Archer laying on the couch, holding onto his foot and telling Shelly, "I worked at a butcher and I got my thumb cut off. Now I have no toe."
Shelly, laying next to him and repeating what he says, giggling along the way.
Today is a down day, down time, not going anywhere because one among us is really struggling to keep up. And its wearing the rest of us out, or at least me.
Elijah has NOT been himself this week. Crabby doesn't even begin to describe him, he's clingy, angry, tired, violent with all of us and he's forgotten how to sleep through the night. He screams "NO!" every chance he gets. He rarely eats what he's said he wants to eat. He won't let anyone play with any toy, even if he wasn't using it. Last night it finally peaked at 1:30 a.m. when he woke up for the third time. The first two times I went in, sang to him, and thought he would go back to sleep. The third time, I asked David to go. David took a different approach, took E to the kitchen to get him a drink. E didn't want a drink, screamed and turned his face away. David tried a snack. I don't know all the details, I just know that with him screaming louder than ever I'd finally had enough of trying to give him what he wants. I don't think he even knew what he wanted. I went to the kitchen to find E on his stomach on the floor kicking his feet, screaming louder than any little boy that size should be able to, and Archer standing there bewildered. "I'm just trying to help" he said. I thanked him. I took Elijah back to his crib, told Shelly to go sleep on the couch and shut the door on kicking and screaming meltdown. And I cried out to God, telling him of my frustration and weary body and begging for something. Anything. Relief.
I declared a quiet-not-going-anywhere morning and my single goal was to get through the next few hours until nap time without any meltdowns. We made it to 11:44 before our first meltdown. We had lunch. E played happily on his own, coming and going from me. And the way we accomplished no meltdowns was that I completely stopped everything else. I turned on the tv and we all sat around in the living room together all morning. Its the first time we've done that during our summer vacation, and I was a bit bored with it but E really needed it, I think. Not wandering in the woods, not in the sun on the beach. Just familiar surroundings, no one telling him what to do. It was a good morning. And now its nap time. And all is right with the world. At least, our little world.
In my distress I called to the Lord;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.
~ Psalm 18:6
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