WOO-HOO!!!!!! has become B's "everything's OK now" call lately. If he's doing something he's afraid of but feels OK doing it, you'll hear his holler and we know things will be fine.
His latest call sign has been ringing around the neighborhood the past couple days. He learned to ride his bike without training wheels!! Once he got it, he totally took off and is doing awesome! He is so excited. And you can tell by his "WOO-HOO!" ringing out down the street. :)
Monday, July 30, 2012
answered prayer
We've had lots of visitors over since we came home. I love that we're able to finally show off our new guy! One of those visitors was a friend of ours, who also leads Children's Church at our church sometimes. She told me that the last time she led Children's Church, she asked if any of the kids had anything they wanted to pray for, so she could start an order and they'd all pray together. If you know my son at all, you know that he is NOT one to volunteer to say anything out loud with a crowd. Never.
However, that day, he was the FIRST to raise his hand. Our friend was shocked but told him he could start the prayers off.
His prayer?
"Dear God, please bring my family a baby."
I'm so glad that prayer was answered. :)
Sunday, July 22, 2012
never too early to smile at mommy
I know it's early for smiles. I KNOW. But honest to goodness, I got a deliberate smile today. While in the bath tub, no less! Don't most babies wait until they are older to smile, and don't most babies hate being in the water? Not this guy! He loves the bath, and he proved it by smiling big at me today. His first smile, at just 2 weeks, 1 day old! (I looked up when B-man first smiled, and he was 5 weeks, 6 days old!)
I just happened to be videoing it, too. How lucky was that?! And it's a good thing, because J and B were golfing, so nobody would have ever believed me since I had no witnesses!
I just happened to be videoing it, too. How lucky was that?! And it's a good thing, because J and B were golfing, so nobody would have ever believed me since I had no witnesses!
ten day stats
Little b went to the doctor last week for a weight check, and to get him checked over by OUR doctor. They look to have babies back at birth weight by 2 weeks old. Little b lost 6 oz in the hospital, but he eats like a horse so I was interested to see if he weighed more than his birth weight! Sure enough, he passed it!
7 lbs, 13 oz
20 1/4 inches long (up from 19 inches at 10 days? I don't put much faith into newborn lengths - they move too much!)
He was healthy as could be and let everyone know how mad he was that he had to get naked and be bothered!
I have to take him back tomorrow for his 2nd heel prick. They couldn't do it last week because he has to be 14 days old.
7 lbs, 13 oz
20 1/4 inches long (up from 19 inches at 10 days? I don't put much faith into newborn lengths - they move too much!)
He was healthy as could be and let everyone know how mad he was that he had to get naked and be bothered!
I have to take him back tomorrow for his 2nd heel prick. They couldn't do it last week because he has to be 14 days old.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
all because of one beautiful, strong, BRAVE woman
May 24, 2012: Phone call at work from Bethany, we were matched. TOTAL and complete shock, as we hadn't even began our home study process with them yet! Baby in another state, baby is Native American so we need to not only learn the adoption laws in that state, but the laws regarding adoption of NA babies, which adds a bunch of things to the laws of the state - including the tribe being able to come in and stop the adoption.
June 2, 2012: Baby boy born. Birth mother wants us to name him and has her social worker send us pictures via text. We're excited, but reserved! Plan is to have the baby go into an interim home, which is similar to foster care but it's a family that works for Bethany, not the state. The baby would go there until the court process was over (at least 15 days after birth since this is a NA baby).
June 3, 2012: Baby's birth mom is released from the hospital. Instead of placing the baby in interim care, she decides to take him home so he's not with "strangers". My heart sinks.
June 7, 2012: Paper signing day, to get the court process going. What a totally crazy day this was. I was honestly in my bathrobe with shampoo in my hair for two straight hours while I was on the phone. Here's why:
While in the shower, my phone rings. B-man comes running back to the bathroom with it but I missed the call. I waited to listen to the voice mail. It's Carol, the director of WCS, asking me to call her back. I called Josh at school to see if Carol had called him in the meantime. She had. We were matched with a birth mom.
Two babies. OMG.
We decided to go ahead and pursue both babies and if we end up with two, so be it. Worry about cost later.
I called Carol to let her know I heard the news and let her know what we decided about both babies. I also told her that the papers hadn't been signed on baby #1 yet and we didn't know what was going to happen.
While on the phone with her, the social worker from Bethany left a message. Birth mom, when called to see if she was ready to sign papers, couldn't do it. She needed more time. She was going to have a NA ceremony of clarity over the weekend. I tell her about baby #2 and she's so excited for us.
I called WCS back to let them know that the birth mom for baby #1 isn't ready to sign yet.
Then I get back in the shower, two hours later, to re-wash my hair. :)
June 9, 2012: We meet birth mom and birth dad for baby #2, along with Carol, for lunch. I was so nervous I thought I would puke. We brought birth mom a cute little bag full of pampering lotions and soaks and stuff. Birth mom is soooo quiet. Very hard to get conversation out of. She only had one question for us: What church did we go to? She was very pretty, very likable, just very quiet! Birth dad was more outgoing. Both of them have very awesome personal goals in life (which I won't post here - it's a little too personal to be posting about people that don't even know I blog) and chose us because we are teachers and would have a big brother for this little boy. Another boy!! Baby boy is due in just one month - July 9. I was so worried about B having a restaurant-noise meltdown, so I came prepared! Lots of new little surprises to keep him busy at the table. Come to find out later - that really impressed the birth mom. :)
June 18, 2012: After birth mom #1 wouldn't return phone calls to her social worker, she finally called her to say she officially decided to parent. We knew that in our guts, and really, while we were incredibly disappointed, the blow wasn't as bad because we have baby #2 to look forward to.
June 30, 2012: Meet Carol, birth mom, birth dad, and birth mom's dad for breakfast! Birth mom's dad is super nice. Immediately likable. Breakfast conversation was much more at ease than our first lunch, which was a relief! And the cherry on top: they gave us not one, but EIGHTEEN of this little guy's ultrasound pictures! Yes, I cried.
July 1, 2012: We are on vacation at my mom and dad's house. My sister and her family are there, as are my aunt and uncle. Perfect timing for a baby to arrive to meet everyone, right? Baby didn't get that memo.
July 6, 2012: Head to my grandma's house. We are staying there overnight before we head into Yellowstone for a few days. Freaking out, because Yellowstone doesn't have cell service. We subscribed to On Star so we had a phone of some sort in case baby came, but it wasn't working properly. So we were wondering what to do. We went to visit my BFF from college that night; she happened to be in town. We haven't seen her in 8 years, since our wedding! We were on our way out to her house when I get this text from Carol: "Yikes! She is in the hospital. Doctor is checking her. I will be in touch soon!!!" Of course, friend's house is in the country and doesn't have great service. On the way back into town, frantic phone calls between us, my mom and sister, and Carol. This is it! Baby is on his way!
July 7, 2012: SOOO tired this morning - no sleep was had. Got a text from our director at 5:12 am: "7 lbs 10 oz and healthy. Born at 3:56! Talk to you soon!" So worried now that it's "real" - what if they change their minds, too? Could I handle losing two babies? Director calls about 8:00 and says to come on down! We tell B that the baby has been born but we still have to wait a bit to see if we get to bring him home. But that we need to go to the hospital, and that means we can't go to Yellowstone. The poor kid cried. And that made me cry (because crying every day for the past month hadn't been enough...). He's been looking forward to this trip for a year! I promised we'd go another time. We get on the road - it's the longest 5 hour drive of my life, especially since we have to stop at every rest area because both Josh's and my nerves are making our bodies to into overdrive... We drop B off with Josh's parents, who met us, and we head to the hospital. Birth mom's dad met us at the door and brought us to the room. I got to hold him first. OMGoodness, what a beauty. I'm not joking when I say he was born absolutely PERFECT. Everything was perfect. And his hair - oh, the hair! It's long and lots of it. He's not going to make it 13 months before his first hair cut like B did! We spend a few hours at the hospital, but it's awkward because we are in birth mom's room the whole time. When we saw B that evening, his first words to me were, "Hey mom! Know anything yet? Do we get the baby?" Melted my heart. I told him we still have to wait a bit.
July 8, 2012: We spent only about an hour and a half at the hospital today. Can't get over how beautiful this little boy is! We wanted to give the birth mom and birth dad some space, (birth dad was at the hospital the whole entire time! He took great care of this baby.) but at the same time, I wanted to hold this baby to my chest and never let go - still terrified they will change their minds. Director said birth mom and baby will be released in the morning, and papers to terminate parental rights would happen then, so we should not come to the hospital until she calls us to let us know everything is done and we can come pick up this baby!
July 9, 2012: Another sleepless night. And my stomach has so many knots, I can't stand up straight. B is doing so great - totally on his best behavior, and wanting us to play so we could pass the time. Director thought it might be around 10:00 when she called us. I remember at one point, I looked at the clock and it said 8:24. I looked again later, thinking it must be about 9:00, and it said 8:28. Oy. 10:00 came and went. More knots, but I was so hoping that the fact that we hadn't been called early was a good sign, because that would most likely mean it was a "they won't sign" call. FINALLY, at 10:23, got this text: "Papers signed and she has left. Please come." I instantly burst into tears. Again. I hooped and hollered. I told B to go get on his new shirt that says BIG BROTHER, because we got the baby. His eyes got huge and he cheered. He went running, shouting "DADDY! WE GOT THE BABY!" I shouted for Josh to get the car seat - let's GO! And we headed in to get our new son. I texted my sister and told her to call my parents. I texted our other siblings. Josh called his mom. (side note: best story I've heard so far is from my sister-in-law, who was in the waiting room at the chiropractor when she got the text that papers were signed - Josh's brother was in the room getting worked on and Beth shouted from the lobby that papers were signed!!!! Everyone looked at her weird. LOL!) We pull into the hospital lot, had to literally drag B out of the truck because he was soooo overwhelmed and carry him in, walk into the hospital, walk to the room, and find our SON waiting for us with Carol. I was finally able to become incredibly excited. I held that perfect being and smelled his baby smell. I put on his new "little brother" onesie to match his big brother's shirt (that phrase still gets me, every time!!), we sign custody agreement papers, we get a family picture taken (with B standing behind me because he's still very overwhelmed), and walk out of the hospital. We walked in as a family of 3 and left as a family of 4. So surreal.
It's been one amazing thing to watch my B-man transform from an only child to a big brother. He is AMAZING, just like we thought. *So far* there hasn't been that hard of a transition. He is more than willing to hold little b, feed little b, pick out his clothing, put in his pacifier, all of those things. To see him get right up next to little b and say, "Hey there, little buddy, whatcha doin'?" melts my heart. It's been a long time coming. :)
We asked Carol how we got so lucky to get such a perfect baby and healthy birth parents... she said it was completely because we waited so long. Prayers are answered, and good things come with time. We knew that with the birth of B - it took forever to get pregnant but we waited so long and got the perfect child. How crazy it is that we were chosen to be the parents to TWO perfect children. The roller coaster this adoption process is, is not fun. At all. So many ups and downs and heartbreak and wondering... adoption is not for the faint of heart, for sure.
All of this happened to US because of one beautiful, strong, BRAVE woman. One who chose adoption over any other option. One who chose us because we are teachers and had a sibling for this little man. One, who even through her friends making fun of her for her decision, stayed strong so that our dream could be achieved. And it wasn't just her - it was one beautiful, strong, BRAVE man, too. They made this decision together. And for that, we will be eternally grateful.
As our family of 4.
June 2, 2012: Baby boy born. Birth mother wants us to name him and has her social worker send us pictures via text. We're excited, but reserved! Plan is to have the baby go into an interim home, which is similar to foster care but it's a family that works for Bethany, not the state. The baby would go there until the court process was over (at least 15 days after birth since this is a NA baby).
June 3, 2012: Baby's birth mom is released from the hospital. Instead of placing the baby in interim care, she decides to take him home so he's not with "strangers". My heart sinks.
June 7, 2012: Paper signing day, to get the court process going. What a totally crazy day this was. I was honestly in my bathrobe with shampoo in my hair for two straight hours while I was on the phone. Here's why:
While in the shower, my phone rings. B-man comes running back to the bathroom with it but I missed the call. I waited to listen to the voice mail. It's Carol, the director of WCS, asking me to call her back. I called Josh at school to see if Carol had called him in the meantime. She had. We were matched with a birth mom.
Two babies. OMG.
We decided to go ahead and pursue both babies and if we end up with two, so be it. Worry about cost later.
I called Carol to let her know I heard the news and let her know what we decided about both babies. I also told her that the papers hadn't been signed on baby #1 yet and we didn't know what was going to happen.
While on the phone with her, the social worker from Bethany left a message. Birth mom, when called to see if she was ready to sign papers, couldn't do it. She needed more time. She was going to have a NA ceremony of clarity over the weekend. I tell her about baby #2 and she's so excited for us.
I called WCS back to let them know that the birth mom for baby #1 isn't ready to sign yet.
Then I get back in the shower, two hours later, to re-wash my hair. :)
June 9, 2012: We meet birth mom and birth dad for baby #2, along with Carol, for lunch. I was so nervous I thought I would puke. We brought birth mom a cute little bag full of pampering lotions and soaks and stuff. Birth mom is soooo quiet. Very hard to get conversation out of. She only had one question for us: What church did we go to? She was very pretty, very likable, just very quiet! Birth dad was more outgoing. Both of them have very awesome personal goals in life (which I won't post here - it's a little too personal to be posting about people that don't even know I blog) and chose us because we are teachers and would have a big brother for this little boy. Another boy!! Baby boy is due in just one month - July 9. I was so worried about B having a restaurant-noise meltdown, so I came prepared! Lots of new little surprises to keep him busy at the table. Come to find out later - that really impressed the birth mom. :)
June 18, 2012: After birth mom #1 wouldn't return phone calls to her social worker, she finally called her to say she officially decided to parent. We knew that in our guts, and really, while we were incredibly disappointed, the blow wasn't as bad because we have baby #2 to look forward to.
June 30, 2012: Meet Carol, birth mom, birth dad, and birth mom's dad for breakfast! Birth mom's dad is super nice. Immediately likable. Breakfast conversation was much more at ease than our first lunch, which was a relief! And the cherry on top: they gave us not one, but EIGHTEEN of this little guy's ultrasound pictures! Yes, I cried.
July 1, 2012: We are on vacation at my mom and dad's house. My sister and her family are there, as are my aunt and uncle. Perfect timing for a baby to arrive to meet everyone, right? Baby didn't get that memo.
July 6, 2012: Head to my grandma's house. We are staying there overnight before we head into Yellowstone for a few days. Freaking out, because Yellowstone doesn't have cell service. We subscribed to On Star so we had a phone of some sort in case baby came, but it wasn't working properly. So we were wondering what to do. We went to visit my BFF from college that night; she happened to be in town. We haven't seen her in 8 years, since our wedding! We were on our way out to her house when I get this text from Carol: "Yikes! She is in the hospital. Doctor is checking her. I will be in touch soon!!!" Of course, friend's house is in the country and doesn't have great service. On the way back into town, frantic phone calls between us, my mom and sister, and Carol. This is it! Baby is on his way!
July 7, 2012: SOOO tired this morning - no sleep was had. Got a text from our director at 5:12 am: "7 lbs 10 oz and healthy. Born at 3:56! Talk to you soon!" So worried now that it's "real" - what if they change their minds, too? Could I handle losing two babies? Director calls about 8:00 and says to come on down! We tell B that the baby has been born but we still have to wait a bit to see if we get to bring him home. But that we need to go to the hospital, and that means we can't go to Yellowstone. The poor kid cried. And that made me cry (because crying every day for the past month hadn't been enough...). He's been looking forward to this trip for a year! I promised we'd go another time. We get on the road - it's the longest 5 hour drive of my life, especially since we have to stop at every rest area because both Josh's and my nerves are making our bodies to into overdrive... We drop B off with Josh's parents, who met us, and we head to the hospital. Birth mom's dad met us at the door and brought us to the room. I got to hold him first. OMGoodness, what a beauty. I'm not joking when I say he was born absolutely PERFECT. Everything was perfect. And his hair - oh, the hair! It's long and lots of it. He's not going to make it 13 months before his first hair cut like B did! We spend a few hours at the hospital, but it's awkward because we are in birth mom's room the whole time. When we saw B that evening, his first words to me were, "Hey mom! Know anything yet? Do we get the baby?" Melted my heart. I told him we still have to wait a bit.
July 8, 2012: We spent only about an hour and a half at the hospital today. Can't get over how beautiful this little boy is! We wanted to give the birth mom and birth dad some space, (birth dad was at the hospital the whole entire time! He took great care of this baby.) but at the same time, I wanted to hold this baby to my chest and never let go - still terrified they will change their minds. Director said birth mom and baby will be released in the morning, and papers to terminate parental rights would happen then, so we should not come to the hospital until she calls us to let us know everything is done and we can come pick up this baby!
July 9, 2012: Another sleepless night. And my stomach has so many knots, I can't stand up straight. B is doing so great - totally on his best behavior, and wanting us to play so we could pass the time. Director thought it might be around 10:00 when she called us. I remember at one point, I looked at the clock and it said 8:24. I looked again later, thinking it must be about 9:00, and it said 8:28. Oy. 10:00 came and went. More knots, but I was so hoping that the fact that we hadn't been called early was a good sign, because that would most likely mean it was a "they won't sign" call. FINALLY, at 10:23, got this text: "Papers signed and she has left. Please come." I instantly burst into tears. Again. I hooped and hollered. I told B to go get on his new shirt that says BIG BROTHER, because we got the baby. His eyes got huge and he cheered. He went running, shouting "DADDY! WE GOT THE BABY!" I shouted for Josh to get the car seat - let's GO! And we headed in to get our new son. I texted my sister and told her to call my parents. I texted our other siblings. Josh called his mom. (side note: best story I've heard so far is from my sister-in-law, who was in the waiting room at the chiropractor when she got the text that papers were signed - Josh's brother was in the room getting worked on and Beth shouted from the lobby that papers were signed!!!! Everyone looked at her weird. LOL!) We pull into the hospital lot, had to literally drag B out of the truck because he was soooo overwhelmed and carry him in, walk into the hospital, walk to the room, and find our SON waiting for us with Carol. I was finally able to become incredibly excited. I held that perfect being and smelled his baby smell. I put on his new "little brother" onesie to match his big brother's shirt (that phrase still gets me, every time!!), we sign custody agreement papers, we get a family picture taken (with B standing behind me because he's still very overwhelmed), and walk out of the hospital. We walked in as a family of 3 and left as a family of 4. So surreal.
It's been one amazing thing to watch my B-man transform from an only child to a big brother. He is AMAZING, just like we thought. *So far* there hasn't been that hard of a transition. He is more than willing to hold little b, feed little b, pick out his clothing, put in his pacifier, all of those things. To see him get right up next to little b and say, "Hey there, little buddy, whatcha doin'?" melts my heart. It's been a long time coming. :)
We asked Carol how we got so lucky to get such a perfect baby and healthy birth parents... she said it was completely because we waited so long. Prayers are answered, and good things come with time. We knew that with the birth of B - it took forever to get pregnant but we waited so long and got the perfect child. How crazy it is that we were chosen to be the parents to TWO perfect children. The roller coaster this adoption process is, is not fun. At all. So many ups and downs and heartbreak and wondering... adoption is not for the faint of heart, for sure.
All of this happened to US because of one beautiful, strong, BRAVE woman. One who chose adoption over any other option. One who chose us because we are teachers and had a sibling for this little man. One, who even through her friends making fun of her for her decision, stayed strong so that our dream could be achieved. And it wasn't just her - it was one beautiful, strong, BRAVE man, too. They made this decision together. And for that, we will be eternally grateful.
As our family of 4.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
a champ
Jr. Golf.
Tournament.
Two days long, 3 holes each day. Intense, I know.
I wondered at first why only 3 holes a day. And then I was assigned to keep score for children that are not mine. Children that do not have a daddy to take them golfing every day.
3 holes was plenty.
PLENTY.
The little girl in my group quit yesterday after one hole. I don't blame her. I'd be tired too if I took about 134 strokes in that one hole. It was a good thing for her that we didn't count whiffs.
Scores in my group (just my group, since I didn't keep score for anyone else) after day 1:
Brecken: 20
Kid 1: 51
Kid 2: Quit after one hole.
Day two was better - the little girl made it two holes before quitting.
Brecken: 27
Kid 1: 35
Kid 2: 47 before she quit after the second hole.
Today finished with a picnic at the park and an awards ceremony. There were trophies for the winners in each age group. There weren't a TON of kids in the 5 year old boy category, but my little man came away with the biggest grin. So proud of that kid.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Summer has started off in full swing! Josh just got to start this week, but the B-man and I have 2 weeks under our belts already. We've stayed plenty busy... B and I babysat for some friends who still had school and needed a babysitter. B was such a good helper. The two kids were almost 3, and 4 months. He played with the older one ALL.DAY. Man, they played hard! He got her snacks, got her drinks, kept her occupied... which was great since the baby was a bit fussy and needed lots of attention. B is such a great kid.
We've been swimming several times (including a swim play date with his friend and her mom), golfing, (we played in the school district fun scramble and actually took 4 putts of B's!), had my parents here for Memorial Day weekend, cleared out and organized the nursery (for our homestudy for Bethany that was done), organized B's closet, been to Cheyenne, all sorts of fun stuff.
B started junior golf this week, too. He could hardly contain his excitement yesterday morning while waiting to leave for his first lesson.
I always think in the summertime that I'll update this blog more, since I'm home. But then we get super busy doing projects and fun stuff, and I seem to never have the time. Ha!
We've been swimming several times (including a swim play date with his friend and her mom), golfing, (we played in the school district fun scramble and actually took 4 putts of B's!), had my parents here for Memorial Day weekend, cleared out and organized the nursery (for our homestudy for Bethany that was done), organized B's closet, been to Cheyenne, all sorts of fun stuff.
B started junior golf this week, too. He could hardly contain his excitement yesterday morning while waiting to leave for his first lesson.
I always think in the summertime that I'll update this blog more, since I'm home. But then we get super busy doing projects and fun stuff, and I seem to never have the time. Ha!
Monday, May 28, 2012
the weekend
We had a good Memorial Day weekend! My parents came down and Josh and my dad played in Josh's football golf tournament. My mom, the B-man and I were really busy. My mom helped me in our yard, then helped me organize our baby's room, which has been a catch-all for everything B has outgrown. You could hardly walk in there, but now it's a beautiful nursery. We needed to get it done - we have our home inspection coming up this weekend. I was very glad for the help my mom offered. We threw away a bunch of stuff, got things set up, clothes into new tubs by size, and things washed. Thanks for the help, Mom! Now we just need a dresser for in there and it will be ready for a little one to come home some day!
B-man helped every step of the way. I love love love that he's such a helper.
Yesterday we just took it easy - it was cold, dark, and windy out so it was a day to snuggle in and read.
My parents left this morning and we've done the same thing - snuggle in. It's so windy and cold out - not nice outside weather for sure!
Busy week coming up. B and I are done with school - officially on summer vacation!! Josh has 2 weeks left still. I'm babysitting a couple cuties while their mom and dad have school still - their babysitter bailed and left them without childcare for the last month or more of school. I'm done with school now, so I'm taking the kids this week until their grandma can come to the rescue next week. B and I are excited! Tomorrow is our anniversary, and we'll be spending it very romantically - eating dinner at the school while a football coach gets me certified in infant CPR. haha! I need to get certified for our new adoption agency. Josh is of course certified already, being an EMT and all, but I need to get mine done. Then we have our home inspection on Saturday.
And I thought summer was supposed to slow down. :)
B-man helped every step of the way. I love love love that he's such a helper.
Yesterday we just took it easy - it was cold, dark, and windy out so it was a day to snuggle in and read.
My parents left this morning and we've done the same thing - snuggle in. It's so windy and cold out - not nice outside weather for sure!
Busy week coming up. B and I are done with school - officially on summer vacation!! Josh has 2 weeks left still. I'm babysitting a couple cuties while their mom and dad have school still - their babysitter bailed and left them without childcare for the last month or more of school. I'm done with school now, so I'm taking the kids this week until their grandma can come to the rescue next week. B and I are excited! Tomorrow is our anniversary, and we'll be spending it very romantically - eating dinner at the school while a football coach gets me certified in infant CPR. haha! I need to get certified for our new adoption agency. Josh is of course certified already, being an EMT and all, but I need to get mine done. Then we have our home inspection on Saturday.
And I thought summer was supposed to slow down. :)
Friday, May 11, 2012
released
We had B's IEP meeting this afternoon. He is officially released from it and his services. SPD is not IEP-able, so he was on his IEP for speech so he could receive services for sensory. He passed the speech eval with flying colors, so he has been released. We'll work on getting his 504 plan written with the elementary school principal. (for those not familiar with the education jargon, a 504 plan is used for students that may need accommodations and interventions, but don't have a learning disability. So a student without a learning disability but is in a wheelchair, for example, could have a 504 plan because they would still need some accommodations. Same with SPD. It's not a learning disability, but he could still need certain accommodations for noise and sensory overload and whatnot.)
I'll come back later and add his scores in, but he tested above average in everything, and 99th percentile for most, including fine motor, gross motor, language, and emotional stuff. In fact, in expressive communication, he is at the level of a 7 year, 11 month old!
Way to go, my superstar!!
I'll come back later and add his scores in, but he tested above average in everything, and 99th percentile for most, including fine motor, gross motor, language, and emotional stuff. In fact, in expressive communication, he is at the level of a 7 year, 11 month old!
Way to go, my superstar!!
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
kindergarten round-up
Hard to believe my boy is going to kindergarten. Makes this mama sad, but I suppose he has to go...
Round-up was today. B told us we were not allowed to talk about it, because he didn't want to go today. So I had a good idea of how the day was going to go...
Here's a cast of characters in this post, for those of you not familiar with who I'm talking about!
Round-up was today. B told us we were not allowed to talk about it, because he didn't want to go today. So I had a good idea of how the day was going to go...
Here's a cast of characters in this post, for those of you not familiar with who I'm talking about!
Mrs. Uhling - the K teacher. She's amazing. She won a national math teaching award last year and got to meet President Obama to receive it. Her husband is Josh's principal. Her daughter just graduated with an elementary ed degree and was voted the outstanding female graduate from the whole university. Pretty impressive. We go out to dinner with them a few times a month, so Mrs. Uhling and Brecken know each other very well.
Mrs. McAtee - the math facilitator for our district. Knows us well - and has a desk at Central Office right across from Josh. She was impressed one day while B was at work with Josh that B was writing down jersey numbers - 44, 24, 13, etc. Not just any old numbers - jersey numbers of Josh's basketball players. LOL!
The OT is Chuck. He of course is known as Mr. Mollica to the kids, but in this email I call him Chuck.
Donna is B's current OT.
And you may not remember, but he rubs his hand in my hair and twists it every time he gets tired or overwhelmed. It's a soothing thing for him.
The OT is Chuck. He of course is known as Mr. Mollica to the kids, but in this email I call him Chuck.
Donna is B's current OT.
And you may not remember, but he rubs his hand in my hair and twists it every time he gets tired or overwhelmed. It's a soothing thing for him.
Alright, here we go:
Started off disastrous.
I was a few minutes late because I had to finish a class and drive the 20 miles from work. I walked in and Josh and B were with the nurse already. Brecken was buried so far into Josh's shoulder that I couldn't hardly see his face. He immediately reached for me and would not say a word. He wouldn't even wear the name tag they had for him. His face was so red and hot I thought he had a fever. The nurse knows us (she works at all the schools in the district) and knows Brecken so she was expecting this. She was very good - very calm, very nice, and didn't push - just showed us where to go next.
Next was the kindergarten readiness test with Mrs. Uhling, who he knows very well. The math faciliator was also there to do math things. B also knows Mrs. McAtee, he talks to her at Central Office a lot. CRAWLED up me to get away from both of them. Literally. Wouldn't answer a single thing. Wouldn't point to his favorite color, wouldn't find a circle, wouldn't even LOOK at Mrs. Uhling or Mrs. McAtee. Even though his friend from preschool was in there doing it. I'm so grateful those two ladies know B and know he's not being a brat, but that he just could NOT do it.
So we move on to OT. The OT was busy with the girl that was in the room with us for math and Mrs. Uhling, so Mrs. McAtee decided to try again with B since nobody else was in her room. They were in there a LONG time. I stood and waited for OT. The OT knows me, he works in our school too. So we talked about the SPD and what we see in B, what he does, what's going to be a struggle (like lunch - oh, how I dread lunch next year), asked about motor skills and I said he's probably the most athletic 5 year old I've met, and that gross motor was great, but that he works with Donna on fine motor, along with the other sensory stuff. He said he has a weighted vest we can try if the transition to K is hard since he sleeps with a weighted blanket.
He told me about a FANTASTIC sounding program that he does for sensory kids before school every morning. He calls it sensory school, and those sensory kids can come in at 7:45 and do what they feel they need to do - swing, spin chairs, balance balls, sensory tables for tactile things, he can brush them, etc. They do that for 15 minutes and then they have 10 minutes of yoga. I might have gotten tears in my eyes when he said that - that sounds like EXACTLY what B-man needs every morning. I'm so grateful that that's an option.
After we talked about that, Mrs. McAtee came in with a thumbs up, followed by B and Josh. He managed to get all his math and readiness stuff done! HOORAY!!!!! Didn't miss a single question. AND, he saw stuff in the OT room that Donna has and felt better - he balanced on a ball with Chuck (the OT), showed off his running, stopping, jumping, catching, drawing, etc. After every "test", he'd run back to me and rub his hands in my hair, and then he'd go do the next thing. He wouldn't TALK to Chuck at all, but he did what he asked! YAY!
By that time, we had been there an hour, when most roundups take 30 minutes, and he still hadn't gotten to the hearing and sight test lady. I had to get back to work (I was only able to go because it was during my plan/lunch) so I had to leave Josh there with B. Josh told me tonight what a super-star B was when he finally opened up... got all the math questions right, drew himself correctly, drew a tree (with an apple in it!), drew a sun by drawing the yellow circle and THEN filling it in, which is apparently a pretty high skill for a preschooler, and drew stars, which apparently is a skill taught late in kindergarten. Who knew?! Our kid is brilliant. :)
Super excited about sensory school!!
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
band-aids. again.
The B-man has not only decided that band-aids are OK, but that now his finger hurts if he DOESN'T have one on. We bought the box of 30 on Saturday morning. Today is Tuesday. We have gone through 11 band-aids.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
band-aids
Brecken got a cut today that was bleeding. Yes, it was the most painful thing ever to him. But today, he ASKED for a band-aid. Yes, you read that right. I almost fell over. He said he figured out while at the doctor this past week that band-aids weren't that bad after all.
Another HUGE sensory obstacle, overcome!
The bad news was, since he wouldn't wear band-aids before, we had none in the house. So we made a trip down to the dollar store and he picked some out. And he wore not one, but two today.
I kind of feel like a "normal" (I hate that word, but you know what I mean) mother, with a kid who is instantly healed of all ailments with a band-aid.
OK, maybe not ALL ailments, but heck - a cut on a finger, a band-aid to make it better, our world is now different!
Another HUGE sensory obstacle, overcome!
The bad news was, since he wouldn't wear band-aids before, we had none in the house. So we made a trip down to the dollar store and he picked some out. And he wore not one, but two today.
I kind of feel like a "normal" (I hate that word, but you know what I mean) mother, with a kid who is instantly healed of all ailments with a band-aid.
OK, maybe not ALL ailments, but heck - a cut on a finger, a band-aid to make it better, our world is now different!
Monday, April 23, 2012
shots = horrible
Kindergarten shots. OMG. Thank goodness it's over and we don't have to do it again until 6th grade.
Dr appointments in general with a sensory kid are miserable. B had his headphones on from the minute we walked in the door. He wouldn't let anyone weigh him (he's afraid of the scale). He wouldn't let anyone see how tall he is. Luckily my mom and dad have a medicine scale at their house so I weighed him when we were there for Easter. 36.5 pounds - 10th percentile, baby! The highest he's been since he was born!!! And you can FORGET about listening to his heart - at one point he was so strong that he was able to push Josh's arm away while Josh was helping hold him down in my lap. But all that made him sob so hard that he didn't notice the dr. listening on B's back to his heart. :) No way Jose to the pulse ox machine, and no way was he going to take off his headphones to look in the ears.
There's a reason our appointments always take a full hour.
And then came the shots. OH MY GOODNESS. I had him chest to chest on my lap and Josh was holding down the poor kid too - and the scream that came out of that child's mouth when whatever went into his left arm hit - I flinched, it was so loud. I felt soooo bad for the doctor because his head was right there too. The nurse did a shot in one arm and then she and the dr. team tagged the next two so they happened at the same time. Hysterical child. HYSTERICAL. And then they put on bandaids, which hurt my B-man, and I didn't think to tell them that until he had already ripped them off and thrown them on the floor. That's how mad he was.
One slurpee and a lay down on a pillow on the couch later, he was much better. So much better, in fact, that we went to the park after dinner. He caught a ball and landed on his right arm, and that's when he asked, "Mom, did I get two shots?" Apparently that left arm one hurt so bad it made him forget about the other two, as he was quite shocked when I told him he had three!
But for real. I'm glad that's done.
Dr appointments in general with a sensory kid are miserable. B had his headphones on from the minute we walked in the door. He wouldn't let anyone weigh him (he's afraid of the scale). He wouldn't let anyone see how tall he is. Luckily my mom and dad have a medicine scale at their house so I weighed him when we were there for Easter. 36.5 pounds - 10th percentile, baby! The highest he's been since he was born!!! And you can FORGET about listening to his heart - at one point he was so strong that he was able to push Josh's arm away while Josh was helping hold him down in my lap. But all that made him sob so hard that he didn't notice the dr. listening on B's back to his heart. :) No way Jose to the pulse ox machine, and no way was he going to take off his headphones to look in the ears.
There's a reason our appointments always take a full hour.
And then came the shots. OH MY GOODNESS. I had him chest to chest on my lap and Josh was holding down the poor kid too - and the scream that came out of that child's mouth when whatever went into his left arm hit - I flinched, it was so loud. I felt soooo bad for the doctor because his head was right there too. The nurse did a shot in one arm and then she and the dr. team tagged the next two so they happened at the same time. Hysterical child. HYSTERICAL. And then they put on bandaids, which hurt my B-man, and I didn't think to tell them that until he had already ripped them off and thrown them on the floor. That's how mad he was.
One slurpee and a lay down on a pillow on the couch later, he was much better. So much better, in fact, that we went to the park after dinner. He caught a ball and landed on his right arm, and that's when he asked, "Mom, did I get two shots?" Apparently that left arm one hurt so bad it made him forget about the other two, as he was quite shocked when I told him he had three!
But for real. I'm glad that's done.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
a couple firsts
We hope everyone had a great Easter! We headed up to my mom and dad's house for the holiday and a few days afterwards, as we were on Spring Break this past week. We had a fantastic time. We had a couple firsts while we were there... B was able to go to the store and pick out a new outfit, AND he wore it to church on Easter Sunday! Yay, B-man!
His other first was bowling! He had never been bowling before and he had a total blast! He was able to get that 7 pound ball up off the rack and onto the floor and push it down the lane and did an awesome job. He had bumpers up, of course, but he still beat my mom and myself both during the 2nd game!
Friday, March 30, 2012
dual enrolled
We put in our initial application for another agency today. We figured having two agencies out there with our name was better than one. So we did it. The initial upfront fees are much more, but the placement fee is much lower, so it all evens out in the end and the final price for both places are very similar. So we did it. The initial application was online, so depending on how quickly we get the full application, and get the home study completed, we'll be set to go. (They wouldn't take our home study from WCS, even though we just renewed it - apparently the new agency does it differently so we have to start over. :( )
Crossing fingers that maybe this agency will move a little faster...
Thursday, March 22, 2012
best concert ever
Remember this from last year?
Tonight was the night of the spring concert. A couple weeks ago, Brecken asked if we could buy new pants for his concert. Ones that weren't sweat pants.
Um, what?
And asked if he could wear a new shirt that he bought from our trip to state basketball.
Um, what?
And his Nikes, WITH SOCKS.
Um, what?
He was so excited for the concert tonight. (he was last year, too... but his brain couldn't handle all the stimuli and we had a meltdown.)
He got home from school, took off his basketball shorts and t-shirt that is too small for him, and put on his concert clothes. A little early, since we didn't have to leave for an hour and a half, but I didn't say anything. I crossed my fingers that he didn't spill pizza sauce all over the shirt so that we didn't have to deal with finding another shirt.
Then I crossed my fingers that we'd make it out the door in the new clothes.
Then I crossed my fingers that he'd go backstage. And my heart was pounding... we had to stay out in the lobby until the teachers called the kids back. The noise grew more and more... and I could feel my B-man shutting down by the second... I tried to tell him jokes to keep his mind off things and make him laugh, while at the same time in my head I was shouting "COME GET THESE KIDS BEFORE MY KID CAN'T HANDLE THE NOISE ANYMORE!" :)
Finally, they called the kids back. No meltdown from noise. Hip, hip, hooray! He clung to my hand, and kind of reluctantly let go, but he did let go and gave me a "Bye, Mommy!"
Then I crossed my fingers that he'd make it on stage.
Josh and I could see little feet under the curtain when it was time for the concert to start and I gave a big sigh of relief to see his bright yellow on his black Nikes cross by.
WHAT A CONCERT! He sang with gusto. He did all his actions, and was the best stick tapper up there. I may or may not have shed a tear or two... or 10, or 50...
SO PROUD of my little man. What a long way he's come in one year.
It truly was the best concert ever.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
imagination
Brecken's imagination is incredible. And I love seeing what he comes up with and what he has absorbed by observing things that go on - I didn't have any idea he paid that close of attention until he started doing what he does!
His latest thing is basketball games in the house. Yesterday's included a written program with a roster on it - written by himself on a paper towel. He picked 4 other little boys in his preschool class to round out the roster with himself. Josh then had to announce the players and their numbers. When #22, Brecken, was announced (because 22 is the number on his jersey that he has, complete with matching basketball shorts), Brecken takes off his yellow long sleeved shirt that serves as his warm-up. (Because Josh's team also has yellow long sleeved warm-ups.) As he takes it off, he runs to the other part of the living room and pretends to high 5 the imaginary people that make his team that are already out on the "court".
The visiting team, when announced, just has numbers. Because, you know, B doesn't know the kids from the other team. :)
Then he throws the ball up in the air and every time, wins the tip off! :)
Then he throws the ball up in the air and every time, wins the tip off! :)
Yesterday, after he won 22-2, he went out to the kitchen and messed around for a while. Then he came out, and in his best announcer's voice, announced "If you want to visit our concession stand today, it looks like we are selling fruit snacks!)
Then, he drew numbers for prizes. At Josh's games, they do the same thing. Your number is on your program if you buy one, and if your number is called, you win baked goods. So yesterday, Josh won a cup full of popcorn, rice krispies, and fruit snacks. I won the same thing when my number was called. :)
I love watching him play. He's one amazing kid, for sure!
And on a side note, today I had a random day off school. I told Brecken that last week, thinking he'd be excited to stay home with me. Instead, I heard, "Oh man! Brian is going to be at Kacey's house on Monday! Can I please still go to Kacey's instead of stay home with you?" I didn't know if I should have hurt feelings or not. :) I am super glad he loves Kacey so much though, and I'm so glad he has a best buddy this year. So this morning, off he went. And I got to clean my closet by myself. :)
Sunday, March 11, 2012
home study renewal
So yesterday we drove over to get our home study renewed. Our new lady, Pat, is the director of the domestic adoptions, so I like that she will know things.
Anyway, she was really nice and we only had to update a few little things. She told us straight out that this wouldn't take long an that we didn't need to drive all the way to see her, but I told her that we really wanted her to know who we were, instead of being just names on a list. She said that was smart of us, so I'm glad we made that decision.
As of now, there's about 20 people on the wait list, an there are 2 or 3 that have waited longer than us. Our book has been shown a lot, but most people lately have been choosing couples that don't have kids already. So we'll just wait until someone wants us that wants a big brother for their baby!
We talked more about us being able to pay for some medical expenses for a birth mom... we had said before that we'd take it on a case by case basis since we are not rich. She said most birth moms they have qualify for Title 19 (I think?) help but some don't, and can't afford the birth of the baby. I asked what happened if we agreed to help pay for that and the mom change her mind. She said then we don't pay a dime. We pay the agency, not the mom or the hospital, so that made me feel a bit better about maybe helping out with that. I don't WANT to, but if that opens us up to some more birth moms, then that's what we'll do. I got the feeling that if we gave them a number of what we could help with, that would open us up to being shown to ladies that need help. If we just said "case by case" or "no", we wouldn't even be shown to those people.
On the way home, it was dark, and I saw a shooting star. I'm taking that as a good omen.
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