High Anxiety
The past few days have been much of the same. Liam still does not seem to be phased after taking his medication. He still has frequent periods of anxiety and can not wait to do what he wants. Anytime he has to wait, his anxiety gets so high that when it’s not acted on, it leads to a fit, and even a meltdown. This repeats itself over and over. I’ve stated before how it wears on you. When Liam goes to bed it is a time to just relax and enjoy the peace and quiet.
The biggest story I can tell is about Sunday. Sunday Grandpa McCourt and I took all 4 boys to the electrician’s union Christmas party for kids. It is something that the McCourt’s have done since they were kids. It is really a nice time and all the little kids love it. The party is held at Cleveland’s Masonic Temple, a beautiful, old building on the east side. They have Santa Claus there for the kids to see and a show. The show had a magician, a cat trainer who had cats that did special tricks, and a dog trainer who had dogs that performed tricks. When Liam was first told he was going he recalled last year so vividly. He was scared to death of Santa there. The days preceding the party he kept saying how he didn’t want to see Santa. At times he would get very upset when it was talked about. When we got there we decided to let the boys see Santa. We walked in and Liam got extremely anxious. I walked up the steps with Aidan, Brendan, and Seamus and saw Grandpa McCourt consoling Liam that he didn’t have to see Santa. He was terrified. When he came up the stairs he clung to me with a death grip. I consoled him some more to settle him down a little. Grandpa McCourt took the boys to get candy canes as I stood in line. Liam and Grandpa would walk around while we waited in line. When we finally got near Santa, Seamus and the twins looked at Santa and refused to see Santa. It was actually kind of funny, but I wasn’t going to push it.
We then went into the auditorium to get seat for the show. While we waited Liam had to use the bathroom. I took him up to where the restrooms were located. The area was open and he was happy to just run around. We went a sat back down, for a few minutes. Liam kept telling me he was ready to go home, and that he was done. I had to keep working with Liam to settle him down. He really could not sit still. He kept climbing in the chairs in the row among his cousins Katie and Bridget who were there. I had to stop him a couple times from climbing any higher. When the show started Liam would pay attention for a few minutes then say he wanted to go home. It was back forth with paying attention, wanting to go, and then going to the bathroom.
When the show was over the kids waited in line and got to pick a stuffed animal and get a bag of candy and treats. The only hard part was for Liam. He just wanted to go. He was done. It was crowded, loud, and after all the anxiety he had he was tired. When we got in the van the boys couldn’t wait to get their hands on their treats. We gave them all 1 thing to eat on the way home. As we got going they all fell asleep for a much needed nap.
Later that evening Liam was still exhausted. He and his brothers all had a bath and were asleep by 8:15. It was definitely a long day for them all.
The biggest story I can tell is about Sunday. Sunday Grandpa McCourt and I took all 4 boys to the electrician’s union Christmas party for kids. It is something that the McCourt’s have done since they were kids. It is really a nice time and all the little kids love it. The party is held at Cleveland’s Masonic Temple, a beautiful, old building on the east side. They have Santa Claus there for the kids to see and a show. The show had a magician, a cat trainer who had cats that did special tricks, and a dog trainer who had dogs that performed tricks. When Liam was first told he was going he recalled last year so vividly. He was scared to death of Santa there. The days preceding the party he kept saying how he didn’t want to see Santa. At times he would get very upset when it was talked about. When we got there we decided to let the boys see Santa. We walked in and Liam got extremely anxious. I walked up the steps with Aidan, Brendan, and Seamus and saw Grandpa McCourt consoling Liam that he didn’t have to see Santa. He was terrified. When he came up the stairs he clung to me with a death grip. I consoled him some more to settle him down a little. Grandpa McCourt took the boys to get candy canes as I stood in line. Liam and Grandpa would walk around while we waited in line. When we finally got near Santa, Seamus and the twins looked at Santa and refused to see Santa. It was actually kind of funny, but I wasn’t going to push it.
We then went into the auditorium to get seat for the show. While we waited Liam had to use the bathroom. I took him up to where the restrooms were located. The area was open and he was happy to just run around. We went a sat back down, for a few minutes. Liam kept telling me he was ready to go home, and that he was done. I had to keep working with Liam to settle him down. He really could not sit still. He kept climbing in the chairs in the row among his cousins Katie and Bridget who were there. I had to stop him a couple times from climbing any higher. When the show started Liam would pay attention for a few minutes then say he wanted to go home. It was back forth with paying attention, wanting to go, and then going to the bathroom.
When the show was over the kids waited in line and got to pick a stuffed animal and get a bag of candy and treats. The only hard part was for Liam. He just wanted to go. He was done. It was crowded, loud, and after all the anxiety he had he was tired. When we got in the van the boys couldn’t wait to get their hands on their treats. We gave them all 1 thing to eat on the way home. As we got going they all fell asleep for a much needed nap.
Later that evening Liam was still exhausted. He and his brothers all had a bath and were asleep by 8:15. It was definitely a long day for them all.
posted by Jim McIlwee at
9:24 PM
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