It was a hard day

It was a hard day. I'd say horrible, but little man is currently enjoying an Elmo flick, and I a glass of cabernet from back home. It's now just Henry and me in Denver for a few days and, as the good people at Whole Foods who saw my tear streaked puffy face can tell you, it's been a rough start.

I hesitate to write about this because I really try to focus on Henry's gifts and the moments that give me hope. But today, I was reminded that his challenges can be really hard on all of us.

The day started with some general crankiness. (see above photo entitled "Breakfast") Later, as we said goodbye to his dad and sister at the airport, Henry starting crying, which is totally normal for anyone. But Henry, and other kids with SPD, often can't come down from emotional stress. Other little things began setting him off. He threw his video player when the battery died and almost choked after stuffing his mouth full of crackers. His stress level got so elevated that he screamed for 20 minutes while I tried to navigate an unfamiliar highway. The kind of screaming that makes you pass out. I'm mostly sure he didn't pass out. Mostly.

Actually, I'm pretty sure he dropped off to sleep.  He hadn't had a nap in two days, and after being in the car for a couple hours, he was understandably tired. But it's times like these that I feel so helpless and teeter uncomfortably on the verge on the hopeless. The meltdowns make me lose perspective.

But the truth is, the meltdowns are fewer and farther between. After his nap, we went to Whole Foods where I accidentally spent $25 on some stupid toy and walked around the parking lot with one of those race car shopping carts for 30 minutes to cheer up the little man. It cheered me up too. But man, it was hard.