I thought we were making progress today. We had some good play time, some good naps, and nothing special we had to do or get done. We just did grocery shopping first thing and stayed home.

Brendan likes to stack things

But every few minutes, he begs for the TV to be on

Trevor found this pair of newborn socks with little dogs on them. The socks had heads and then four little feet around the sides. I could not believe it, but they were able to stretch enough to go on his feet!

He loved wearing them, and barked at the dogs

Then, without prompting, he decided to give them hugs and kisses. Flexible Trevor!

As long as I kept watch, we kept the hitting to a minimum and things were OK. But then we got to dinner time. At the kitchen table, Brendan throws everything you might give him and decides to play with his trach instead. And then he yells. His yell sets Trevor off with a cry that is like a smoke alarm that you can’t turn off. He just melts down 100% and screams and can’t seem to get ahold of himself.
We struggle to know what to do. As long as Brendan sat at the table, Trevor sobbed out of control. Bill took Brendan out of the room and I was able to get Trevor to settle enough to get his dinner in him.
The noise and stress is hard on everyone, I wish I understood what was wrong.
The rest of the evening, we had to keep them separated, just for our sanity.

I got another reminder again today of why I like doing this blog so much. We had some epic meltdowns and chaos that dominated the dinner hour. Trevor cried so hard he could hardly breathe and went on a rampage, Brendan was trying to pull his trach out, all the while some bread was burning in the oven. It felt like torture, it makes you feel helpless, overpowered, and overwhelmed.

But then I look back at the day and realize that it was not all that bad. We took it easy and had no plans. We cleaned up and did laundry. Trevor and I ran to Target for some more storage/organizing things. Aside from some quick toddler fights and some minor Trevor tantrums, things were good. When it escalates though, it is easy to forget all that.

Trevor continues to fear and panic at the sound of Brendan’s voice. His reactions seem to be getting worse. He will also run up and smack Brendan over the head with toys or anything else in his hands, totally at random. Brendan winces and puts his hands up when his brother comes near, it breaks my heart. And then, minutes later, they are chasing each other around in circles, giggling hysterically and having fun. And then Trevor will lovingly pat Brendan’s head gently. If this is what all of the terrible-twos will be like, I don’t know how we are going to survive!

We just have to focus on what is positive, as always.
Bill took Trevor into our bedroom to fold some laundry and recover from one of his spells early this morning. Separating him from Brendan seems to be the only way to interrupt the meltdown. Trevor decided to tell one of his “stories”

Proof that they can be happy in close proximity!

Bill thought they might finally be old enough for the giant bag of Megablocks. They were definitely interested!

It didn’t last too long, but they focused for a while. You would never know from this picture that Trevor just got done with his screaming rage. It lasted a long time tonight, but once it was done, he was ready to eat and play. The rest of the night was just fine.

I had to use the monster truck to try to divert his attention and get him to stop crying. It had to stay with him then, and he was offering it noodles to eat.

Brendan just threw everything that came near his tray

They both went to bed without issue, even with thunder rolling outside. The dogs have been all pouty today, I think they liked having the girls here for the extra attention! We are so glad they made it home safely!

This will be the last giant post for a while, we are hoping for a simple, quiet weekend! We had to say goodbye to aunt and cousins this afternoon. It was a great week, we packed a lot in, and it went too fast! I loved being able to get to know the girls again and I think they had fun too.

They played outside so that they could spend a little time with Brendan before they left. It was time to blow bubbles!

I took the picture too soon, he was actually pursing his lips and trying to figure out how to blow through the wand!

He loves to pop bubbles

Trevor was busy looking for airplanes

And running trucks

The girls remembered they wanted to see the aquarium before they left, and we had just enough time. We got there right when they opened at 10am.

Kayla in a bubble

She loved the large rays

Ashley in a bubble

All kinds of large animals swam right overhead

Teeth!

Trevor had a good time too. It was amazing to see the difference between his last visit here and now. He was more observant, more interested and less afraid. He was also fast and all over the place and difficult to photograph! We got home in time for lunch and nap and then Trevor woke up just in time to go to the airport.

The dinner table tonight was empty. Brendan has this trick he does with his feet to try to prevent the high chair tray from clicking on.

The flight home ended up being delayed for two and half hours!! We are bummed that they had to spend all that time this afternoon sitting in the terminal. They are still in the air as I type and should land in 30 minutes. It will be a very late night getting home.
We all hope they have safe travels all the way to their comfy beds tonight!