Since the move, Monster has had two huge problems.
1. He hates to go to bed. We've had sleep issues in the past, really horrific battles at bedtime, which have gotten much better recently (before the move). Some days are better than others, but it's no where near as good as it was before the move. He tries to be charming, he gets very wired. He does whale song (a series of vocalizations he knows makes me crazy). I watched him the other night start whale song every time he would doze off a bit. I suspect it is a fear of going to sleep not knowing what changes will result when he wakes. Some of it is the weather (hot/humid, loud air conditioning); Some of it is just the strangeness of a new place.
2. Clinginess and staying home. He has always been fairly well traveled-it was nothing for us to drive an hour and a half for him to go to 6 flags; heck his horseback riding was an hour+ from our house, no sweat. Since we've been here, he doesn't like to leave the house much. I suspect this is because he is still scared that we are going to uproot him again. He is both trying to stick to what he considers known and his as well as preventing another upheaval by not leaving. Before the move, he was sleeping part of the night in his own bed and even after he climbed into mine, he would sleep a part from me. now, he is back to my bed completely and attached to me like iron on magnetite (geek reference). The clinginess is tough for me. After over 6 years of it, I'm extremely touched out. I'm tired of sleeping with him on top of me. I have pinched nerves in both of my shoulders that result in me waking up with numb hands, my back is always out of wack.
In addition to the move anxiety, I started back to work. After having Mommy home for the past 4-5 weeks, Mommy is gone all day (leaves before he gets up and gets home an hour before bedtime). Tonight, he wouldn't even look me in the eye. We sat for about 15 minutes, me holding him on my lap asking him to look at me (which usually gets him to look me in the eye) before he would look up and he only did that because I told him he couldn't play on the computer until he did. I should have known that was coming, he turned his back on me when I took over his bath time.
This is increasing both the bedtime problems and the clinginess. When he was much younger, he would make me sit on the couch (if I got up, he would lead me back and push me down or meltdown if I didn't) and then stand in front of me with his back turned when I would get home from work. He has never liked me working, but we've always liked to eat and sleep under a roof, so off to work I go (not to mention I love my work).
All of this also makes Mr's job harder-in addition to him dealing with setting things up here regarding services, school, activities, etc.
His language, for the most part, still remains pretty good. He is now telling us when he has a bad tummy or an owie (which he has many of these days because of rough play). He even asked for owie medicine tonight (though he wouldn't take it). I try to hold on to the fact that though he may retreat more often than we would like into his Cartoon world, he reciting things out loud to us, which suggests a confidence in his own speaking ability.
Things are going to get worse, before they get better, but I have to believe they are going to get better.
How does one learn patience?
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