Diddle Diddle Dumpling, My Son John: Developing

Another stepping stone on a journey through some pretty dense fog.

We were closer to the answer, but not there yet. You can find the previous stepping stones here and here. Next installment here. 

Here’s what’s shakin’. 

My sensory child was able to let me know this morning that his arms were feeling “wiggly.” Apparently this is similar to his legs feeling “fizzy.”  I asked if I could massage his arms like we do with his legs, and he told me he liked the firm stroking with my knuckles. 

See his happy face? He was purring like a kitten. 

This feels huge to me. He’s going to be seven next week, and through the years his main way of letting me know his body was uncomfortable was to pick fights and be hyperactive and irritable. It has been so difficult. Nobody’s made me cry as much as this child has; I thought I was losing my mind. 

I did so much research, and nothing made sense until just over a year ago when I described our struggle to my friend who has a child with sensory processing disorder and she recognized it. A lightbulb went on and we worked to adjust. Then this past summer he was finally able to convey to me his body’s discomfort, especially at night. Another lightbulb went on, and it was even more helpful than the first. Heck, from things I’ve read about what it does to a person, it sounds like restless leg syndrome could be most of the problem. 

Leg massage, yoga, and magnesium have all helped him immensely, but really the point of this post is to say that I see the light at the end of the tunnel. There is a really sweet, smart, and hilarious boy underneath that chronic pain and sleep deprivation, and I am relieved and grieving at the same time.