Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Wonderful Life!





 
 
 
As summer started to wind down and the horizon of school began to creep upon us, I was filled with angst.   I was not ready for my kids to go back to school.  I wanted to keep them at home and just continue to hang out together.   Oh how I envy those homeschooling mom's.  But it is not written in the cards for me or my kids.   When you are a self-described C- personality type, you know it would not benefit your kids or society to raise a bunch of underachieving nitwits...so off to school they had to go.  
 
Bei and I spent weekly sessions at an attachment therapist to help with his separation anxiety.   The work that she did to help prepare us was very understated, yet effective.  It was so nice for us to have that one on one time together and to have something all about him.   As the summer progressed Bei was able to verbalize his anxiety about school, which we could then address his feelings.   The week prior to school started I just knew in my heart that this year was going to be different.   Both Dan and I noticed an increased level of maturity on Bei's part.   The first day Bei cried a few tears, wiped his eyes and walked in the classroom.   There has not been a tear since that day!   He LOVES his teacher!  She is a great fit for him; kind, gentle and nurturing.   Honestly, God has been watching over him since day one because he has had the best teachers.    On his second day, they asked the kids to bring 5 things in about themselves and discuss them.   Bei was the star that day!   Bei wowed the class by twirling a basketball on his finger (he is REALLY, REALLY good!).  He showed the kids how to solve the Rubik's cube with different color patterns.   He showed them his origami boomerangs, planes and balls.  (I can't remember what the other two things were that he brought in).   When I picked Bei up the second day, I could tell Bei had a very successful day!  His teacher told me how impressed everybody was by all his different talents.   Now from my perspective, this is a little boy that has never participated in extra curricular activities.  I love that he worked at something hard, achieved it and received the reward of acknowledgement and praise.   Then later in the week Bei couldn't wait to show me one of his math sheets.  It was a timed 50 question math quiz and he got them all right.   I love that he is having one success after another.  I'm praying that his confidence and success continues through the school year.  
 
 
Kai started at the Auditory/Oral school last week and tomorrow he has his first day at the Deaf School.  Surprisingly, Kai has cried pretty hard each day that he has gone to school.   Last year he never cried once and seemed to really enjoy it.   Tomorrow will be telling to me about what is going on.  I explained to Kai that he will be going to two different schools; one with Miss Barb (A/O) and the other school will have Miss Julie (Deaf).   He had summer school at both schools this summer so he knows who the teachers are.   When I told him about the two different schools, he signed to me that Miss Julie is "better".   He walked around the house, signing "Miss Julie is silly".   I think he really wants to go to the Deaf school and when he see's that we are going to the A/O school he is really sad.   The A/O is very rigorous and not very nurturing.   Last year at times, I felt like they were very fed up with Kai.   He is the only special needs child and I don't think they had the patience to handle him at times.   The other thing that might be happening is the fact that he and I have really bonded this summer.   He still wants me to hold him all the time and play with him, so he might be having separation anxiety...ugh...not another one!!!  
 
I have to say I am so incredibly impressed with Kai.  At his 3 year evaluation, he tested low cognitively -1 standard deviation from the mean.   Let me tell you, I don't think there is anything low in this boy's IQ.   He is fingerspelling all of our names at home...which I did not teach him, he just started doing it on his own.  He started with Bei's name, not even his own name.   He also is spelling words like Sam, cat and hat using the IPAD with no prompts.   He can complete a 25 piece puzzle by himself! He LOVES books!  And then we all know this kid knows his numbers!!  Now that Kai is unlocked from his own body...watch out world!!!