Stuffy Days are Here Again

     Allergy season is a special kind of hell for most, but its a particularly unpleasant event in our home. My husband and I have suffered with clogged sinuses, running nose, sore throat and itchy eyes since early childhood and have sadly passed this on to Xander. But unfortunately for him it doesn't just effect is sense of smell or taste, but all of his sense. Whenever he's not at 100% his sensory seeking amps up, causing him to stim constantly and seek out the input by any means necessary. With his nose and sinuses thoroughly stuffed, his ears and balance are severely affected, he's easily frustrated when his normally good gross and fine motor skills are less than par. His speech is also affected, generally its always set on loud, but when he's all stuffed up, he somehow cranks the volume to 13 and get's even louder.

      There is one upside though, the cuddles! When my little man is having a "sensory off day" be gets very clingy. He begs to be picked up, held, squeezed and rocked. He will glide his hand very softly across my arms, feeling the texture of my skin and the fine hairs. It seems to help him reset. Normally, he has a lot of trouble with being gentle or using less aggressive force, but when his senses are off he wants you to gentle rub his arms, belly and legs. He craves it. So between the fits of anger and annoyance, the bullying out of boredom and discomfort is a silver lining, he gets a chance to stop and feel the softer side of life, rather than rough play all the time, so all in all not the worst side effect.