Joy’s Week

Ready for school:    I had the worst time convincing her that she couldn’t wear her hat to school.  4 year olds don’t understand the no hats on campus rule!

Therapy:  Jumping and blowing cotton balls

and some ball work (her core is stronger than mine!)

Being full of joy!

Doing Becca’s hair

Playing piano and pushing sister

Helping turn the soil in the garden     Picking up sister from school

This is great fun!

With our new school schedule, we haven’t figured out nap time yet!

My heart still hurts when I drop Joy off, but I think it’ll all work out.  Naptime is presenting a challenge.  We haven’t figured out when it fits in yet.

This week when Joy wore that blue outfit in the sleeping picture, I saw a flash of her birthmother.  I only saw her birthmother twice.  I have tried to hold onto those memories – the woman who gave my daughter life, how grateful we are to her!  Joy looked so long and lean, so tall and beautiful – just like her mother.  It made me smile.

I was at the store this week waiting for Joy to finish her ride on the purple dinosaur.  There was a man beside us filling up water bottles.  He asked me, “Downs?  Does she have Down syndrome?” Inward groan.  It had already been a long day and I wasn’t in the mood to educate.  “Yes, yes she does.”  Turns out his son has DS.  Oh – that changes everything.  We talked for a while.  As he left, he turned to me and asked her name.  “Joy.”  “She will be a joy – you wait and see.”  She already is – and we are grateful for her everyday!

The Rest of the Week

Checking out the ipad                                 Hangin’ with sister

Getting off the bus for the first time

Pizza with Uncle Nathan, Aunt Mandy, Grandma, Grandpa, and her family

Eating Aunt Mandy’s cake – she couldn’t wait for the fork!

First Day of School

is over!  She is home!  My heart is beating again.  That was probably the longest three hours of my life.  BUT……

I think it’s going to be fine.  Joy was so happy when we picked her up (bus starts tomorrow).  Her teacher brought her out a touch early and told me about her day.  She loves Joy – which means I love her!  Joy had a wonderful day.  She was friendly and was mothering one of her classmates.  I am grateful!

ARD is finished

Well it is finished. There was only one part I wasn't prepared for. I already knew the IEP goals for the academic subjects. Truthfully, a lot of the ARD is just legal stuff anyway. But I hadn't been able to touch base with the Speech Therapist before the ARD. Her private ST and I had sent in what we were working on here at home. The goal the school ST included in the ARD was so low - just something she can achieve with just natural progression, even Speech Impaired natural progression. Anyway, I told them I thought it was a pretty low goal, knowing and stating that we will continue her out of school Speech. Transportation also has me irritated. It's a 40 minute bus ride. To me that is inappropriate. The school is less than 4 miles away and she is four years old. I will drop her off, but that means she will miss school on the days that Bella is downtown or in the hospital which is what we were trying to avoid by using the bus in the first place.

I think what makes me so sad is it's such a formal us against you situation and it doesn't need to be. But worse than that is how low people's expectations of Joy are. How I hope you blow their socks off Joy!

I came home and poured myself a stiff drink - a Cherry Coke.

Joy’s Week

Being Joy

Coloring with Bella

Coloring and Jumping

Joy, her hat, and her trike – love it!

This has been a busy week preparing for school.  Joy’s ARD is on Tuesday.  She starts school on Wednesday.  Her OT, ST, and I came up with some IEP goals and sent them to her teacher.  She combined those with some she came up with.  It’s happening!