Liam's first day back

A little bit of excitement, a little bit of first day jitters.

Today was Liams first day back to school. He has been out since December! :/

It took a long time to get the ball rolling (waiting on transition meeting took the longest -over a month, then gathering needed documents to enroll him).However, I am feeling really good about it all. The IEP, the school, his teachers, all of it.  There's only a few weeks left in this school year but he also qualified for an extended school year which means he will go for a few weeks in July. I am really looking forward to seeing what the following school year will bring.

We've been talking to him a lot about it for the past week, especially last night and this morning when he got up.

*Side note-When it comes to autism, ALWAYS presume competence.
 Even if he looks like hes not paying attention or listening or understanding, he IS and he absolutely DOES.

He went to bed early and woke up extra early and was a bit aggravated all morning, so i took that as first day jitters.

Drop off was fairly easy, and i will be walking him to his classroom every morning, at least until the next school year upon which he will most likely take the bus.

When i picked him up, he started crying as soon as he saw me. His teacher smiled and said not to worry, he had a good day. She said he was playful and friendly and did well for his first day.

I fully expected him to meltdown either on the car ride home, or once we arrived to the house but neither happened.
I didnt pester him with too many questions and just told him i was proud of him and that he did a really great job today and that i love him.
He held my hand the entire way to the car which is a big deal for us since normally he is trying to dart off in every direction. I opened all the windows for the drive and turned off the music and we enjoyed the wind in our hair for a few minutes (the school is less than 2 miles away). When i would hear him getting fussy i would just reach back and rub his little knee and leg and tell him i love him and that he did a great job.
He had a smile on his face walking up to our door and was greeted by daddy yelling LIAMs HOME! Hiiii Liam! WE MISSED YOU!1 HOW WAS YOUR FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL!?!?  He plopped himself on the couch , feet up in the air requesting help to get his shoes off. Off went the shoes, off went the shirt. lol

Hes been fine since, pretty chill, extra lovey and cooperative which is the complete opposite than i expected. .

I had music playing just now while cooking dinner and when  Could You Be Loved came on and he reached up for me to pick him up and dance around the kitchen with him. He nuzzled his little face in to my shoulder and we danced until the song ended then he jumped down and went on his way. I will never turn down a dance or a cuddle from my babes even if i burned the first batch of french toast by not paying attention. lol One day I they will be too big for me to hold and spin around the kitchen dancing. i know that and am soaking it all in while i still can. :)
He seems a bit more tired than usual but that is to be expected! Lets hope tomorrow goes as smoothly or better.
As usual the boy never ceases to amaze me, and i love him for it.

Love and Light,
A

IEP

It went wonderfully, they gave me everything i asked for (for Liam) and then some! 
In fact, most of the stuff i had planned to request was presented to me as a recommendation before i even had to ask for it. 
This is in total contrast to our last experience where i felt like i had to fight for everything only to receive half. 
His team is fantastic and i cant wait to see what the coming school year will bring. He is going to go for the remainder of the year, which will be a good adjustment period. He also qualified for an extended school year which is GREAT. I am beyond pleased.
One of the ladies praised me for all of the information i presented, and for being thorough, informed and involved. They all began chiming in with thank yous and more praises and i swear i almost cried.
it felt really good to know that all the effort was recognized and that it does serve a purpose.
You know, I went in ready for a battle. This way of "being" is not in my nature. But when it comes to my kids i dont play. I will do whatever i have to to ensure their success. More than their happiness because if they are successful in their life (gauge that however you like) then happiness will follow along with it.
Anyways i am rambling. I am tired. lol
Ready to relax this weekend!
Happy Friday everyone.

Staying the course

Repeat after me: Free Appropriate Public Education, in the Least Restrictive Environment.

Thank you Parent to Parent of Miami, I am feeling good, regarding today's meeting.

Everyone pray for me that I can make the right things fall in place for our Liam Oliver, and that this new team of people are kind, smart, motivated, focused, caring and nurturing. 
Dear God. 
Amen.

Preparing- IEP Workshops

I spent 5 hours today at the Parent to Parent of Miami IDEA and IEP Workshop, arming myself with knowledge and confidence. This was a great start and I will definitely be going back for more. The ladies at P2P are inspiring. 
This process takes fine tuning. 
Liam's transition meeting is next week. 
I know he is "only" in early intervention Pre-K, but i feel the need to be really well informed and involved.
I am his voice, after all.
His first IEP in Ga left a lot to be desired and I would have definitely done some things differently looking back.
Knowledge is power and I know its never too early to get a good solid start.
My goal is to become well versed in this process, i want it to become a fluent language. I want the information to flow from my mind and roll off my tongue. My words powerful with intelligence and my conviction strong.

Shoot by the time its all said and done, when the twins start school its going to be a piece of cake! At least thats my hope. 

Now its time for a beer. Or two. Because my brain just might pop. hahaha

I swear they should offer like, a happy hour after these things, or a one hour massage or both . Just to decompress. Its a ton of information to absorb not to mention the emotional involvement on top of trying to pack your brain full of info.

Ok, I'm off.