School School School

After a busy and fun filled summer the kids had their first week of school last week and have entered into the second week today.

So far so good!

Emma likes her 1st grade teacher and is doing really well.  I think she tends to respond better to other people teaching her than her own mother!  She is reading and doing more math than I thought she could do.  She always tells me she doesn't know how to read but this momma caught her reading!  Stinker.  She is still always on the go and never stops.  As soon as her head hits the pillow it's light out.  If you don't hurry to say good night then she will be asleep before you get there to tuck her in.

Katelyn is 19 months and a busy bee.  She is not thrilled that her brother and sister are now in school.  She is absolutely in love with Mickey and Minnie Mouse and now has taken a liking to Dora.  We call her the hoarder because she likes to walk around the house with her arms absolutely full of toys!  I stopped nursing her at 18 months.  I am not weird.  I am not insane.  :)  But it was time for us to end it.  She is a easy going baby (Toddler: ahhh) and a true joy to be around. 

Nathan has done great at school!  He loves his teacher and he really thrives on the set schedule.  He acts like a movie star waving and talking to all the teachers and staff and knows their names and room numbers.  He is excited that this year might be harder for him.  His teacher is talking about getting him into the gifted program this year.  He will continue to do PT 2 times in a 6 day cycle and he will also see the school psychiatrist 2 times in a 6 day cycle which is actually more than last year.

The mornings and nights are cooling off and it seems like fall is already in the air!  I love this cooler weather.  Time sure passes fast with kids.  They are growing up very fast. 

Time for homework! 

Life Moves Foward

It's been a while since I updated but with the arrival of baby Katelyn I have been pretty busy!

Nathan is going to be done with school on June 7th and I can't wait!  I'm ready to have him home again and do some fun things.  I think he did well in school and though he had some struggles I think overall his first year at school went great.

Emma will be starting school in September and boy I will miss her!  She is feisty and funny and loves to help with Katelyn.

The kids have not been jealous of Katelyn.  They lover her.  She is a really great baby and a true joy to have! 

I sometimes look at her and just start crying.  I call her heartbreakingly beautiful.  Strange I know.....  But I look at her and think of our third baby I will not hold here on a earth and also remember without the loss of our third baby I would not have Katelyn.  She is so beautiful and perfect and I can't imagine NOT having her.  I talked to someone recently who told me they had 3 miscarriages.  I can't imagine.  One was beyond hard.... but three? 

Friday we meet with the school psychologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, and I believe Nathan's teacher for next year.  I am not 100% clear on what we will discuss but I guess we will find out!  Pray for wisdom that we will know what to ask, what to say, and that Nathan will get what he needs. 

So life moves forward.  I am loving this season of my life.  It's busy and exhausting and hectic and sometimes we get dressed out of a laundry basket because I haven't had time to put it away but I am loving it!! 

Better Late than Never

Trying to send out a quick update!

Today we meet with Nathan's teacher and then directly afterwards we meet with the school psychologist to get the 504 in place and to discuss the PT and OT Nathan will continue to receive.

Pray that we can talk with his teacher in a way that does not offend.  We have no problems with the Kindergarten curriculum but we want to make it clear that Nathan will need "more" than what might be being offered.  We were sent home a paper of what Nathan must know by the END of the year and he already knows these things. 

We also would like prayer that he will find good friends who are good influences.  Nathan is very much an imitator. 

He officially starts school on Thursday.  I am excited for him but also nervous.  He has never been to daycare, never to a pre-k, and not even in a Sunday nursery.    He's always been mine to watch and care for and now from 9-3:15 I have to trust someone else to do the job I have done for the last five, almost 6 years now. 

On other news I have made it to my 16th week of my pregnancy and it seems to be going well.  I have an appointment on Thursday after I drop Nathan off at school.

Emma is busy doing her thing.  I have told her she needs to work on her letters and numbers this year.  She will start Kindergarten next year and she could care less about numbers and letters. 

Today is also our wedding anniversary.  8 years!

I will apologize in advance for any typo's or spelling errors as I don't really have time to do a good edit. 

Break Time!

I haven't written much lately because #1 My computer is a piece of junk and half the time doesn't work.  It took me 20 minutes just to get to this point of writing this!  #2 There isn't too much to say right now.

Nathan's last day at his Thursday social group was today.  He is moving to Tuesdays and that starts up again in July.  I have to admit it will be nice to have a bit of a break.  It's tiring to make that trek out to Norristown every week.  The same goes for his OT and PT.  There will be a break.

The 20th of this month Nikki and I will meet the psychologist to try and get approval for wrap around services. 

With school fast approaching it's essential we get these services in place ASAP.

On other news my poor vegetable garden is withering and struggling in the heat.  My peas have all but died. 

Nathan has his last PT tomorrow until July.  He will get his orthotics put in tomorrow as well.  It will be interesting what he thinks to wearing them.

Go AWAY!

Tomorrow a woman named Nikki will come to our home and tell us what the psychiatrist thinks about Nathan.  This should be a old hat to us.  It will be the third time we have done this. 

Part of me feels like just being done with it all!  Maybe I don't need to hear what she has to say.  Maybe I don't want to know what that psychiatrist thinks about my little guy.  Maybe I think we are doing just fine by Nathan. 

But the other part of me says, "We need help!"  There are days when Nathan does fine and he seems like any typical five year old.  There are others days when we feel like we just don't "get him" and his strange way of thinking. 

He is our little nutty professor.  He can talk about things that most twenty year oldsdon't know and memorize huge amounts of information.  But then he can't figure out simple things.  He lacks common sense.  He gets so easily frustrated and wants to give up on everything!  He gets so anxious.  We want help with that.  We want him to cope with these frustrations he feels.  We don't want him to end up in tears several times a day about "small" things.

So we trudge forward. 

I am not nervous about tomorrow.  I am weary thinking about tomorrow. 

We want what is best for Nathan.  We want to help.  We do not want to over-diagnose.  We don't want to force him into a cookie cutter shape of what someone else things he should be. 

Tell me how to help him when he is surrounded by people and he shuts down or panics or just cries.  Tell me how to help him have fun at events.  Tell me how to teach him to cope better with his many frustrations.  But don't tell me how to raise him. 

All I can say is, "Bring it on."

Blowing Raspberries

I have little to say but for those who are wondering how today's appointment went....well...if I could blow a raspberry and you could hear it...I would. 

It was a frustrating and annoying and somewhat disappointing experience.  I nearly walked out after the first 10 minutes.

For those who didn't see my other update: Nathan and I met with a psychologist from Creative Services today.

The man was.... ego centric??  I don't even know.  I didn't like him.  I didn't like what he had to say.  Hey, maybe he lost a few of his marbles along the way....

I did not like his "let me pin every diagnosis I have ever seen on your kid and medicate him up and I am the coolest psychologist in the world and I have helped famous people." 

All right, all right.  So maybe he didn't say those exact words but you get the picture right?

In the end I came to the conclusion that I don't care.

He agreed with a diagnosis of Aspergers....I think...let me tell you that this guy talked so stinkin' fast and used so much crazy terminology that I walked out with my head spinning.

So if Nathan  ends up with services that is great.  If not... well, I will be happy to wash my hands of that guy!

Whirlwind Day

Phew! What a day!

Up at 6:45 and out the door at 8:00 only to creep in traffic and arrive at Nathan's social group at 9:00.  Poor Nathan, I forgot his backpack with his home-work in it so he was upset with me.  Emma was mad at me too for forgetting her brother's back pack.  His teacher let me help him fill in an extra homework page she had and that made Nathan happy. 

Then Emma and I went to Aldi's.  We picked up some candy to fill Easter eggs for church. 

Next stop was Wal-mart.  I had a good talk on my cell with a friend who shared some encouraging words about Nathan starting school.  :)  Then back to pick up Nathan.  His class learned about Rude Dude who did not take turns talking and did not listen to his friend.  They made a book about Rude Dude and I am going to make sure we read it with Nathan often!

On the way home we stopped at Nathan's. (That hot dog place)  Nathan has been wanting to eat there since it has name on the sign.  Nathan said, "I bet they have mac n cheese from Sweden"

I said, "Umm, no, they have hot dogs."

Nathan said, "Seriously?"

Ha ha!

Even though they did not have mac-n-cheese from Sweden, Nathan enjoyed his hot dog and so did Emma.

We got home around 12:30.  I opened all the bags of candy I bought and started to fill plastic eggs, with Nathan's help, when we both realized that the big bag of mixed candy I bought contained pieces of candy that were way too big for the little plastic eggs!  Oops!

1:30 We left for Creative Services and met with Lauren.  Nathan and Emma were both very tired.  I met with Lauren and basically recited all the things I have recited over and over to a myriad of people by now.  Then she asked me, "So what are Nathan's strengths?"

And I stopped.

It took me a minute because not one person who has tested Nathan or asked about Nathan in this horrible long process has ever asked me that.  It was so nice to be able to tell her about his good qualities and the wonderful things he can do!  Finally some positive amidst the negative!

Long story short I am VERY, VERY, happy with the way the appointment with.  Nathan will meet with their psychologist.  This will be the third psychologist he will have seen.  And then we can move forward.  Lauren said she believes there will be no problem diagnosing the Aspergers as he seems to be a "typical" case.   And here is where my excitement begins.  If he is diagnosed they can offer us wrap around services and behavior specialist and if needed someone to go to school with him and observe and offer the teacher ways to help Nathan and even help Nathan cope with some of his anxiety!  They will also help Chris and I know how to deal and cope with certain things related to his Aspergers!  Yay!

We stopped at the Farmer's Daughter's Market on the way home because who could drive right by and not stop?  I picked up Nathan's favorite, sesame sticks.

When we got home Nathan was just done.  He went right to his room and closed the door.  When I went to check on him I found him in his bed playing his V Smile game.  I think he needed some down time.  Who can blame him?

Emma said, "I'm so tired I should just watch TV."

I am worn out too!  Now to figure what in the world we will eat for dinner tonight.