School days

The Mickey backpack and the lunch box are being shipped, school handbooks read, forms filled out, and I still find myself unable to wrap my mind around the fact that a school bus will stop in front of the house on Thursday and Cooper will enter the public school system. Although I know this is a positive step in the right direction, I am so scared for him.

My mind goes back to the day we tried dropping him off in the gym's daycare a year or so ago. We got called back 10 minutes later. He sat sobbing at a table while the other kids just stared at him like something was wrong with him. You never want your kid to struggle, to be stared at, to be hurt.

When I look at him I see all of the great things. I see the humor, the wit, his emerging imagination, his hugs, story time cuddles, the pure, unfiltered excitement he displays when he's participating in a preferred activity. I see his sense of accomplishment when he helps me with something, his love for my nephews, and the faces he makes when he's jumping on a trampoline or sliding down a slide.

I see my kid. My 3 year old. I worry that 3 is too young to start school, but then I think of the ways this will help him. He will get to be around kids his own age 4 days a week. He will be led by a teacher that seems to be a great fit. He will be surrounded by some of his favorite things-the alphabet, books, and craft stations. This day showed up a year and a half earlier than we anticipated, but haven't we always done things out of order?

February

No energy for coherent paragraphs. Bullet points will suffice.

*Stomach bug-It's been a long time since I've had a stomach flu and I'm grateful this isn't a reoccurring thing for us. Fever, body aches, chills, extreme wooziness/weakness and a multitude of stomach ailments since Sunday night. At least I was down 6 pounds when I went to the doctor today? 

*Speaking of which-got a bunch of bloodwork drawn today because I just haven't felt right the last several (6+) months. I've developed this random stutter when I talk and have worse than normal sleep difficulties. Even when I do get enough or even more than enough sleep, I never feel rested. I'm chalking it up to the medicine I've been on, but better safe?

*My dad's test results-In the interest of not revealing too much (what a concept for me, right?) I will say that things are still up in the air but more optimistic than last week. 

*Shared camper!?-My parents and sister gauged my interest (and Greg's too, obviously) about possibly going in thirds for a camper on a permanent lot in the Gloucester area. This is a new-to-me idea, and very much in a daydream stage at this point, but it's fun to think of. We went and looked at a bunch of campers and campgrounds last weekend. I enjoy the no-hassle concept of a permanent site (especially not having to own a truck with towing capabilities) but want to be 100% sold on the campground itself if the camper will be parked there for several years. I will say that taking away the hassle of towing a camper, gas for towing the camper, and splitting repair costs in thirds instead of being solely responsible for them are all appealing ways to approach the camping experience. 

*IEP meeting-Cooper's IEP meeting was today. I was really surprised to not have to fight to get him the services he needs. He qualified for FT preschool (M,T,R,F 9-4) including some 1 on 1 time with the SLP and will be picked up by the bus! They are going to wait to see if he needs additional OT services. I'm excited for him that he gets to ride the bus and socialize during the week. We met his teacher and I really like her. Cooper had a meltdown when he was exploring his new classroom. She handled it like a pro (maybe because she is?) and did the best job I have ever seen in terms of redirecting him. His meltdown lasted maybe a minute and a half instead of the ~25 minutes they usually last. He is in a class with 3 other kids with special needs and they also have occasional shared activities with a preschool classroom that has 16 Neurotypical kiddos. Really good impression from the school/teacher/program. Feeling optimistic and ready to move forward! Now we're trying to decide whether to continue ABA in addition to Pre-K. Plenty of big decisions ahead!