Fru-fru Me Culpa

Appa and I aren't really "fru-fru" people.  We are fair-weather organic consumers, don't bat an eye processed foods, and love our over-the-counter medicines in a variety of dye-laden flavors (although, for the record, I have made a massive effort to remove dyes and HFCS from our purchases).  It's not that we are skeptics of a more natural, holistic lifestyle (far from it, actually), rather, we just aren't enough of believers to make the financial and emotional commitments.

But faced with the ever-increasing ticking clock that demands something be found to help Little Bug with his focus and impulses, we've started throwing everything at the wall to see if anything sticks.  The honest truth is that medications are likely, but if we can supplement some of his needs with something other than medication, that is worth any amount of money or commitment to us.

So after some chats with some friends whose opinions and knowledge I value and respect (and admire so so much) regarding essential oil therapy our developmental pediatrician recommended, I invested in two small, but expensive bottles of oils.  One was a blend for calming, and the other is an oil that has been proven effective for increasing focus in children with ADD/ADHD, a component of Little Bug's needs that we need to address soon.

Honestly, when I opened the box and found the two itty bitty vials, my stomach dropped.  This was going to end up in the pile of fails along with weighted vest, chew sticks, the lamb clock, mouth vibr@tors, benick bands, speech whistles, the tummy time spinner, etc.  When you have spent 3 years throwing crap at the wall with little sticking, it makes you jaded.  So yes, I admit, I had buyer's remorse before ever opening the oils.

For about a week, I sort of muddled around with the oils, applying them on Little Bug's neck sometimes and just expecting it to work.  Finally, I figured I needed to give it a real go to at least rule it out before our next meeting with our doctor.  So I read up again on the studies and took steps to learn how to best administer the oils for maximum effect.

Wouldn't you know, the last 6 days have been great.  Sure, Little Bug still has a lot of needs that can't be overcome with oils, but there has absolutely been a change in his actions and demeanor in the last few days.  He sat through Korean class in a pretty age-appropriate manner with a big smile on his face, and he has been willing to sit and color or chat or work on a puzzle longer and without the constant fidgeting.  His "fits" are decreasing in frequency and intensity.  When he inhales the oil he seems to truly calm down a bit.  Call me crazy, but it seems to be making a positive and tangible difference.

Could it be a coincidence that the day we started using the oil was the day he started swinging into a good stretch?  Yes.  But the change has been enough that we ordered a special diffuser for his bedroom (of course the oil we need to use is too thick for traditional oil diffusers), a clay necklace for continuous inhalation during the day, and are pulling the oils out throughout the day.  Because if something makes our son's road just a little bit easy for him to walk, we're going to commit to it.

There is something so exciting about finding something that actually helps increase Little Bug's quality of life.  I'm so grateful to be surrounded by such well-rounded people who can give me perspectives that I might not otherwise find.