Friday, Friday, Friday

For Julia, today was no where near as tough as yesterday.


For me, the day didn't get better until Julia came home from school and started interacting with one of the line therapists. During the day, I was feeling pretty puny, like all the air was sucked out of my lungs, like my world had tumbled down again. I have felt this way whenever Julia has taken steps backwards. So I was a mess today, worrying like crazy, wondering what I would do if the behavior continued. What about school? How would we ever get past the kindergarten and first grade work she is doing now?


So quietly, I had my own melt down.


I picked Julia up from school and she was a different kid. Her day was not perfect -- she fought with Ginny about keeping the toy she brought with her instead of in her locker. This used to happen last year and as a result she was never allowed to bring toys to school. This year, she has been allowed to bring small toys that she can bring out at choice time to show other kids or to play. She has been pretty good about keeping the toy in her backpack or locker but today she could not do it. I think, if Julia is in a good place on Monday, I am going to tell her that she cannot bring anything extra to school for three days until she can remember that the toy cannot be taken out until choice time. She would have learned from that two weeks ago. I hope she can learn next week.


After the toy incident, Julia had a good day, and was able to talk to me about the day as we walked home, including telling me that she was angry at Ginny at the beginning of the day. When Ellen, our line therapist of the day, came over, she joined Julia's play and then they moved from activity to activity, many, many of which were Ellen's choice. Julia put together two puzzles in record time, she stopped playing with her little pets when Ellen said it was time to play with clay. When Ellen was finished and said good bye, I told Julia that she was going to have a bath before we ate dinner. She went right upstairs.

Tonight putting Julia to bed, she was asleep in 20 minutes. Yesterday, she was a whirling dirvish in bed and she took so long that I fell asleep before she did.

I thought about all of the reasons that could have influenced a little bit or a lot the behavior that we have been seeing and the list is, well, here it is:

1. we are in the 7th week of the GFCF diet and withdrawal from gluten takes 3 months.
2. the weather has changed very quickly and there were a number of inside recesses this week and lots of kids were in antsy moods.
3. she has been taking a different fish oil pill for the last two weeks.
4. class work has gotten more serious in the last week, and yesterday, her tantrum seemed to follow two suggestions that she do some new work which she told me she was afraid of. I think that means that she did not understand it.
5. we have been eating much more corn, and corn is another possble alergen.
6. David is gone for this weekend and was away from home for 5 days two weeks ago.

I feel a little punch drunk as I write this, but it is with the knowledge that Julia is fragile and change, change that I am not constantly aware of, can tip her sensitive balance. So I am not just challenged to help heal Julia but also to help make her being a lot stronger.