IEP

We had Caleb's first IEP meeting yesterday morning. I've heard horror stories about IEP meetings, so I was a little uncertain about what to expect. We knew that Caleb would qualify to participate in the school district's PPCD (preschool program for children with disabilities), and we thought he might get some therapies while at school. We also knew that the school district doesn't have a program for "typically developing" three year olds, so Caleb would be in a class with other kids who have developmental delays.

Now Caleb has been in a Mother's Day Out class for the last two years with typically developing peers that are his age. They're all either three or turning three soon, so the same age as Caleb. And while Caleb's development lags behind in some areas, I know he benefits from the interaction he has with his classmates there and from being challenged by his teachers to do the same things that his peers do.

After much thought, Brad and I came up with a schedule that works for us. We decided that Caleb would go to preschool on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and he would go to Mother's Day Out on Wednesdays and Fridays. I suspected this 3/2 schedule wouldn't go over too well with the public school, but I really felt that it was what we needed to do.

So back to the IEP meeting...

We met with the principal, psychologist, special ed teacher, OT and SLP. The PT was at another school that day, so she couldn't be at the meeting. We were told that Caleb qualified to receive PT, OT and speech therapies at school, and he would be pulled out of his classroom for those therapy sessions. The teacher told us about some of the things they'll be doing in class, and we also learned about an adaptive PE class that Caleb will get to participate in. We were excited about everything we were hearing. Everyone seemed happy and excited.

As the meeting was wrapping up, I mentioned that we were only going to send Caleb to preschool three days per week. And instantly the mood in the room changed. They all insisted that attending school five days per week is best. I got a little flustered and didn't explain my reasoning as well as I should have, even though I had rehearsed my response in my head several times.

Believe me, I totally want what's best for Caleb. I want to see him grow, learn and reach his full potential. I would never purposefully do anything to hinder that from happening. I also understand that educators and therapists have extensive education, training and experience and probably have their student's best interests in mind too. I truly value their opinions. But ultimately, I feel that Brad and I know what's best for Caleb more than anyone else. So as we had planned, Caleb will attend the developmental preschool program on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. He will work with the PT, OT and SLP while at school. And he will attend Mother's Day Out on Wednesdays and Fridays. He will also continue working with his PT, OT and SLP that we've been seeing for the last few years in all that spare time we have. :)

Goodness. Caleb turns three on Monday, and he's suddenly a big boy! I can hardly believe he will start public school in just a few days.

Downright Blessed

Today, I'm guest blogging over at Lexie Loo, Lily, Liam & Dylan Too as part of Stefanie's "Downright Blessed: Life with Down Syndrome" series. Hop on over to her blog to read my post about Caleb - http://www.lexieloolilyliamdylantoo.com/2015/10/meet-caleb-downright-blessed-life-with.html

Nolan Blackmon

Nolan Blackmon was born Wednesday, October 7th and passed away on Saturday, October 10th. Please pray for Rusty and Cody as they mourn the loss of their son. 

Mr Nolan, I look forward to the day I have the honor of meeting you in Heaven.

Hope for Nolan

We met Cody on Caleb's birth day in October 2012. She was his nurse in the delivery room and took amazing care of our precious boy. Over the years, we've formed a friendship... and an extra special bond when her first child was diagnosed with congenital heart defects earlier this year. 

Cody and Rusty have temporarily relocated to Houston, so that Baby Nolan will be able to receive some very specialized medical intervention/care. Cody will be admitted into the hospital this evening for induction, and Nolan is expected to be born sometime tomorrow. 

Please keep this precious family in your prayers. Also, pray for the medical team who will care for Cody and Nolan.

If you are able, please also consider making a donation to help with the family's expenses - 

http://www.gofundme.com/w43cymb8

Tyler - Eight Months

Weight: 17lb 6oz

Length: 28"

Clothing size: 6-9 month

Shoe size: Size 3

Diaper size: Size 3

Eating: Tyler is still nursing when he's with me and taking bottles at MDO. If he wakes up during the night, sometimes Brad gives him a bottle so that I can keep sleeping. He eats pureed foods 2-3 times/day. He loves sweet potatoes, carrots, avocados, and bananas. He likes butternut squash, plums, pears, apples and peaches. He dislikes green beans and peas.

Sleeping: Tyler goes to bed at about 8:30pm and sleeps until about 7:00am. He usually wakes up 1-2 times each night, but he sometimes sleeps through the night. He takes 1-2 short naps in the morning while we're going to appointments or at play dates. And he usually takes a decent afternoon nap. He's getting a little better about napping in his crib, but he still prefers napping on my bed with me sitting next to him.

Highlights of the month: Tyler says "mama" and "dada" a lot when babbling... but he hasn't really said either actually directed to Brad or me, so I haven't counted them as a "first word" yet. He is starting to raise his arms and reach forward when he knows he's about to be picked up. 

Tyler's Six Month Photos

The wonderful photographer who took Tyler's newborn photos earlier this year got married and moved to Arkansas a few months ago. I was so sad that she wouldn't be able to continue taking our photos... but she was home visiting family in July and met us at a local park to do Tyler's six month photos and to take a few photos of Caleb. She sent me a few sneak peeks, but then the photo CD with the rest of the images got lost in the mail. She emailed the rest of the photos to me a few days ago, and I just can't get over how wonderful they are!

Special Needs Kids Link-Up

Welcome to those of you who have found your way to my blog via Kelly’s Korner Special Needs Kids link-up post. Just to give you a quick idea of what I blog about here… it’s all about my two boys. My oldest son, Caleb, has Down syndrome. He was diagnosed shortly after birth in October 2012. He also was born with a congenital heart defect and syndactyly, all of which were surgically repaired. He stays busy with church, mother’s day out, therapies and playing with his friends and little brother. And speaking of little brother... Tyler is seven months old. He also stays busy with church, mother’s day out, and tagging along to all of Big Brother’s appointments. 

So much of what I've learned over the past three years is from other moms who are a few months/years ahead of me. While I'm certainly no expert in special needs parenting, or parenting in general for that matter, I'm happy to share what has worked and not worked for us. Please feel free to ask me any questions!