Sensory Processing Disorder

Do you have some weird ticks about you? Do you have to have your clothes washed a certain way? Are there certain foods you won't eat because of their texture? Are certain smells or sounds overwhelming for you? To some extent, all of us have a disorder. A Sensory Processing Disorder. But the majority of us learn to cope with it and become well-adjusted adults. For some, this disorder interferes with the ability live a normal life.

When James was an infant, I knew something wasn't quite right. We, and others around us, labeled him colicky, strong-willed, stubborn, picky, clingy....you get the picture. It's like he has always been out of sync. Despite the reassurance of well-meaning relatives and friends, I still saw behavior outside of the normal range. And I haven't been able to let go of the nagging feeling that there has to be something that can help James get through his issues.

Here's an article that Time ran about this disorder. Some of James' symptoms include:

• Distressed by taking a bath or shower
• Severe separation anxiety
• Extremely fearful of the sound of a vacuum
• Extreme difficulty accepting changes in routine
• Requires excessive help from caregiver to fall asleep/go back to sleep
• Distressed by clothes rubbing on the skin, refuses certain items of clothing based on their texture or his perception of how tight they are.
• Distressed by medium to large groups of people, will resort to tantrums/meltdowns if he isn't allowed to escape group situations
  

These all sound like the typical two year old...unless you actually see the severity that James exhibits. If you've ever had to wrestle him to the ground just to change his clothing, then you'd see what I go through every day. If you had to wait for Toby to get home to physically hold James down in the bathtub to bathe him, all the while listening to his desperate cries of "It HURTS! Water HURTS!" then you'd know something is definitely wrong. And if you saw the screaming and crying we go through just to get him to sleep, you would identify that he has an issue with self soothing.

Toby and I feel so blessed to meet someone here in Southern Illinois who works for Early Intervention and is helping us find the resources we need to help James. Pray with us as we will be meeting with a developmental therapist and an occupational therapist to evaluate what specifically James needs help with and how we can help him get past his sensory issues. Any time your child struggles with some area of life, it feels like a big responsibility as a parent to help him/her deal with that struggle.

2 Years of Sweet James

Dear James,

Today marks 2 years since the very morning we got to meet you on "the outside." What a crazy couple of years it has been! I don't think I can begin to describe how much you've grown. Or how much your Daddy and I have grown over that time. We've been challenged and blessed to get to know you, fall in love with you, and raise you.


We are continually amazed at the new things you are learning. You refuse to do things on command--just marching to the beat of your own drummer, I guess. When we least expect it we'll hear you count out loud or sing your ABC's or make a very grown up comment. It makes us laugh. A couple of weeks ago you even decided to ditch your diapers. So long, Sweet Baby, hello Big Kid James!


Daddy and I are so proud of you, little man. We pray for you continually and are humbled by the responsibility God gave us to share our faith with you and raise you into a full grown man. In our times of joy you've given us moments of laughter and happiness. Through our sorrow of not getting to raise your little sibling, you've been a source of comfort.


Today we celebrate the wonderful 2 years we've had with you. Sesame Street style of course.





I love you,
Mama

Better Than an Iron

I'm learning how to iron. For Toby's new job he is expected to wear a dress shirt and tie. So I've knocked the dust off the old ironing board and bought a new iron. [There's no telling how long the old one has been broken.]


I've heard people say they like to iron. Previously I questioned their sanity. (This *is* housework, correct? Shouldn't it be a chore?) But a few days ago the light bulb appeared over my head. Ironing is enjoyable because its the one thing we desire most--to have our wrinkled, messed up lives smoothed out to perfection.


My life has never been perfect, but it used to be a lot more like a wrinkle-free shirt. There was this innocence. I was happy and carefree in a way that I haven't been since September 24th. Instead it feels like someone has wadded me up, thrown me across the room, stomped on me a few times for good measure and now I'm a mess.

It's natural to want to be wrinkle-free. Since I can't get back that innocence on my own it is desirable to reduce God to an iron. My prayers, at times, have gone something like this "God, I would give anything to have that child You gave me still in my womb. I was looking so forward to holding him or her in April. The pain is still raw and I don't want to feel like this anymore. Take away this pain and mourning." Just like an iron, I want Him to make everything smooth and "perfect" again.


But God hasn't taken away the mourning and grief. He hasn't sheltered me from tragic events and made my life on earth all sunshine and clear skies. Instead, in spite of the bad things that have happened, He's given me something much better than protection from hurt: He's given me the desire to seek Him.

In 1 Samuel chapter 7 we see the Israelites who have been worshiping false gods. But rather than push God away, as the Philistines did in chapters 5 and 6, the Israelites brought the ark of the covenant to their land and they mourned. They were grieved that they had given their hearts away and built their lives on the wrong things.


And their mourning led to seeking God. Samuel said to the people, "If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve Him only." This is the cry and prayer of my heart. There are so many idols I had let in--I was putting so much faith in stability, safety, money, friends, my husband's job, our house...the list goes on. I said that I had faith in God, but I didn't live like it.

When my whole world was turned upside down by tragedy, God used that opportunity to draw me to Himself. And I'm truly being overwhelmed by this relentless, sovereign, merciful, gracious, loving God who knows me and loves me anyway. So much so that He made a way for me to spend eternity with Him. He sent His holy, perfect and only Son to save me from my wadded-up, wrinkly, sinful self. He has shown me that He truly loves me yesterday, today and tomorrow whether it be in joy or sorrow. Love so amazing, so divine demands my life, my soul, my all.

Merging

Hello Readers!

Just wanted to let you know that See Mama Run is about to become my one and only blog. Until now I have had a personal blog called Ramblings of a Young Mom, and have kept See Mama Run as a way to chronicle my fundraising effort for the Thomasboro West Side Park.

Now that we have moved I've decided to merge the two blogs. If you already subscribe to See Mama Run, then you are all set. If you are reading this on the Ramblings of a Young Mom page, then please follow me on See Mama Run.

Please grant me grace as I import old posts and sort through everything to make it more clear and organized. :-)

Planting New Roots

We had certain expectations for what our lives would look like right now. And a month from now. And six months. Even 5 years from now. But our lives have changed in an unexpectedly beautiful way. God has called our family to leave our home here in Central Illinois for a new adventure in Southern Illinois. Toby has accepted a position at Southern Illinois Healthcare in Carbondale and we have found a place to live in Carterville, just a 10 minute drive from his (soon-to-be) office.

One huge blessing is that this is much closer to our families. We look forward to reuniting with old friends and meeting new ones. At the same time, we are sad to say goodbye to our church family and dear friends in the Chambana area. Toby has 2 weeks of work left here in Central Illinois, then we have a week to pack everything and move to our duplex in Carterville. That's not much time for closure, but it is what we have.

Please pray with us and for us as we make this transition. We love you all so much and cherish your support.

Fires and Shopping

Last night was simply insane. It started with my sister, mom, friend and I all piling into a minivan to head to the Midnight Madness Sale. We were almost out of C-U when my sis smelled smoke and spotted a fire. We had a bit of trouble finding it at first, but finally we found a road off of the main road that led us to the house where the corner of the roof (where the chimney was) had caught fire.

Imagine the panic and chaos as we four women get out of the van, knock on the door only to have the owners of the house tell us "No, our house isn't on fire, we just have a fire going in the fireplace" and then shut the door. I realize it would be weird to have slightly insane, strange women at your door at 11pm on Thanksgiving evening, but we are still shaking our heads at the fact that they didn't believe us. So my sister knocked again and insisted this time that they come out. Once they saw how the fire was blazing and the smoke was rolling, they started evacuating, along with a large group of children.

It was also quite stressful as my friend, who was on the phone with a 911 emergency dispatcher, kept BEGGING the occupants of the house to give us their address so that the fire department could come. In the chaos of it all, NONE of the adults would cooperate. Finally, we cornered a 10 year old girl and made her give us the house number and street name. After all the people were evacuated and the fire department arrived, we headed on to the Midnight Madness Sale.

Now that I've had a good 3 hours of sleep, reflecting on my night is making my head spin. I'm thankful for many things this holiday season. A nice house and the safety of my family is near the top of the list.

Welcome Trick-or-Treaters!

If you have found this blog because of a flier you and/or your children received while trick-or-treating, welcome to SeeMamaRun! My name is Joanna. I am just your average mom who likes to hang out with her zany 1 year old, spend as much time as possible with her geeky husband, and obsessively take pictures to put in her scrapbooks.

Running has never really been my thing. I'm probably the slowest runner you know. But I decided to pursue running as a way to raise money to rebuild the West Side Park. Our community needs a safe place for our children to play. If you feel the same way, please head over to the Thomasboro Watch website to find out more or to donate to the cause.

To read more of my story, feel free to browse my past posts. You may want to begin at the beginning. Thanks so much for stopping by to learn more about SeeMamaRun!