. Jenna recorded some of their activities, saying that he was very good at some of them and not as great as others, but did well overall. When they came upstairs after playing with clay I took Nikko to the sink to wash his hands and he was in a good mood. Jenna seemed to enjoy Nikko very much. I am glad that the session went well. We get tomorrow off, and then Nikko will have therapy with Maria on Thursday. I really hope that she works well with Nikko.
Since Nikko didn't take a nap all day, he was understandably very tired after dinner. Denis helped to keep him awake while I gave Audrey a bath. I think with Nikko being exhausted by day's end, he has a better chance of sleeping through the night. For the past few days I haven't had to go in and sleep on the floor. KNOCK ON WOOD! It's been Ronin who has early jailbreaks, but he goes back to his bed generally after the first reprimand.
Monday, January 25, 2010
1st real ABA session
Today was Nikko's first real day of ABA. Melissa showed up and we all headed downstairs. We got the ABA bin of materials out and I let her get materials figured out while the kids played with the Cars tent and wandered around. I put out the baby gate and when Melissa was ready to handle Nikko, I put Audrey and Ronin on the other side of the gate and stepped over to bring them upstairs. Nikko was extremely upset. I tried to give him a reassuring and positive Go Play voice, but had Melissa redirect him and ushered the others up the stairs. Ronin wanted to go downstairs to play and didn't want to nap right away, but I managed to talk him into reading some stories. Audrey and I sat in the living room and I heard Nikko continue to cry, yell and scream downstairs. I think he fought the good fight for about 30 minutes and I could hear Melissa talking to him and praising him for doing some things. It got really quiet after awhile, and they surfaced 1.5 hours later. Nikko came up the stairs really happy and excited. Melissa said that even while he was crying and protesting, she was asking him to do stuff and he would point out things even in the midst of his crying. Nikko fell asleep for a nap around 5:15p and I woke him up an hour later so he wouldn't have a hard time falling asleep tonight. I think he's tired enough, but it's only 9:52p, still time for jailbreaks. He has school tomorrow, FINALLY, so I'll be waking him up by 7:10a. I wonder how tomorrow will go. He met Jenna, the other therapist, only once. And our session is at 4:30p, much later in the day. Crossing my fingers that it will go well.
Stopped Up
On Saturday, I took Nikko with me to the grocery while Ronin was napping and Audrey was running around with Denis in the house. Nikko had just woken up from his nap and I didn't want the hassles of him crying and whining, and since he had been cooped up in the house all week since he's been sick, I figured a little grocery trip would do him good. And it did. I made him walk and he seemed very happy to do so. Things took longer because Nikko was walking slowly, or rather, shuffling along. I had to lead him by pushing the back of his head in some aisles. During checkout I put him in the cart and that's when Denis called to find out when I'd be home because Ronin had woken up crying and threw up all over his bed. Not fun. Poor guy. I also decided that I would take both boys to St. Lambert with me. There was the Santo Nino mass going on, but the boys would never sit still and be quiet so my other motivation for going was to see our cousin from the Philippines making a stop-over. I parked a block away and made both boys walk to the church. Nikko was a slow walker and Ronin had short legs so I looked like I was inching us along at a snail's pace. We went to the basement where the post-mass reception would be, and ended up at a table with Pat and Anna, and Atz's family. Ronin was happy to be there, but Nikko was grunting and squealing because he was constipated. In fact, he has been this way since Friday, in a state of discomfort. Things were getting worse, too, because he was starting to make high-pitched squeals when he tried to push. Anna told me about a laxative powder she gives Jovy and I figured I could get some the next day.
Today, the next day, Nikko's constipation was worse. He was so uncomfortable and he was in obvious pain while pushing. I didn't know what to do because we had to meet up with the rest of my family for a late lunch with our Philippine cousin, and I wanted to stop by Target afterward. Nikko didn't do well at Pat's house in the afternoon. His grunts and squeals were turning into screams. We tried putting him on their toilet but he couldn't push anything out. ***TMI ALERT!! If you're squeamish, skip to the next paragraph because I'm going to be graphic. I have to record all this down because I need to remember this experience for Nikko. *** Mom pretty much told me that my only option left for Nikko was to shove a suppository up his rectum. It sounds awful, but I knew I could do it if I had to. I likened it to when I watched the nurses suction Ronin's nose when he was in the hospital. It was painful, but a very necessary procedure so that Ronin could breathe. Same here, it would hurt Nikko momentarily but he needs relief somehow and fast. I was dreading the trip to Target because I knew that the kids would fall asleep in the car and I'd have to wake them all up before going inside. Denis was at work and I didn't know how late he'd be, so if I wanted to help Nikko sooner rather than later, I'd have to go to Target by myself. I figured that I would put the kids in the double stroller and have Ronin sit on the handle with me holding him, and make him walk inside. So after I fueled up the Pilot, I did exactly what I just explained. I got the suppositories plus some of the laxative powder. I took everyone home and put on a mask of grim determination for the suppository event. I took a big jar of vaseline and put it nearby to coat my index finger. Then I got Nikko and set him before me for a diaper change. I unwrapped the suppository and snapped it in half because ages 2-12 needed only a 1/2 dose. Then I put it on the tip of my finger and pushed it in. Nikko didn't expect it and shifted uncomfortably, and I actually felt the blockage way up there. Then I wiped up, fixed his diaper, and ran to the bathroom to wash my hands. When I came back, Nikko was laying still uncomfortable and starting to whine. Mom had told me that I had to keep him upright and with his legs straddled to keep the suppository in for about 15 minutes, and so I picked him up in a hug and tried to hold him standing up as well as me sitting on the couch. Nikko was whining loudly, crying hard and screaming. He wriggled to get out of my grip but I held on tight. I realized that 15 minutes was a LONG time to try to hold him like that because he was flailing wildly and angrily. But after maybe 2-3 minutes, he pooped out the blockage. I cleaned him up again and tried to describe the poop. It was the size of a baked potato cut in half, or the size of two small red potatoes. I'm sure it hurt very much for that to be blocking his pipes. Nikko expelled a little more later, but all the activity exhausted him and he was sleepy before bathtime. I wouldn't let him sleep, however, because I wanted him to fall asleep at bedtime. Which is exactly what he did.
So Nikko is going to be fine, until the next blockage. I'm relieved that he should be able to go to preschool on Tuesday. I'm leery because he will have ABA tomorrow with Melissa and I won't be able to stay with them downstairs because I'll have Ronin and Audrey, no Denis to help watch the kids. I hope she will be able to handle a wilder, angrier, more physical Nikko than the one from last week. I am also dreading the Tuesday and Thursday sessions he'll have, but we need to start establishing a routine incorporating ABA. Oh, and Audrey was put down to sleep this evening, waking up an hour later with a fever. I REALLY HOPE she is not going to be sick the rest of this week. I am tired and exhausted from caring for Nikko 24/7, from Ronin being defiant and selfish, causing me to yell and tear up my throat AGAIN.
Today, the next day, Nikko's constipation was worse. He was so uncomfortable and he was in obvious pain while pushing. I didn't know what to do because we had to meet up with the rest of my family for a late lunch with our Philippine cousin, and I wanted to stop by Target afterward. Nikko didn't do well at Pat's house in the afternoon. His grunts and squeals were turning into screams. We tried putting him on their toilet but he couldn't push anything out. ***TMI ALERT!! If you're squeamish, skip to the next paragraph because I'm going to be graphic. I have to record all this down because I need to remember this experience for Nikko. *** Mom pretty much told me that my only option left for Nikko was to shove a suppository up his rectum. It sounds awful, but I knew I could do it if I had to. I likened it to when I watched the nurses suction Ronin's nose when he was in the hospital. It was painful, but a very necessary procedure so that Ronin could breathe. Same here, it would hurt Nikko momentarily but he needs relief somehow and fast. I was dreading the trip to Target because I knew that the kids would fall asleep in the car and I'd have to wake them all up before going inside. Denis was at work and I didn't know how late he'd be, so if I wanted to help Nikko sooner rather than later, I'd have to go to Target by myself. I figured that I would put the kids in the double stroller and have Ronin sit on the handle with me holding him, and make him walk inside. So after I fueled up the Pilot, I did exactly what I just explained. I got the suppositories plus some of the laxative powder. I took everyone home and put on a mask of grim determination for the suppository event. I took a big jar of vaseline and put it nearby to coat my index finger. Then I got Nikko and set him before me for a diaper change. I unwrapped the suppository and snapped it in half because ages 2-12 needed only a 1/2 dose. Then I put it on the tip of my finger and pushed it in. Nikko didn't expect it and shifted uncomfortably, and I actually felt the blockage way up there. Then I wiped up, fixed his diaper, and ran to the bathroom to wash my hands. When I came back, Nikko was laying still uncomfortable and starting to whine. Mom had told me that I had to keep him upright and with his legs straddled to keep the suppository in for about 15 minutes, and so I picked him up in a hug and tried to hold him standing up as well as me sitting on the couch. Nikko was whining loudly, crying hard and screaming. He wriggled to get out of my grip but I held on tight. I realized that 15 minutes was a LONG time to try to hold him like that because he was flailing wildly and angrily. But after maybe 2-3 minutes, he pooped out the blockage. I cleaned him up again and tried to describe the poop. It was the size of a baked potato cut in half, or the size of two small red potatoes. I'm sure it hurt very much for that to be blocking his pipes. Nikko expelled a little more later, but all the activity exhausted him and he was sleepy before bathtime. I wouldn't let him sleep, however, because I wanted him to fall asleep at bedtime. Which is exactly what he did.
So Nikko is going to be fine, until the next blockage. I'm relieved that he should be able to go to preschool on Tuesday. I'm leery because he will have ABA tomorrow with Melissa and I won't be able to stay with them downstairs because I'll have Ronin and Audrey, no Denis to help watch the kids. I hope she will be able to handle a wilder, angrier, more physical Nikko than the one from last week. I am also dreading the Tuesday and Thursday sessions he'll have, but we need to start establishing a routine incorporating ABA. Oh, and Audrey was put down to sleep this evening, waking up an hour later with a fever. I REALLY HOPE she is not going to be sick the rest of this week. I am tired and exhausted from caring for Nikko 24/7, from Ronin being defiant and selfish, causing me to yell and tear up my throat AGAIN.
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