Sensory Smart Supports

Last night the sensory smart mommy & sensory smart daddy went on a faux date and left the sensory smart babies with the sensory smart grandparents.  Translation:  my husband and I went grocery shopping and pretended it was a date and my folks were gracious enough to keep the children all night.
I was anxious to have them spend the night but only because change (even fun change) is hard for Natalee.  She, of course, was excited and jumped at the opportunity to stay and Num's and Papa's and never wavered when we left.  Neither did Xavier for that matter and he's been kind of clingy lately.

However, today I was reminded of one of the key elements I learned in Dr. Taylor's lecture:

Treat" SPD by emphasizing prevention using the "Big Four" factors:

• Sleep
• Nutrition
• Stress
• Chemicals

To minimize stress you have to:

• Prep for the Stress
• Cope During the Stress
• Recover After the Stress

Let's be clear about 1 thing:  stress does not always mean a "bad" or unpleasant situation.  In this case, I'm referring to a "good" stress, simply a change of routine.

So I feel like I did an okay job of preparing Natalee for a change in routine...although I didn't give her much notice we did talk about it before and she was allowed to come home and back her overnight bag, choosing favorite toys and loveys to take with her.

I know my parents did a fine job of helping Natalee stay grounded while she was with them.  My mother is the epitome of calm, they used the time-out method and did not spank, and she slept all night.  I also know that, while my folks might not totally 'get' all of the changes we are making ('get' meaning understand why or what we're doing...hey, I'm not sure I 'get' it yet, either!) they would never deliberately go behind me and give the children something they know we're trying to cut.  We are blessed with having accepting, understanding, open-minded parents.  So, I did not worry about the children's nutrition or their care at all and my mom was even gracious enough to double check a supper idea with me before forging ahead (have I mentioned how much I love my mom?).

Coming home today I should have thought about the "recovery" portion of this 3 tier scheme and helped Natalee become regrounded at home.  But...I didn't.  I didn't think about it.  Mom even mentioned this morning that she was a little "busy" but it still didn't cross my mind to help her reorient her sensory system.  Weighing against us also today was the fact that she'd had a sugary ice cream sandwich with the babysitter on Friday so that was working out of her system.  Needless to say this afternoon was wiry, combative, full of NO, and "busy."  I should have brushed Natalee, found her a quiet place, helped her bring it back together...instead I put out fires all afternoon and was very exhausted by bedtime.  Couple that with a grouchy toddler who I'm struggling to figure out right now (cranky, not hungry, super tired = growth spurt or teething??) and it seemed like a long day.

I'm determined to not get myself down with all the "I done wrongs" so want to spend a minute on something "I done right".  I did give the kids a nice soak upstairs in the big tub with Epsom salts and baking soda.  The salts are good for muscle relaxation and combined with the soda they are supposed to work with Natalee's herbal therapies to help pull the toxins from her body.  They splashed a huge mess upstairs but I ignored it and allowed them to because they were giggling together and that's a huge step up from shrieking at one another.

Just another day, just another learning experience, just another reminder that the sensory smart mommy has to be "on" all the time, except for when we are blessed enough to have one of our "sensory smart supports" volunteer to be on duty!