Hyperdrive

Hyperdrive. That's what life was been like lately.

Due to a number of reasons, the main ones being the impending arrival of another little one and the fact that the boys are now able to escape their room at any time of the day or night, we decided on Sunday afternoon that some major room switches needed to be made. As in, we were going to move all our stuff from our bedroom downstairs to the boys' room. The boys' beds were going to be moved into the Drama Queen's room while her newly-painted bed was constructed in the same room. All their belongings and toys were to be moved downstairs to our old room for a playroom. Oh, and since we only came up with this solution on Sunday afternoon, we had a day and a half basically to get the majority of the work done. Thankfully my father-in-law came over and pitched in with all the heavy lifting and carrying, which I myself could not do due to the giant belly jutting out in front of me. My mother-in-law took the kids all day yesterday to get them out of the way and give us the focus we needed to get it all done. I'll tell you one thing - I have not been this sore or this tired in a very long time!

And today was the first day of school for the Drama Queen. We made the decision to homeschool her this year. The dining room is decorated with educational Busytown posters, a big white board, and various other schoolish things. I think our first day went amazingly well, and despite my exhaustion, I had a great time teaching her today. I'll share more about our homeschooling in the next post, accompanied of course by "first day" pictures and all the hoopla. Tomorrow, the Beast begins his fall semester in the blended class at ESD.

Oh yeah and the Nerd is going out of town with his dad this weekend for a Men's Conference. Life is not showing any signs of slowing down! And although this preggo lady is craving naps more and more often, I still wouldn't have it any other way. :)

Blended

Although school ended for the Beast on Thursday, it will only be a few short weeks before he goes back for the fall semester. Hopefully things go smoothly on these days that his schedule changes.

On Friday, I got an unexpected call from the Beast's main teacher. He told me that all of the Beast's teachers had been discussing his progress over the past year, and after a lot of talk, they felt that our Davey would be better suited to the blended class come fall. The blended class consists of some kids like Davey and also quite a few "normal" kids. It is run more like a classroom, with just two teachers instead of the several he's used to and with a structured curriculum similar to a kindergarten class instead of the one-on-one help he has been getting.

I am very excited for him - this means that progress is being made! On the other hand, I am a little nervous for him. Being in a blended class means he is going to have to work a lot harder to meet the same goals as his peers. It will challenge him in ways he hasn't been before. And most importantly, it is going to be a big change for him, and the Beast does not always handle change very well.

All the same, we are encouraged at this "promotion" and look forward to our Davey learning and growing even more!

Of Changes and Autism

A few weeks ago the Nerd and I met up with all of the Beast's teachers to discuss his IFSP (Individualized Family Service Plan) for the upcoming year. I came prepared with a whole list of questions and things I felt our Beast needed to work on. Overall, the meeting went very well, especially since his teacher was new and really didn't know a whole lot about our son yet.

One thing that was especially concerning to me as a teacher is the fact that Davey does not have the hand control to make a simple line or circle on a piece of paper. When instructed to do so, he makes barely legible dots randomly on the paper and then gives up. At four years old, he needs to have this very basic skill in order to start learning how to write the various letters of the alphabet. I am hoping that the ideas the teachers came up with will help him gain the control he needs to master these simple skills.

However, near the end of the meeting, I was feeling pretty good about the direction David and his special education would be taking this year. I just had one more question for his teachers. I knew that this special class he currently attends is only for children age five and under, and I wondered what was going to be next for our Davey. Should we be preparing him to try to attend a "normal" kindergarten class, or would there be a special needs kindergarten class available for him if he needed it? When I presented this question, all the teachers looked at me blankly. Well of course he would be headed to a regular kindergarten class, I was told. Why would I think David needed to go to a different class? I was surprised but said simply that I was not sure based on his autism diagnosis of the previous year. At this bit of news, the teachers just stared at me. Get this - not one of his teachers was aware that David had been diagnosed with high-functioning autism! Granted, they had all noticed that he was a little "off" and thought perhaps he had an attention deficit disorder, but none of them had ever been informed that David is indeed autistic. I was shocked - somehow the information had been lost from point A to point B, and while his teachers have accomplished some amazing things with him this year, I wondered what more could have been done had they known the proper diagnosis??

So now we are facing yet another set of evaluations and tests for David within the next few months. I am so glad I asked that question, and yet I am concerned about what is next for us. Lately our sweet Davey has been having a lot of "sad days" - days in which he has meltdown after meltdown and sits and mopes in a corner for hours. These days are usually triggered by some sort of change - new teacher, new Sunday School class, baby coming, etc. Two of his good friends from his class will be moving up to the integrated class this fall, and I wonder how David will handle it.

Still, despite the worry and anxiety for my little guy, I know that a God much more powerful and greater than all of this is "handling it." He gives us so many promises in the book of Psalms:

"Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." (Psalm 27:14) And what about "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go; I will guide thee with mine eye." (Psalm 32:8) We are beyond thankful that our almighty God is traveling this way with us!

A BIG Thank You!

We celebrated the Beast's last day of school on Thursday. We celebrated six teachers that have the amazing capabilities to bring out the best in our children. The Beast helped me choose papers to make these notebooks for his teachers as end-of-the-year gifts.

We simply bought notebooks at the dollar store and covered them in coordinating scrapbook paper. (The Beast really liked the bright colors of these sock-monkey themed papers). I used a Sharpie to write each teacher's name in a fun font. (the heartbreaker font at dafont.com was inspiration). Then we tied them up with white grosgrain ribbon bows and colorful pencils.

It seemed it was the least I could do for these incredible teachers. Those of you that knew the Beast before he was diagnosed and before he began this special education program would be able to testify how much progress and change has occurred in our little man over the year. I will forever be grateful to these people whose talents were used to help the Beast in ways that I, even as his mom, could not. It never seems enough to say thank you - but, a BIG thanks to all of his teachers. Mr. Scott, Teacher Jan, Teacher Bobby, Teacher Mary Jo, Teacher Chris, and Miss Maggy - we love you!

Beyond the teachers, the class itself was an incredible experience this year. My Beast finally has friends - ones that run up to him, grab him firmly by the hand, and proudly introduce him as "my friend David." Each child in the class has a special, fun personality, and I am looking forward to the playdates this summer with the Beast's favorite people. I have been able to develop amazing friendships with the parents of these special kids. One in particular has been such a blessing and wonderful friend throughout the school year. She has watched my kids when I was sick, picked up the Beast and taken him to school when I needed it, but most of all she loves my kids, especially my Davey.

So here I am at the end of the school year, trying to process my emotions about it all. The Beast comes over to me and initiates a long conversation about the baby, keeping eye contact with me the entire time. Summer break for him is actually quite short - just the month of June in fact - and he will be returning to his class in the beginning of July. Then Mr. Scott (his favorite teacher) calls. Budget cuts have been made, and a lot of reshuffling in the system has taken place. While David will still get to be with most of his teachers and classmates, unfortunately Mr. Scott is being moved to another class. I must admit, I cry when I hear the news. (I am sure preggo hormones are a part of that!) From the moment Davey and Mr. Scott met, they have had a special connection. Davey measures his days by "when's the next time I get to see Mr. Scott?" We have benefitted so much from Mr. Scott as parents - he even has come by our house to help us work out solutions to problems we were having with David at home. I don't know how to tell David that he will have a new teacher and that he will not be seeing Mr. Scott every week anymore.

However, I am trying hard to be grateful that he has so many good teachers and that he is able to continue in this fabulous program. I know that with that kind of help, our Beast's future is bright. I praise God every day that we get to be part of this community!

School Daze

Last night, I uttered words that have never been spoken in this house before - "She needs to get to bed. It's a 'school night.' "

Yes, things have certainly changed around here. It all started on Tuesday morning, when I got up early to get everybody and everything ready for the first day of school.

The Drama Queen was already up, excited and ready to go in her uniform and with her special backpack, packed to the brim with tissues, Clorox wipes, construction paper, and other such preschool necessities. I had my bag packed as well, with my lesson plan book, red pens, paper, and some special treats for my Spanish students. When the boys woke up rather groggily, the Beast pulled out his new Spiderman backpack to be filled with extra clothes and pull-ups for daycare and later his ESD preschool. We managed to remember everything and get out the door in plenty of time to get to school.
The Nerd planned to go into work a little late that morning so he could see our baby girl go to school that first day. After dropping the boys off at daycare (not a happy occasion for the Beast unfortunately), we took the Drama Queen up to her classroom where she willingly posed by her desk in her Dr. Seuss-themed room. That sweet smile and air of self-confidence tugged at my heart a little, but I didn't cry. The Nerd insisted on taking several pictures of the momentous event, including photos of her in front of the fish tank, in front of Mrs. Kaiti's desk, in the process of unloading her backpack, etc. You would think he was the blogger in the family! I gave her a quick hug and told her she was going to be awesome in preschool; then I hurried downstairs to teacher's meeting. After a long but informative assembly, I got to meet the the 7th and 8th grade students that would be in my Spanish class this year. (lots of boys with deep voices that squeak every once in a while and a few girls that are taller than the boys :) ) It felt great to get back into the teaching groove again!

After Spanish class, I picked up the boys from daycare and headed home. I got a few things done around the house and then it was back to school to pick up a very bubbly and talkative Drama Queen from school. She chatted about what she had learned and who had gotten their name on the board (apparently not a good thing) and who was sitting next to her all the way home. We all hurriedly ate lunch and then got back into the van to take Davey to his ESD preschool for the afternoon.
This time, as I pulled into the parking lot of the ESD/Headstart building and signed in to take him to his class, I started to cry. It was very overwhelming to take my barely-three-year-old to a class with a teacher I hardly knew. He looked at me uncertainly from the door, but as soon as Mr. Scott promised he could wash his hands with the bubbly soap, he cheerfully waved and went inside. I didn't want to leave and stood around for a little while, as if there were something else I should do before I go. Mr. Scott gently reminded me that he would see us again at 3:30 pm. I reluctantly took the other kiddies home for the rest of the afternoon.

Promptly at 3:30 I was back at his school, waiting to hear all about his first day. Mr. Scott said he did very well for his first day and only had a little trouble staying focused during circle time. Davey of course said nothing - he never talks about his day. From his preschool, I drove straight to the doctor's office, where the Drama Queen and the Spud had their check-ups and respective shots. Then it was home to finish making dinner and finally take a break from the van!

So, yes, I would say that our daily lives have changed rather dramatically. I am trying to figure out where my Etsy shop projects and blogging will fit in, but I am loving it! This is the part of motherhood I have been waiting for - the busyness, the school projects, and the daily schedule :)

Special Times

I am sitting at the kitchen table with all three kids clamoring for my attention. The Drama Queen wants me to confirm that tomorrow is indeed her half-birthday; the Spud is anxious to get down from his high chair. The Beast is demanding that I look at a picture on the wall, and if past behavior is any indication, he will insist that I look at the same picture several more times today.

Although I am subconsciously answering these questions and releasing the Spud from his chair, my real attention is focused on a stack of papers in front of me. Each sheet has the logo ESD emblazoned across the letterhead, and I am trying to find all the "sign here"s and "date here"s. Somehow, seeing all the paperwork that will potentially put our son in special education suddenly makes the whole situation much more real. On one hand, I am excited - eager to get some more answers and to get our Davey the help he needs to function socially.

On the other hand, however, I am also preparing for a very different meeting tonight. Tonight the Nerd and I meet up with the Drama Queen's preschool teacher and discuss "normal" things like where to purchase her uniform, what fun things she is going to get to do in class this year, etc. Tomorrow is the meeting with all the ESD folks, where the discussion will not be so "normal." Tomorrow, they will be deciding whether or not Davey is a candidate for Early Intervention Preschool. Again, I am happy and hoping so much that he will get this help; but it saddens me a little as well. As a mom, I never expected to hear "ESD" or "special education" used to refer to my child.

Strangely enough, it is not really a negative feeling. I feel blessed that God has entrusted us with the task of raising this special child. He must see something in me that I don't - not yet, anyway!

On Thursday, we will be gearing ourselves up for a very busy morning. The Nerd has taken the time off work, and together we and Davey will be meeting with several specialists throughout the morning. These meetings will result in the official diagnosis -Aspergers or otherwise.

Thank you all so much for your prayers and kind comments, dear readers. And local friends, I cannot thank you enough for the many spur-of-the-moment baby-sittings and advice and hugs. :)

God is faithful, and He knows.
"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when i was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect, and in they book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!" Psalm 139:14-17