IEP meeting

We had our IEP meeting today and all went well..sort of..They agreed to give Nicholas a one on one aide that will be with him during all school hours. I still have to get him an ABA therapist for afterschool and get some more OT going..but its a start. We'll see what happens. Hopefully, he will do well so we won't need to move. I just need to see some sort of change. I would love to get going full bore on grad school but I can't do that until Nicky is in a better place. Keep your fingers crossed.

My hopes for 2009

Its been almost a year since i posted on this blog..but its all been there in my head. Writing is so therapeutic..I don't know why I let it go so long! AHH..but here I am back and ready to write and bore everyone with my inner thoughts and ramblings. Tonight I attended my Thriving Families support group and shared and comiserated with my fellow special needs parents. It is nice to have a place where you belong and where no one "stares" at your kid with that weird confused face. I love hearing every ones stories and struggles because it makes me feel like I'm not the only CRAZY one. ha ha. Wednesday is my IEP meeting with the school district where we will discuss Nicholas' and my wants and they will tell me what he needs and what they want..then I'll laugh, they'll frown, I'll yell, they'll calm, I'll calm, they'll yell..fun times..fun times. Hopefully it all goes well and we are able to come to some sort of agreement and they can at least make his situation better. What he really needs is a school of his own..one that specializes in DEAF AUTISTIC kids who are cognitively delayed. Anyone have a couple million laying around?? Me either..too bad.. it would be a bitchin' school. Someday this dream will come true because EVERY child deserves a place where they belong. Imagine never going to a school where you are with others like you?? Its just not fair. If anything is spelled wrong please remember I am the mother of 3 boys, 1 who has special needs and I am tired. Yes I do have a degree in English but that was from another time..a time when life was much simpler. I hope 2009 will be a year of new discoveries and new beginnings. I hope I will grow as a mother and a person. I hope I don't have to move to Massachusetts because its really cold there, but if I do, I hope I can be brave and tough. I hope my children will continue to thrive and that the world will be better then it was last year and most of all I hope that I can remember to pray hard, believe in myself and believe in the value of my dreams for myself and my children. Here's to 2009!

A little about us..

I have heard a rumor..but I'm not really sure if it is true?? There is suppossed to be a reason for everything and a purpose for all the drama in ones daily life...hmmm. I have always believed that God has a master plan especially for those children with special needs who need so much more than the "average child". I am fortunate enough to have been given one of these exceptionally wonderful children to care for. Actually, I have 3 beautiful boys and only one of them, the youngest, has special needs. Nicholas is 4 years old and a firecracker of joy and life. He loves living and life and umbrellas and balloons and anything that lights up, and he loves me, his mommy. i hate listing his "list of issues" because this is not his identity, it is not what defines him. He is deaf and uses a cochlear implant to have some access to sound. We are in the process of learning sign language, in addition to auditory therapy and flashcards/picture cards, to facilitate sppech and communication. Nicholas is also defined as having low-tone cerebral palsy (hypotonia) and possibly FG syndrome..Nicholas wears glasses to help with his nystagmus (eyes going side to side) and far-sightedness and because he looks so darn cute in them!! He walked shortly aftter he turned 3, crawled at 2.5 years and sat around 1 year. He still has not said or signed his first word but we are very hopeful that he soon will!! most of all he is happy and healthy and very well loved. We are very lucky to be surrounded by friends, family and neighbors who all love and cherish him and who go out of their way to interact with him.