Over the next couple of posts Jason and myself will be switching off writing, this is the point where he became involved in Megan's life and has many stories to share with. In the next couple of post you will notice a difference these were the worst years, not only because Megan had no services but also because these were her worst years behaviorally. When asked would I do this again I always say yes I have witnessed miracle after miracle being in Megan's has been so very rewarding! However had you asked me during those years I not quite so sure I would have had the same answer.....
LOL! From the ages of 3-5 Megan was a holy terror as wild as they come!
During these years Megan had very limited to no speech, and all her tactile issues were at their worst. Megan could not cope with noise, people, smells, lights most sounds, she also had food and potty issues. Megan had also developed some very strange behaviors. Let me give you an example of an odd behavior she would chew all fuzz off of all her teddy bears ears, and buts, she loved to eat paper, foam, string....... ever tried to remove sting from someones behind I'm sure Jason will elaborate more later as this became his area of expertise.
Ever thing Megan did was like a full out assault on our house, she would run from one thing to another dumping shampoo, cereal, toy boxes, shelves full of videos and anything else she could get her hands one. Every cupboard and drawer had a lock on it, all closets and rooms other then her room had locks on the doors, the fridge the stove and even toilet found themselves on lock down , she just loved putting things in the toilet we have lost rings, necklaces, watches, tubes of toothpaste, toys, sock and only God know what else. She has been a full out assault on our plumbing, Jason has become very good at removing the toilet......
LMBO!!
I have to tell Megan was a smart kid she had incredible problem solving skills, she was always one step ahead of us rather the preventative measures we played damage control. I am so happy those years are behind us......whew......I am far too old now....
LOL! The motto in our house was if you can't strap it to the ceiling you can't have it out! She went through this terrible stage of cracking eggs on everything, Oh my egg is not all that easy to clean off of carpet, wall toy boxes etc. to this day I got into a panic attack if she goes near the eggs!
It got so bad that no one wanted us to come over anymore, they couldn't handle the stress of having her in their house, nice friends..... oh well that's another story, you do really find out who your friends are when you are in some of your darkest moments and mine had all but abandoned me. During this time my mom had also moved quite far away so there was no support for us, no family and no friends. The only escape we had was work, our poor babysitter we would find her in tears, she thought she was doing a horrible job, she was great and we tried to explain that anything Megan did was not personal it was just how she was and she did all those things when we were home too. Her sisters had babysat for me before they went off to school Megan was a baby then and not much trouble so she thought it was her babysitting ability because her sisters hadn't had any trouble.......poor girl I still feel bad all these years later.
So there you have it the next couple of post will be about these years and how we all survived them, boy do we have some whopper stories in our closet!
Holland
It is about a couple who decides they are going to Paris. They borrow books from the library, purchase maps from the local bookstore, rent movies,and watch television specials about Paris. They do everything they can possibly do, to get ready to go to Paris. They even seek out friends and family who've been to Paris...and learn everything that they can from those people. They spend months preparing for the big trip. The day finally comes. They have packed for Paris and saved up money for souvenirs from Paris. They get on the plane that is going to Paris. They fly for hours. Everyone on the plane is talking about Paris and how excited they are. As the flight descends, everyone is soooo excited! After all, most of these people have never been to Paris before - and even those who have...are so excited to go back! The plane lands and as the couple is preparing to get off the plane, the flight attendant comes back, points to the couple, and says: "this is where you are getting off. Welcome to Holland". HOLLAND? The couple is distraught. They hadn't planned for Holland.
They didn't know anything about Holland. Nothing that they had read or heard had prepared them in any way to enjoy a vacation in Holland. Their initial reaction was shock...and then it turned into anger. What was supposed to be a beautiful vacation in Paris...would be spent in HOLLAND? What are they going to do now? Well, they get off the plane and start walking around. First they saw the beautiful flowers and met some of the people. The people were very, very friendly. As they started slowly exploring Holland they realized that it, too, is a beautiful place. Not quite what they expected - harder to navigate in some areas; particularly w/the wrong maps - but....beautiful. They begin taking pictures and they begin enjoying their trip. after all, they are in Holland - and even though they hadn't planned it...would they change it? no....they wouldn't.
Obviously this story would parallel with those of us who prepared for a NT!
