by Sarah | Nov 7, 2011 | All About Denver, The Teenager
[flickr id=”5888954984″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]For many years when he was little all we ever heard was that he wanted to grow up and work at NASA. Space was the thing. That was it. No questions asked.
Then around fifth grade there was a weird flakiness that popped in and he said he wanted to be a birdwatcher.
A BIRDWATCHER?
Archie & I both cringed and hoped it was one of those things that would pass.
Thankfully it did.
Tonight I learned something new.
He wants to be a doctor.
Not just a doctor.
He wants to work at Riley Hospital.
That’s our hospital. The one we’ve been going to since Angel was a baby. That we’ve seen so many specialists in.
We love Riley Hospital.
Now we know that our kids love it just as much.
Big dreams.
But the kid is brilliant. Being a doctor is something I know he could do.
If he worked at Riley Hospital – nothing would ever make me prouder than to have my son pass on the love and caring to more families. To grow from being a patient at an amazing children’s hospital – to being a doctor at an amazing children’s hospital.
by Sarah | Nov 6, 2011 | All About Denver, All About Kennedy, All About Molly, All of Us
[flickr id=”6270891807″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]Today Angel ran up to me giddy with excitement. “Mommy! Mommy! I lost my tooth!!”
It’s the last of a first. The last child to lose her first tooth (Riley lost hers last year at this time – almost the exact same tooth).
My baby girl is growing up. She’s giving me a new stream of last of the firsts.
She’s still so little. Some days it’s easy to pretend she’s still my baby girl.
But every day I must face a little more that all my baby days are gone. I’ve just got big kids now.
All grown up and growing up faster every day.
A teenager. Two girls in elementary school.
I still don’t know how that happened.
by Sarah | Nov 3, 2011 | All About Me
[flickr id=”6248354420″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]Time keeps on slippin’, slippin’, slippin’…
into the future…
~Steve Miller Band
A week ago time was flying by. Christmas was getting close far too fast. The weeks passed by with a rapidity that baffled me. Where did 2011 go?
Now?
Well, hell…now I’ve added a few hours a day at a job to my list of craziness and tasks to get done. I signed up for NaBloPoMo without thinking too hard about it. Between the family, my job, trying to get my photography prompts handled, and my writing I’m expecting myself to fit in blogging too. Wouldn’t be a problem if I had 30 days of topics in my head.
Still I’m going to try. To pull myself away from the craziness and pressures I’ve put on myself and have as a normal course to come here and relax. Blogging shouldn’t be a pressure. So I won’t look at NaBlo as pressure – but as my daily escape from insanity.
by Sarah | Nov 1, 2011 | All About Molly, Autism
[flickr id=”5314105434″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]For a few brief shining weeks we had sunlight. Behaviors were eased, we were in the high-functioning range of life. There were smiles and lots of conversation and boy did we pig out.
The past few weeks we’ve been in a downward spiral.
There have been meltdowns. There have been smart mouths and pouting and stomping and periods of long angry silence.
We have been ignored in favor of ticks and quirks.
We have been witness to behavior uncontrollable enough that we’ve been asked by 2 doctors if we’ve been considering medication for her.
There has been a refusal to eat. Just about ANYthing.
We hold out hope that the worst will pass. That some modifications to schedule and school will result in an evening out. That medication will not be needed.
In the mean time we go forward. Facing each new challenging moment as it comes.
Wait for the light to return.
Hope that she can be happy. Without reservation.
by Sarah | Oct 28, 2011 | All About Me, Random
[flickr id=”5420056414″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]Five years ago I had a 6 month old and an 18 month old at home. I was working part time as a waitress at Bob Evans. Riley’s autism was making itself more clearly known. Both girls were in Early Intervention therapies.
Life was hectic crazy.
So when I ended up needing an emergency hysterectomy and I was off work for a couple of weeks I decided to stay off work permanently.
Today I rejoined the work force.
In a sort of ‘dream’ job for the avid reader and aspiring writer – I’ll be working in a one of our local libraries. I had my interview today and got the call just a few hours later.
Right now I’m nervous about finding a babysitter for the very short time I’ll need one…and about whether I will earn enough to make it work. I believe and hope that it will work itself out.
I’m excited. I’m trepidatious.
I know it’s the right time. Part of me hoped I’d never have to go back, but I know I need to.
Wednesday I start.
The next chapter.
by Sarah | Oct 26, 2011 | All About Learning, All About Molly, Autism, Crap, IEP, WTF?
[flickr id=”5885702438″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]School started two months ago. After the gains made last year, and the IEP already in place, we started this year with more hope than last year.
At meet-the-teacher night Archie and I both started to get uneasy.
When we waited after the session to speak to the teacher. We asked about her behavior, to which she replied that it was still too early in the year to say anything. That she doesn’t really pay heaps of attention to behavior – in her class it’s about learning.
That was the first red flag.
Then I mentioned the IEP and her teacher last year, and the response was…
“Well, I don’t look at the past. What happened last year is last year. I give the children a clean slate.”
Alarm bells sounded, dinging loud in our ears. The IEP HAS to be looked at. It’s there for a reason!!!
Still, we sat back. We gave it a chance. We had our IEP meeting for the new year. We thought everything was established and set in it. Everything was put into place. In black and white. The plan was set.
And then it came time for Parent-Teacher conferences.
During the meeting first of the year test scores were discussed. How low Riley’s results were and what they meant. And then it happened. The teacher said:
“It may have had something to do with how she handles tests. But tests are a part of life, we can’t change that and we can’t change how they are given. She just has to learn how to adjust.”
Both Archie & I were stunned into almost total silence. We wrapped up the meeting and got in the car and both said, “What the hell was THAT?”
We have an IEP that states tests are to be given in accordance with her needs. Tests CAN and WILL be changed.
We have decided to switch teachers. There are more reasons than just those two statements, but those alone are enough.
A teacher that doesn’t refer to or care about IEP’s are not what is needed. At all.
