Snow Day

Let it snow. Let it snow. Let it snow.

Today we awoke to lovely surprise. Snow. There was no snow on the ground during the early morning hours, but by 10:00 there was a light dusting on the grass. That's a lot for us now days. We haven't had a real snow fall since I was a little girl. I took Jamie out and he played in the snow forever. He really had a blast. He sang about snow. He attempted making a snow angel. I had to force him back indoors since I didn't really have what I consider appropriate clothing for the weather. However, in the afternoon he talked me in to going out for round two.

The downside is that school has already been called off for tomorrow due to ice. I didn't find out until after Jamie went to bed. He's very excited about school tomorrow. He was supposed to ride the bus for the first time and it they had "Presidential Pajama Day" scheduled. We bought him a bland new pair of warm pajamas with Lightening McQueen from Cars on them. He calls them his speed pajamas. I'm not sure if the school will postpone the event or cancel it. I'll pack the pajamas in his book bag just in case when he goes back to school. I know he will be very disappointed when he gets up in the morning.

Clothing Tags - I don't want to ruin my childs clothes!

The one thing I hate about sending Jamie to school is writing his name in his clothes. Since I resale his clothes the following year, writing his name in them is a pretty big issue. I found this place on line at www.stuckonyou.biz that has adorable labels that are pretty affordable in my opinion. You can get 50 personalized labels for $18.95. I found a promo code online GOCITYKIDS that dropped that price down to $15.60. Shipping is $4.95. They have lots of other personalized items that are very useful, too. I really like this place.

Class Newsletter

Today the teacher sent out a class news letter. Apparently they send one home at the end of each week to tell you what they did that week, what is going on in the coming week, and send reminders.

The kids read the book The Jacket I Wear in the Snow. They learned about Martin Luther King, Jr. They had a party today to celebrate his birthday. They learned about Rosa Parks.

Tuesday they are going to learn about the president and have a presidential pajama party. Jamie doesn't have winter pajamas. He wears shorts pajamas to bed. That means I'm going to have to go buy him a cute pair of pajamas for Tuesday.

The most precious thing was at the end of the newsletter...

"We have a new friend who has joined our class this week. His name is Jamie so you will hear the children talking about their new friend Jamie. We are excited to have Jamie and his family as part of our preschool family."

Two Free Years of Parents Magazine

I got an email a few moments ago from valuemags.com. You can get 2 years of Parents magazine for free. There are no strings attached, no credit card required, and no survey to fill out. Don't miss out on this one. I've gotten free magazines from them before. This is truely without strings. Just click on the picture.

Preschool Day Two

He babbled on and on about school throughout the evening. Obviously he had a very positive experience. This morning when I got him ready he broke my heart just a tiny bit. He said, "Mommy? Don't leave today. I lost you at school." I told him that Mommy's couldn't stay at school. I asked him if he wanted to go even if Mommy left and he said that he did. Today when I left I made sure he really knew I was leaving. I think that maybe yesterday he was distracted when I kissed him goodbye and was surprised when he realized I was gone. I don't think he was upset or anything. I just think he was surprised. Who can blame him. I hardly ever leave him anywhere, much less a strange place with strange people.

He was a little disturbed yesterday because he left his Eeyore at school. We have three of them so it wasn't an issue. He was excited when he got into bed because he thought we went and got his Eeyore at school. When we got there this morning it was sitting in his cubby waiting for him.

He was happy to get to school and immediately put his coat, hat, and bag up in his cubby himself and put his communication folder in the appropriate basket. His teacher said he did pretty good following directions and everything yesterday. He did have a little trouble staying in his seat for long periods of time, but was not disruptive. I gave him big hugs and kisses and made sure he knew I was leaving and he went back to playing and there was no problem.

When we picked him up I got a big hug and kiss. He said he had fun and had a friend named Jack. He said he ate tomatoes. He said McKalah was gone today. He did not pee his pants.

I'm watching McKalah and Hayden for the next few days, maybe longer. My sister-in-law is having a hysterectomy. At least I'll have a little baby to cuddle while I'm missing my little boy.

First School Day

I was amazed when we got him to the school. He acted just a little shy going in the doors. The staff that had met him months ago at the evaluation remembered him by name. It seemed like everyone already knew it. They have much better memories than I do. I don't even remember meeting all of them. He was all smiles, even when he wasn't quite ready to talk. He took one of his alternate Eeyores (his transitional object or lovey) and he only needed him for the first few minutes.

Matthew and I stayed for about half an hour, mostly for our own benefit. Jamie only needed me long enough to tour the room and see all the fun stuff there is to do. His teacher showed him the easel with letters and numbers and he began lining letters up on the book case. After that he put them away and went to play a shape game at the table with other children. I managed to pull him away long enough to get a goodbye kiss.

I thought I was going to make it without any tears. Honestly, I was happy to see him having so much fun and I didn't have many fears about leaving. Even so, as we walked down the hall to leave the building I felt the tears well up. I tried to stifle them until I got to the van, but it was no use. They came and I had no control over it.

The house was so quiet today while we waited for time to go get him. We had less than three hours to wait. It really did seem like a long time. Maybe at some point I will enjoy some time to myself, but right now I don't really like it. I don't quite know what to do with myself. I'm glad Matthew is on vacation this week. I was so glad when the time finally came to go get my baby. We got to the school and they brought him out to me. I gave him hugs and loaded him into the van. He told me about his day at school.

He had bacon, eggs, and milk for breakfast. He had hamburger and french fries with milk for lunch. He played cookie shapes game, went outside to play, somebody pushed him but he didn't cry, he read books, they did music, he saw McKalah, and based on his description of a loud noise, fire, and going outside I think they had a fire drill.

In his communication folder was a note...

She included a paper with six pictures of Jamie taken throughout the day.

I was worried he might wet his pants and sent two changes of clothes. When I picked him up he was wearing the same outfit I took him in. He did pee his pants on the way home, though.

I wish I knew more details about his day. Did he participate well? Did he do as he was told? Did he get along with the other children? Did he try to stay by himself or did he play good with a group? Did he take to any specific child? Did he need Eeyore? Did he cry any? Did he show any particular strengths or weaknesses?

Can't I just set up a webcam and watch him live all day long?????

First Day of School Morning Thoughts

I'm up right now, getting ready to get him up. I was fine about this, even a little excited, until on the way to Walmart Matthew said something like, "I just keep thinking about if he falls down and gets hurt or something and he cries for his Mommy or Daddy and we won't be there." Suddenly, both of us were brushing the tears from our eyes. Somehow that thought actually hadn't entered my mind, but now a vivid picture of my little boy crying for me and me not being there to hug him and stroke his hair like I always do is almost too much to bear. I've got to get that picture out of my head. I got on to Matt for telling me that! I could have gone his whole life without thinking about him crying and me not there to comfort.

I sewed little tags in his clothes and packed his backpack last night. It's surreal. The little backpack he's using is one we picked up on sale at K-Mart three years ago. It's a football backpack. Many of you know our nickname for him has always been Football. I remember so vividly when we went in there was a sale display and there was this football backpack on sale for $2.00. Matthew just had to have it. He said Jamie would carry it his first day of school. I didn't believe he really would, but for $2.00, I wasn't worried about it. Today, he will carry that backpack to school.

Well, it's time to get this show on the road! At least he gets to start on a short day. He goes to school from 8:15 to 11:45 today. Wednesday is a short day in our school system, not just the preschool.

A Good First Impression

It went really well. She actually specializes in children with autism. There is a nonverbal child with autism in his class. She talked about not fitting the kids into the class, but fitting the class to the kids. She talked about nurturing their special abilities and catching them up with anything they are behind on, but letting them take the lead. Her class room is very structured, but there is free time. She's prepared for children like Jamie who might get over stimulated. She has a large trash can (that's never been used for trash of course) that is wrapped in carpet for children who might need a few minutes in some small space to calm themselves. She has a corner that's just for children to get away if they are over stimulated. It has a swing for kids that might need to rock to calm down. There is a big cushioned chair for children that need to be separated for any reason. It's kind of like a time out chair, but it's not a punishment. For example, if a child were acting up during an activity, she would allow the child to sit in the chair until he/she is ready to participate. She says children are never left in the chair for more than three minutes. It really sounds as if he's in the best possible classroom for his needs.

The bus has child safety seats with 5 point harnesses. I told her that I was concerned about his height and weight. Some of you may know that we had a very difficult time finding a car seat to accommodate him. She assured me that they had seats that would adjust to any child. On top of the driver there are 2 aides on the bus.

I can visit the school any time I want, announced or unannounced. I can bring treats if I want. I can join him for lunch or spend the whole day. She said that the only time she would suggest to parent that they should not visit was if the child wasn't coping with the parent visiting very well. Then she would discuss this with the parent. Usually, this is a temporary problem and that when the child is well acclimated to the class would no longer be an issue.

She said she would give me his class schedule. I would know what he did every day. There's a folder that goes back and forth to home and school called the communication folder. In that she will keep me updated on him and that I can do the same. She said it's even for the smallest things, like if he didn't sleep well the night before I can leave a note so that the teacher will know what's going on if he's especially cranky that day.

She came in and gave him two books. One of them was a Curious George book. He had a different one and when he saw it he had to run and get his to show her. He started pulling lots of books. That definitely got them off to the right start. She had some paperwork I needed to fill out and we had Jamie play on the computer while we handled the paperwork part of the visit and she answered my questions. Then she took pictures of Jamie and a few of us as a family for his record. Then she sat in the floor and read books with him and I got some pics and a little mpeg video of the two of them together. I was really impressed with their rapport. It's a little unusual for Jamie to develop a quick rapport like that. I'm very pleased.

This week Matthew is on vacation and we'll be driving Jamie to school. He will start riding the bus on Monday.

Preparing for a Teacher's Visit

Well, tomorrow Jamie's first teacher will be visiting our home. I'm quite nervous. I can't believe that he will be starting school. I just gave birth to him a few months ago, right?

Today will be a day for mad cleaning. I want to make a good first impression. My mind is in a frenzy trying to decide what kind of snacks are appropriate for the occasion. Should I just have a plate of cookies prepped or is this a veggie platter kind of moment? She might not care for any snack at all but I feel that I have to have something to offer. Don't even get me started on my dilemma about what we should wear! I just pray Jamie keeps his clothing on. At home he likes to be naked, at least from the waist down. I wonder if she'll think I'm really strange when I pop out with the camera?

Here's the questions I came up with to ask her tomorrow...

How many children are in the class?

How many teachers aids?

What kind of discipline and/or reward system is used?

What kind of curriculum?

What kind of snacks? (Can parents send things like cupcakes or treats, like for Valentines Day?)

How long has teacher been working with preschool age children?

Does she have any experience with children who have autism spectrum disorders or sensory integration disorders?

What is the class schedule? (What do they do during the course of the day? How structured is it?)

Are there written reports on child’s progress? Are there parent teacher conferences?

Can parents visit? If they can how does that need to be arranged? Can they come for lunch? Can they observe the class?

Happy Holidays & New Year 2009

Christmas was wonderful this year. Jamie had a really good time. The lights delighted him to no end. I meant to put up a lot more than I did, but it was so cold we didn't. It's probably a really good thing because I already have qualms with he electricity bill.

We went to my mother's house for Christmas the weekend before Christmas. My brothers both brought their families. It was actually fairly pleasant. We had spaghetti and Jamie got a toy guitar, Chutes and Ladders, Hi Ho Cherry O, a castle craft set, a singing Eeyore, and some other miscellaneous odds and ends I can't quite recall.

Christmas Eve we went to my Uncle Ed and Aunt Magaline's family's house. Jamie got a Dinosaur game for his smart cycle. He loves his smart cycle. That was a good Christmas purchase from last year that is still in regular use. After we left there we went to Matt's parents and got together with Matthew's side of the family. We budgeted Christmas pretty tight this year, but I made lots of goodies and gave them as presents. I got the girls both necklaces and a CD. They were pretty happy. Matthew got a few pairs of pants and I got a new coffee maker. It is awesome. I love it. Jamie got a car that plays YMCA and he loves it. He also got 2 pairs of pants, a belt, a stuffed dog, and a few small cars. One of the pants has a fire truck that lights up on the leg and Jamie just adores that pair of pants. I think I'll have to go to Walmart and get him some more light up clothing.

When we got home I made more goodies and Jamie went to bed quite late. I prepped food for Christmas dinner. I had to redecorate the Christmas tree since the cats had completely demolished it. I salvaged as many pipe cleaners as I could and put them on Jamie's little tree in his room and decorated it. I got all the presents wrapped and under the tree. We locked the cats in the garage to prevent destruction. I left Jamie's "animal eggs" unwrapped as the gift from Santa and Matthew and I dragged ourselves to bed.

Christmas morning I begrudgingly got up (after only a couple hours of sleep) and began preparing the 22 pound turkey that our dinner was to feature. I forgot to make the pan of cornbread the night before and was delayed a little more than I had wanted to be having to prepare that for the stuffing. I broke in my new coffee maker and went in and tried to drag Jamie out of bed. Unfortunately, at his young age, the fact that Santa came apparently isn't motivation enough to get up. It took a few tries but he finally got out of bed around 9:30am.

The first thing he saw was his animal eggs, of course. He was so excited. It took another hour before we could even coax him to look at his stocking. Once he had those animal eggs he did not care about opening his gifts. I had filled his stocking with a viewmaster and Clifford discs for it, a plastic candy cane filled with candy coated chocolate pieces, a snickers ornament egg, a Christmas pop up book, a a bundle of suckers.

It took most of the day to get his presents opened. As he opened each one he lost any interest in opening any others. He just loved each present so much that he didn't care if he got anything else. It just goes to show how little it really takes to make children happy.

He got plenty of games, which is the only thing he really asked for. We got him a few clothes, some puzzles, blocks, a doctors kit, and a skateboard. He had been pretending to ride a skateboard, after seeing it in a cartoon, for months. When I saw a "my first skateboard" at Walmart I had to get it. He has really enjoyed it.

We had quite an ensemble for Christmas dinner. Mom and her husband, Charlie were the first to arrive. Well, I find Charlie useless for most things, but he saved the day and fixed my main bathroom before our other guests arrived. Jamie had flushed a nail brush down the toilet and it was wedged good. We had attempted to remove it, Matt's dad had attempted to remove it. In the end we thought we were going to have to replace the toilet. Somehow Charlie managed to get it out. The only lasting damage is to our bathtub where we put the toilet when we were trying to flush out the brush. I was glad we didn't have to all share our small back bathroom. Next to arrive was Matthew's parents with Dynisha and Brianna. Last was my brother James, his wife, Rachel, Rachel's aunt, McKalah, and Hayden. We were already beginning to make plates when James' family arrived. I made stuffing, both in the turkey and out, real mashed potatoes, dumplings made in the turkey drippings, gravy, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce. It was lovely. I pulled the table into the living room and set up a folding table in there as well so we could all sit in the same room together.

I think everyone enjoyed dinner, though we don't all get along famously. Everything went off without a hitch and there was no fighting. What more can you ask for?

I cleaned up as we went and by the time the last guests left my house was clean, dishes were done, and leftovers were put away. Matthew and I fell on the couch and had some peace and quiet. It was pretty nice.

With Christmas gone we looked forward to a wonderful new year. 2008 was full of bumps in the road and hard times, but it was also full of wonderful memories and great joys. I look forward to the same in 2009. Matthew and I felt a little twinge of sadness as 2009 came. The years are passing so fast. Our little boy is growing so quickly. The other night as I tucked him into bed I told him that he was getting so big, so fast, and he told me, "I just sleep and grow." I smiled. It's so true.

Dynisha spent the night for New Years. Well, she really spent the whole week. We bought the kids some silly string and noise makers. I let them bake cookies and we waited up for the New Year. Christmas season had also brought us cold bugs and Jamie wasn't quite up to snuff. By the time midnight was upon us he had a bit of a fever and was fussy. When the ball dropped he perked up and played a bit, but then he was quickly off to bed.

Happy New Year!