TGIF.

Melissa

This has been one of the longest weeks ever.  Of course, every week seems that way right now 🙂

Monkey seems to be settling in to his new classroom.  He’s still not able to walk all the way to the classroom in the mornings but once we’re there he jumps right in to activities.  It was reported yesterday that he played chase for quite a long time and then participated in a game of “Ring Around the Rosie!”  He’s played this with me before but he’s never played with a large group.  Quite impressive.

His teacher noted that he does not like to color with markers, that they require a lot of fine motor control and he prefers to not engage.  Can you folks think of any fun ways to get him to participate?

 

Transition? We don’t need no stinking transition!

Melissa

Despite the assurances given to us by his IEP team leader that they would work out a gradual transition to avoid upsetting Monkey, Monkey is in his new classroom after only a single day of support.  We should have expected this, right?

What we had expected:  A few days (to be determined by Monkey’s behavior) of spending a few hours in the new classroom becoming familiar with the new kids, the new room and the new staff.  He would have a favored staff member from his other class with him during these hours.

What happend:  His prior teacher informed us she had planned to move him on Tuesday but that his signed IEP was missing.  We argued for the gradual transition we were offered and we were turned down flat by the teacher.  The signed IEP turned up on Tuesday afternoon so the switch was planned for Wednesday.  The favored staff member took him to the new classroom and he stayed there all day. 

It was reported that he had a GREAT day!  That he had the best circle time (period of high stress for him) ever!  SEE THEY WERE RIGHT!

Except…they weren’t.  We dropped Monkey off in his new class this AM after a really bad transition to school.  We figured why bother dropping him off in the other room if they’re just going to dump him in the new class after we leave?   Monkey was back to kicking off his shoes, which he does when he is extremely stressed.  The teacher commented that he “loves” to take his shoes off, that he was doing it at circle time yesterday too.

WTF?  I told her that he doesn’t “love” to take his shoes off.  He takes them off when hyperaroused and then tosses a FIT.  He HATES to take off his shoes in school.  It’s a sign of stress.  If he was doing that in circle time yesterday he was not having his greatest circle time ever.  Period.

I’m not angry…I’m disappointed that the school once again told us one thing and did another (shocker) and I’m disappointed that the staff is once again painting a rosy picture of a bad situation.  The new staff had no way to know about the shoe thing but the favored staff member did.  Why she didn’t point that out, I do not understand.  Part of the point of her being there was to share this sort of information.  So frustrating.

Monkey is there, in the new class, alone today.  Poor kid, this just sucks.  Tossed to the wolves AGAIN.

Positives…he does like the new kids in the classroom and is already seeking out interaction with them (duh, we keep telling them he’s social, they seem to be missing the boat here still), he participated in the movement activities during circle time and he was relaxed at pick up yesterday so Duhdee was able to chat with the teacher for a bit. 

OH!  We have a communication plan (promised LAST year but delivered yesterday, woot!) and we should have a sensory diet by the end of the week (also promised LAST year.)

OH!  We do really like his new teacher too, I think this *is* going to be a great classroom for him ultimately.

 

This is ponderous man. Really ponderous.*

Melissa

I’m full of thoughts that go nowhere right now.  There are things going on, that I am only very tangentally connected to, that are bringing up a lot of fear and stress.  One of Duhdee’s friends passed away very suddenly last week leaving behind two kids and a wife.   My heart aches for them and my mind is full of “what ifs.” 

Life is feeling very precious and precarious right now.

*Tell me someone else remembers this random song from the 80’s?

Seven things about me.

Melissa

I was tagged days ago and I’m going to try to play along.  It’s taken a while to come up with 7 (semi-interesting) things, lol.  I’m not going to tag anyone…I think it’s made the rounds now!

1.  I have a strange fascination with and strong fear of….VAMPIRES.  I know they’re probably not real but I still can not sleep unless I have the covers pulled up over my neck even in the middle of the summer…as if that will help!  I also cannot resist a good vampire book which probably means I’m a masochist. 

2.  I do not know left from right.  If I take the time to look at my hands, I can figure it out but generally I just blurt out one or the other and I’m often wrong.  And I’m the navigator in our family! Hubby just needs to remember to go the way I’m pointing and ignore the words coming out of my mouth.

3.  To confuse the issue, I have a really good sense of direction.  I know it sounds weird given the above but I remember places and I can just sort of picture in my mind where those places are in relation to one another.  They’re usually tied up with some story in my head so I have to give directions by trying to remind Duhdee of the story I’m remembering and he’s not really very good at following directions like that.  He’s all “HOW far?”  “Left or Right?”  And I’m trying to remind him of the cafe where we got that sandwhich 3 years ago…two intersections away from there.  We somehow manage without killing each other. 

4.  I make up a “dance” for just about every activity but I’m getting better about only doing it at home.  Sometimes I don’t even realize I’m doing it.  My “Popcorn” dance never fails to amuse my husband.

5.  I don’t like jewelry.  I wear a wedding band but that is it and even that bugs me. I wanted to get rings tattooed on but Duhdee wouldn’t agree. 

6.  I love Elvis.  I wanted to elope to Vegas and have an Elvis impersonator marry us but Duhdee wouldn’t agree to it.  In fact, he was so convinced that I’d TRICK him into doing this that he refused to even consider visiting Vegas before we were safely wed in a traditional ceremony.  I still have my fingers crossed for our 10 year anniversary. 

7.  Even though I live in the city and love the city…I’m a farmer deep down in my bones.  I want nothing more than to buy a 100 acre farm somewhere to raise cows, chickens and pigs, grow my own vegetables, make my own soap, etc. and live off the grid.  I really should have been a pioneer woman 😉

Fantastic dropoff this AM!

Melissa

Monkey did so well, we’re so pleased!  He was able to get to within a foot of his classroom door before he sat down to protest.  Once Duhdee removed his jacket Monkey decided he didn’t need waterplay to start the day, he went straight to choices*!  We were in and out in less than 5 minutes.  We left Monkey looking at acorns under magnifying glasses.  He even told us “look” when he picked up the magnifying glass, lol.   Woot!

After the dropoff we stopped at Staples to finally pick up the calendar we’re going to use for Monkey this year.  It looks like this.  We’ll use the 30 day side and put up pictures of either home or school depending on where he’ll be that day.  We’ve never bothered with this sort of thing before but I think this will help his morning anxiety.  *fingers crossed*

*8-9:20 is free play in Monkey’s class.  There are 3-4 tables set up, each with a different activity.  This morning it was painting, bubbles, stringing beads or looking at acorns under a microscope.  Yesterday it was painting, gak or puzzles. The kids have to pick activities so we just call it “choices” since we never know what will be set up.

A bit sad.

Melissa

Since we signed the final IEP yesterday we now need to transition Monkey into a new classroom.  We know the classroom he is in now is not ideal.  We believe that the classroom he is switching into will be better for him in the long run but there is a bit of sadness in making him change rooms.  He’s been in his current classroom since last fall.  There was some turnover between last year and this so making the change in early September really wouldn’t have been a very big deal but now he’s had a month to settle in and make friends.  I feel like an ass making him change. 

This morning he decided he wanted to choose a different activity rather than bubbles.  We sat to play with “bocks!” (blocks) for a bit and then, after we cleaned up, he went to the booknook to sit with his bears.  One of his little girlfriends saw him sitting there, chose a book, sat down next to him and handed it to him.  He took it and we waved good-bye, he was settled.  I think he’s really going to miss her, he’s been helping her settle in since day 1 and now she is returning the favor in the mornings.  *sigh*  Poor Monkey.

Back to work with dirt under my nails!

Melissa

Nice, eh? I’ve scrubbed and scrubbed but there’s still garden dirt there, lol.

This weekend was jam packed with all sorts of fun things.  On Saturday we drove to NH to visit with Duhdee’s parents, brother and niece.  Monkey had a really good time, he played with his cousin very nicely.  After we left Grammy and Grampy’s we stopped to pick up the 1/4 cow we ordered a few weeks ago from a local farm.  Mmmm, beef.  Grass fed beef even, I’m so excited.

On Sunday we had to disassemble our garden.  The temperature is going to drop into the 30’s tonight 🙁 We spent hours outside picking all the tomatoes we could find and chopping down the jungle the plants had created.  We finished draining our rain barrel, swept sidewalks and chopped down the remains of our day lilies.  Duhdee reorganized the shed so the snowblower is now more accessible than our garden tools *sigh*  Are you getting the picture that I’m not a fan of the winter? 

We now have about 60 lbs of green tomatoes on our kitchen table.  We’re hoping most ripen so we can freeze more for sauce but we can always have piccalilli if they don’t 🙂

Oh, and…IEP, done.  We did the final review and we’re sending it out today.  Phew.

Morning drop offs continue…

Melissa

heh.  I won’t lie, I sort of wish they wouldn’t.  Monkey is still having some trouble but it is getting better.  We have established a routine and we’re using Tracy and Mouse’s dialogue technique to help each morning on the way to school and it does seem to be working!

I told Duhdee yesterday that the morning ride to school is like Monkey’s very own children’s program.  We mostly talk to each other in goofy, excited voices (but not too excited) while he is absorbing it.  We practice deep breathing whenever he starts whining and he’s started taking deep breaths along with us to calm down.  We talk through the step by step transition.  This morning I broke down giggling because it’s really just…GOOFY.

Umma:  “When we get to school today we’re going to go THROUGH the door!  Dooooowwwn the ramp, Monkey can run if he wants!  Then Mommy is going to JUMP* and then we’ll count the lights!  One, Two, Three, Four, Five, SIX!  Then Daddy will help Monkey through the door if he needs help.  Then we’ll take off his jacket and we’ll play with the water!  And BUBBLES!”

Duhdee chimes in with comments during my schpeel.   THEN it’s Duhdee’s turn to see if he can remember what I said!  And he repeats it while I chime in.  Duhdee gets a high five for remembering all the steps!

I’m so glad no one can hear us, we sound INSANE 😉 But you can’t argue with sucess.  Next week we’re going to add the seventh and LAST light to our countdown…it will place Monkey only inches from the door which will be a huge step for him!

*There is a double door at the end of the ramp and I JUMP to touch the top of the entrance.  Monkey thinks it’s really funny.  So do the other parents and the staff *blush*  Must be love.