I love how much Sarah loves learning new, sophisticated words. The first three days of this school week she got ready for the day way more easily than usual. There was almost no yelling. I wondered where my child had gone. Then Thursday morning dawned as early as they all do and she was back to her customary times of yelling. After her grumps were out I told her that she had been really ornery. She looked at me with a delighted gleam in her eye and rapturously said, “yes!”
During my SR time with her I didn’t feel particularly connected or inspired but I was able to relax into hanging out together. She wanted to string her loom and then wanted to climb into it.
I continue to marvel when I watch Sarah tie her shoes. I know it isn’t needed for her to have a successful life, but it is so amazing to see her dexterity. It still feels like a miracle because it used to feel impossible.
I had a conference with Amy’s teachers and I had Sarah’s IEP meeting. In telling the girls that such meetings were going to happen, I said what I always do... that I am going to meet their teachers and we will talk about how great they (Amy and Sarah) are. This is always true. I love that this is true even when we are discussing Sarah’s challenges and challenging behaviors.
Reading through the IEP pages felt rather disheartening as usual. I know I have tons of hard moments with Sarah and there are tons of things that I wish were easier. I know they have to write about where she struggles or where she is academically so that they can write goals for how to proceed. Still. There is that very low IQ number or other categorizations that feel yucky. I then have to remind myself to focus on things such as shoe tying or reading. She is reading at a first grade level. That is amazing. What I really appreciate about her team at school is how much they clearly enjoy Sarah, despite any challenges, just as the rest of us who know her do. It felt like a wonderful collaborative effort with flexible, creative thinking about how to proceed. The year began with Sarah joining the regular fourth grade classes for the full time. I think that was too much for her and she is still in a rebound stage. One new thought is that just because she is technically in fourth grade doesn’t mean she can’t join younger classes for things. They will also see about finding a peer buddy for her, possibly a much older one or a slightly younger one. This idea came from recognizing how much she can connect with Amy and learn from Amy, but that she struggles with groups of other kids in terms of connecting. She also does so well with grownups that that is why an older kid might work well. We talked about her love of cooking and being a waitress and that maybe that can factor into her subject lessons and her celebrations for completing some school tasks.
Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop are visiting at the moment. The girls have loved playing hotel with Mom-Mom. Sarah even agreed to read a book to Mom-Mom, which hasn’t happened much before. As is her wont, she skipped and hurried through the words. Amy sat next to her and told her she had to say each word clearly. Sarah did! At least for a sentence or two. I love how Amy can effectively achieve outcomes that no one else can.
Mom-Mom and Amy were playing a surprisingly fun game of “are you wearing...?” with questions ranging from “are you wearing socks?” to “are you wearing a kitchen counter?” I was asked if I was wearing a bird. Luckily I took my time before answering, thus remembering that I was in fact wearing my Pigeon socks!
Lots of love to you all. May you have support and flexible thinking for any of your challenges.
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