AmandaAs some of you may know, Zion loves dinosaurs. So the school I work at brought in an amazing exhibit called “Dinosaur George.” It was filled with dinosaur fossils, bones, and all around some really, really cool stuff. I was able to take Zion to it and he was so amazed by everything that he saw. He was asking questions, pointing out different dinosaurs, and really excited to take pictures with everything. The guide working there was very impressed with our 3 years old knowledge of dinosaurs and all their characteristics. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Zion is very bright and when he focused on something he likes to learn as much as he can about that topic.
Speaking of our 3 year old, he will soon be turning 4! Zion’s birthday is July 5th and that’s right, he is turning the big numero 4! We are having his birthday party at the end of next week. So if all goes well, I will have lots of pictures and videos to post of our big guy. We are also planning on going to dinner with family to The Rainforest Cafe. I feel like Zion would really like this place due all the animals and interactive atmosphere. Is it crazy that I am sad about Zion turning 4? I feel like he growing up way too fast. Over the past 3 years (since he turned 1), we have learned so much from Zion. I have learned to have more patience, more understanding, how to be more flexible, and most of all, how to overcome challenges. Zion has many good days. Days where he is just a basic 3 year old that runs, plays, and laughs. However, Zion also has days where he becomes overwhelmed, over stimulated, and has meltdowns that can bring me to tears. I sometimes think I am weak for crying, but he is my son, and at those moments I feel totally helpless and lost as to how to help him. I just sit and wait for it to pass.
This brings me to the second half of this weeks title: meltdowns. Zion had a meltdown recently at a outdoor flea market. We went looking for lawn decorations to go in our garden. Zion’s first plant died, so we were also going to go to a nursery to let him pick out a new plant. We found a dinosaur to go in our flower bed and asked Zion if he liked it. He didn’t. He wanted a much smaller dinosaur that wouldn’t look right (size wise) in the flower bed. We told him the one he wanted wasn’t an option, but he fixated on that dinosaur. We decided we just wouldn’t get anything and attempted to leave. Well, Zion couldn’t switch off and continued to fixate on that dinosaur. As we left he was screaming at the top of his lungs that he didn’t want to leave and that we needed to go back and get the dinosaur. Of course, people stared. We are used to it. We got to the car and he refused to get in. He literally was kicking me and the car in order to not get in his car seat. I gave him a few minutes to calm down in the car. Then I asked him if he wanted to go pick out a plant. I know, some people probably think I am rewarding a meltdown. However, I was just trying to put his mind on something else. He calmed down, then told us he wanted the dinosaur that we originally wanted. This seems like such a back and forth process of things, but it’s actually pretty normal for us now. He was fine the rest of the day. The pictures below are from later on in that day. I feel like maybe I should start talking to him about these meltdowns after they occur. Any advice on that? Do you think it would help me understand his feelings more?
To end a good note, my oldest nephew graduated from high school earlier this month! I am so proud of him. Watching my sister get emotional made me realize how much of a mess I will be when both of my little ones get to that stage in life. I have 14 years to prepare for the first one, hehe!
Well that’s all for this week. I am excited for his upcoming birthday party and look forward to posting all about it! Thank you all so much for reading and watching. We truly appreciate the continued support and love! See you in 2 weeks!
