September 18???

How in the heck did it get to be September 18? This is my absolutely favorite month of the year and it has flown by. Not as fast as Granddad, working for FEMA in Texas, but pretty close. At least by my reckoning. So where did it go? Well, a small chunk went to my Uncle Earl's funeral in East Troy, Wisconsin. It was very good to see all my cousins, and their kids, and my Aunt Sandy, just a sad circumstance. I have not seen much of them since going off to college so it was very good to catch up. As I get older it seems to me that people don't often change a whole lot over their lives, they just tend to get more responsible. The same core person you knew when you were 10 is still there, they just are less likely to sit on you or tickle you until you scream. And they may or may not be at peace with the life they have lived so far. Most are and that is good too. Where else did the month go? Well, another chunk got rained out, that would be earlier this week. And early on I guess it was the "back to school" or rather "on to preschool" mind frame.

So, here we are, September 18 and barely an outdoor adventure to show for it. I have been on a few runs and a few walks. Got Alex out on his bicycle by the Lake yesterday. The leaves are turning for real now and some gorgeous shows are out there. Red, oragne, gold and yellows. The apples are looking very tasty on our tree. I saw a flock of Pelicans the other day at the playground, flying like geese but much slower. That was very cool. I also saw a bald eagle, and a sharp shinned hawk, and an osprey over Superior Street today. I can only imagine what they saw up on Hawk Ridge. Our chipmunks are going crazy building condos under our front steps, and the bunnies and squirrels are looking awfully fat these days. Plus there is a never ending stream of little brown birds flying through our yard, dodging the hawks. And birds keep flying into Kevin's shop looking to find a nice haven. For some reason he does not want them building nests in his fabric. Go figure.

Things have smoothed out a preschool and we had our big IEP meeting today. We did not even get yelled at for changing our minds, and the school folks seemed to think we had a good point putting Alex at Congdon Creek. He will be getting extra services and the school district will provide an aide that our boy will share with another little guy with extra challenges. They don't figure he will need much help...hurray!! Things are settling in nicely, I better go enjoy September while I can!

Better and Worse

Well, all the things I was whining about have gotten better. Back to a more centered and even place, happy and mellow. Except for the fact that a family member has died. My Uncle Earl, my mother's sister's husband, passed away yesterday. It has been sobering. He had been ill with cancer, but we all like to think the people we know will beat the odds. And we forget that we will all Not beat the odds at some point. Mortality is tricky. Dwell on death too much and you start to die yourself, forget about it completely and meaning slips out the window. Kevin, Alex, and I are going down to Southern Wisconsin for the funeral, if I can get off work. But that is another story. My Uncle Earl was a great big man who liked everyone to enjoy themselves. He and my Aunt Sandy had three boys and a rough and tumble house. All I know about Football and Eucher(a trump card game) I learned from them. It will be good to see the family, Uncle Earl will be missed.

Kicking my ***

This transition time is kicking my ass. There, I said it. I have been in a rotten, terrible mood for days now and can't seem to shake it. It is my week off, the weather has turned to perfect early fall, our new schedule is set, and I am a crab. I hate my mess, I hate all the things I have put off, I hate my clothes, and I hate my garden. They all need upgrading or burning. Oh well, I guess it can't all be roses.

I'm going for a run.

Another BIG Day

Alex started at pre-school today. Regular pre-school. Filled with quirky, normal, half-crazy children. We are thrilled. Alex took it in stride. He swung at any kid getting in his space, but the teachers took that in their stride. The principal is excellent. I think Alex will love it within a week. So far no official word from the school district, but we did hear from his old teacher the other day. We are going to have a meeting in a week or so. The school bus showed up this morning. That was kind of hard (we did inform the school we were not coming) because it had been our routine for the last two years. His best little friend was sitting right up front on the little bus and I wonder if he even knew he was at Alex's house. He's not visited here and he used to get on after Alex, but someone might have told him. I hope he didn't know. I feel a little bit bad for not sticking with the district and advocating for the changes we need from within, but I really did not want him to start kindergarten this year. So I would have felt bad bailing from the Autism program next spring and insisting he do kindergarten over. All things considered I'll take my guilt hits now. I am nervous that it will all turn out terrible, but that is just average nerves. I really do have a good feeling about the whole plan, and feel we are on the right path.

Another note, we found an excellent OT today. We started OT to just help get a handle on physical things for Alex. Our guy, Doug, diagnosed a few things right off the bat. He said Alex probably has a very hard time moving food around with this tongue and knowing where the food is, so he likes to stuff his mouth with familiar textures that grind up easy(bread and crackers) or eat smooth things. This is part of "motor planning" and we are going to start working on this from different angles. He also suspected that Alex can't lie on his stomach and put his hands out like superman, and dang if he wasn't right. We are going to work on that too. Should help with strength and balance to get that on line. Plus he had a riot on the zip line and stretchy hammocks and trapeze. I love our clinic. One other weird thing, Alex cannot step on big squishy blocks. They are too wobbly for him and freak him out. He gave up immediately. Oh. are we going to have fun building obstacles in the basement.

So, that's it. The boy is crashed already, and it is time to veg out to a fluffy movie!

The Big 05

As promised, the Alex photo from his birthday. We have tried the bike (and new helmet) and he is liking it more and more. How can this be??
ps He picked red this year for his birthday decorations...last year it was pink :-)

Birthday Boy

Mr. Alex turned 5 years old yesterday. 5! How can this be? Just the other yesterday we were having a baby. Now we have a bona fide pre-schooler. This must be some kind of magic. Or brain trauma. Either way it is mysterious. I told him the story of the day he was born (the cleaned up version without all the angst, trauma, and medical personnel) and he greatly enjoyed the pictures. He is getting very interested in the growing process and the stories of him as a "bayybeeee", as he says. Right now he keeps climbing into my lap and trying to type, so I will keep this short. His big birthday present was a bicycle with training wheels and we are all very excited about that. I will post pictures when I can, after he stops jumping in my lap and I get some coffee in!

A word from Alex:
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Wrecked

Man, am I tired. But it is a good tired. Am off to bed soon, but just had to sneak a post in. It has been a huge day. Before Alex's 8:30 speech appointment this morning Kevin told me our therapist, Tahirih, wanted to mostly consult with me (rather than the usual excellent playing with Alex). She, like us, was becoming uncomfortable with our school plan for Alex this year. He has made such massive gains this summer that sending him to the full time Autism classroom again seemed not quite right. Sure, the idea of an already set plan with lots of professionals on board has it's comfort, but there were many questions that were not clearly answered. We sat down and looked at his IEP for the coming year, and reviewed how the meeting went last spring. At the time we were being pushed by his teachers to start him in kindergarten. Not given any other suggested routes or options. It was that or we were on our own, even though his summer birthday is 6 days before the cut off. We were still on the waiting list for the Scottish Rite Language Clinic, and had barely started at Polinsky with Nikki the excellent therapist. In the meeting the teachers assured me this was the best place for Alex, but many red flags went up. First off they kept down grading his expectations for academics. They stated they did not want to aim too high (even in light of the fact he is age appropriate or above for academics). Then their idea of mainstreaming was to keep him in the Autism classroom all day, except for recess and lunch. With no assistance in those most stressful group times. I advocated against that plan, got him time in the class for his favorite subjects, and an aide for the tough open social times. But it still felt wrong. I also did not like that it was only offered full day, and the teacher poo-pooed my idea that I would like to mainstream him within a year or so. "Oh, you'll want to keep him here for when it gets tougher when he is older." Hmmm. When I was older in school I would have loved to have a room to hang out in with a big swing and lots of toys, what's the motivation to leave?? Especially if the teacher has no plan to fully let you go.

So, after discussing all this with Tahirih (who is a miracle woman), and another veteran of the
school district, we started looking at options. Especially in light of all the gains Alex has made over the summer. Did I mention that last week we went swimming in Lake Superior for a couple hours (it was beautifully warm) and he could not contain himself around other children? He was yelling, "Hi! Hi! I'm Alex!! Hi! Swim with me? My friend Alaina is coming!! Hi!!!". I did not stop smiling all day. And there have been many other moments of his connecting with other kids and really wanting to play with them. So, play he shall. We have scrapped the school plan and he is off to pre-school in a couple weeks. An honest to goodness, mainstream preschool. Filled with typical, quirky, half-insane children. Not too many, a 1-8 ratio with 28 maximum. Alex got go there last year to pick up his friend Fraya for play dates, so he is already amped at the idea. I met with the director today, at the initial call she remembered Alex, me, and Kevin from our Fraya pick ups. Cool. And she is very down to earth. Now all that remains is to inform the school district (left a message with the Special Ed director today, who is very approachable) and we will see if the schools will be willing to help us with this plan or will wash their hands of us. We will work it out either way. We are moving from a plan of Alex in class full time, five days a week 8:30-2:30, to three afternoons a week at pre-school. What are we, nuts?? But then we can keep on with the home program, keep going to our therapists, and see how fast we can catch up with the mainstream. Good thing all the work is play based, since play is a specialty in this house. Good-night!