Wow can this be real?

Okay so I am completely flabergasted!  I am happy that I did go into my meeting with the school district open minded. 

So without having to drag out an advocate, attorney, or even asking for what I really wanted for Will's education, it has landed on my lap.  Today was a very nice meeting with the pre-school psychologist and principal. They offered an integrated classroom (5 IEP kids the rest "typical") for 1/2 day (they don't half day, he'll be the only one) with the confirmation that if I want him to (and I do) he WILL repeat next year!

Truthfully I am still a bit stunned that this all went down without me having to complain to the school district what I really wanted for Will.   Shocking to me that they came through for him.  His IEP meeting is May 21 and I think until then I will still be holding my breath for all this to work out.

Feeling blessed today.

It's just freakin' Kindergarten

Just when I think decisions on Will's school future for next year are all settled, the school district tosses in a money wrench. I got another call from the school's psychologist wanting to set up a meeting with me and the principal of our local elementary school.  She went to view Will last week with the elementary school psychologist (she is the one for pre-school services) and told me she understood my concerns for keeping Will back a year before entering Kindergarten.  So now she is proposing that we work out a situation where Will could maybe do a 1/2 day of school next year, but couldn't guarantee he could repeat.  O...K, but that is what I said I wanted for Will, so how is this going to help?

The best part was her saying that if he went to school next year his services could be done during the school day and this would be easier on me than having to drive him to them myself.  I felt like saying if I wanted easy I wouldn't have become a mother!  Really I drive him an hour everyday now just to go to the school I choose for him, I obviously am not interested in taking the easy route in regards to schooling decisions.

I am going to try and withhold anymore judgments and hear her and the principal out on Friday.  My main question is why, why is this so important to them?  I mean what is one freakin' year?  If I still lived in Michigan Will would go to young fives and I wouldn't have to go through all this crap. Ah well I did say I didn't want easy didn't I?

Check back on Friday for the meetings highlights and lowlights!

A Potty Mircle for Easter

I thought this time would never come.  I literally couldn't conceive of a time when my son would pee in a potty.  Theoretically I knew it would happen, but after 4.5 years of diaper changes it wasn't a strong feeling.

The best part was it happened on a lark.  This past weekend we got near 90 degress, which in April is VERY strange.  I had planned on starting the potty training for real in two weeks over Spring Break.  I had the rewards, potty doll, etc ready to go and we had talked about using the potty for the last few weeks.  On Sat.  I decided to drag out the kiddie pool since it would be months before we would be able to use it again.  For whatever reason I just put Will in his swim trunks no swimmy diapers.  After about 2 hours he asked to come inside to change the diaper.  Hmmmmm I gave it some thought and lied to my beautiful child.  "Mommy can't find the diapers, oh no!  Can you use the potty?"  At this point I ran down to the basement for his porta-potty and put it in the living room where we started playing Wii.  Will was still looking for the diapers "Where is it?  Where the diapers? I can't see them."

Now last week I volunteered at Will's school last week and told his aid, who has him sit on the potty everyday that I was starting potty training over the break.  I mentioned I was going to toss out the pull ups and go cold turkey.  She wondered if he understood that he should be his pee in the potty and suggested I put a pull up in the potty to help him make the connection.  At the time I thought she was grossly underestimating Will as I knew he has seen his mother and father pee varies times before.

At this point I start thinking maybe I'll try the pull up in the potty but know Will is no dummy and he would just pull that sucker out of the portable potty and put it on, so I had a thought of genius and cut the pull up up into sections and gave him one.  I told him to hold it to him and sit on the potty.  Within 5 minuets I had a full potty of pee!  We have now peed 7 or 8 times in the potty in the last 2 days!  I think this is a great start and I hope when we really go full throttle in 2 weeks it will go as well.  Cross your fingers!