Mom

I love the Easter Vigil Mass.  It is the first mass I ever attended that wasn't a baptism.  It is also when I was confirmed.  Max and Josey went with me.  Sam is not quite ready for a 2 and a 1/2 hour mass.  Thanks to Grandma Pug for hanging with the Samster so the rest of us could attend.  And thanks for inviting Josey to your church tomorrow.  I love that she gets to share that with you!

Dan

Arrrr.....Matey!!  I have a whale of a tail to tell, but it is probably best I not.  Instead I will say this:

Anybody who knows me, knows I had a policy of avoiding occupational therapy because of several bad experiences.  Last year I was office mate with a truly phenomenal OT who renewed my faith in the profession.  This year I have a new OT office mate who sealed the deal for me. I am now cured of my occupational therapist phobia. On top of being good at his job and explaining all the smarty pants anatomy questions I have, Dan is just a great co-worker.  Today was a perfect example.  I'm not going into details, but when I said I needed some help with a situation, he totally had my back.

Cap'n Dan, thankee most kindly for being a first rate shipmate.

Scott

My neighbors are just the best.  Not only does Scott protect our city and country, he will also agree to jump a car battery before he's even had time to change out of his jammies.  Scott, thank you for getting me on my way this morning!

Adolfo

Tonight at the dinner table, my little thank you project came up.  My dad asked, "Is it really that hard to find something to be thankful for?"  I reminded him that I wasn't supposed to be thankful for something, I was supposed to say thank you to someone.  He suggested I say thank you to God and be done with it (that would be my engineer, not so much church going, wonderful dad.). I told him that was outside the rule book.  I had to write a note and mail or hand deliver it.   Honestly, some days it's hard to pull a name out.  Today was not one of those days.

Don't misunderstand.  If today had been a book it could have been, "Miss Carol and the Horrible No Good Terrible Day."  Or maybe "Miss Carol and the Deathly Hallows."  Call it what you will, it was not a stellar day because it was lots of report writing and meetings.  Some meetings I didn't even know were on the schedule.  But at the very end of the day, when I was getting ready to leave a teacher said the nicest thing I have heard all year.  He said that he was glad I was at that building this year.  I almost cried.  Not for the first time that day.  But the first time that day for happy reasons.  There is really no greater compliment than having a coworker acknowledge that you truly care about your students.

Señor N, thanks for making a horrible, no good, terrible day a little less horrible, no good, and terrible!

Gale

Thank you Gale for taking the kids to see the Croods today.  It made spring break a little less lame!!!

Jordan

We stopped in our old "usual" Kroger's tonight.  The cashier greeted us, asked about John Boy, commented how much Sam had grown and basically just made me feel like we were in downtown Mayberry.  I know it's corny, but I love that kind of customer service.  The kind that feels less like they want your money and more like they want your business.

Jordan, we're all doing fine.  Thank you for asking.

Sam

It is officially Spring Break for the kids.  Sam has been over the moon happy to be able to say " no school!"  Today, he was standing in the hall giggling.  I looked at him.  He looked back at me and said, "Tickle, tickle, tickle.  I get you," which means he wanted to be tickled.  That silly sweet giggle brightened my day.

Sam, thank you for making my day.

Sarah

Ok. I know this is totally lame, but it made laugh.  Sarah posted on Facebook that she loves peanut butter so much she was freaking out that she was running low in her panty.  Now, obviously, panty was not what she meant to say and we all know it was one of those awkward auto correct moments.  I couldn't resist making a stupid comment.  Worse, when somebody else in a totally unrelated post shared a recipe for a dessert dip made with peanut butter, I shared it with Sarah and dragged out the panty joke.  She was a sport about it.

Sarah, today was an especially lame, do nothing kind of day.  Thanks for not defriending me when I took it out on your Facebook page.

Mom

You know what you did.  So I won't say anything else but "Thank you."

Mrs. Gartner (& NOT J.J.!!!)

Today was Josey's choral concert.  Before it started, somebody approached me and donated postal stamps to my cause with the understanding that she could NOT be thanked.  So I am not thanking J.J.  Ok, now on with the REAL thank you.....

My dad and I attended the concert.  If you have a child, or even know one, who has taken orchestra, been in band, or basically breathed with a collection of children in some format on stage, you know that these performances can be painful.  Somehow, a night which is meant to allow the children to shine becomes an endless drone about the adult's resume or how fantastic some random administrator is for being present and collecting a paycheck (yes, I'm still annoyed that I had to applaud my nephews principal who I never met or cared about.) 

What you need to understand about Mrs. Gartner is that while she absolutely has some professional chops backed up by pretty serious awards (can you say World Choir Games?) you never hear it from her during a performance.  In fact, if it weren't for the exceptional quality of music and showmanship, you may not even know that lady in the black dress was top banana.  She blends.  Yep. I said it.  She's a blender.  In fact, after she conducted one song in particular, the only time she was really in front of the kids in a way that was very noticeable to the audience, she turned around and did that hand wavey thing they all do to show off the kids.  What was unique, was that for her, it really was about showing off the kids. Which is good.  Because as much as I have grown to appreciate her this year (and believe me I do!), I really wanted to focus on my kiddo. 

Mrs. Gartner, thank you for putting on a great show.  I loved it.  Grandpa, who has lost a decade of his life at these things, loved it too.  You uncover the diamond in all of our students so they can truly shine.  You have every reason to brag about the amazing job you do, and yet you don't.  Which is makes you a little gem all on your own!

Teresa

The other day on my Facebook page my sister in law Teresa posted that she was proud of me and my ability to keep "all the plates spinning."   I needed that this week because I am not feeling very effective in any way shape or form.  It was unexpected and hugely appreciated.  It even brought a little tear to my eye. 

Muchas gracias and merci for making my day.  Some day, I may be brave enough to take on a major adventure like you!

Stephanie

When I was in grad school, I told one of my professors I really wanted to work with non-verbal students who use AAC.  When I said I was worried that I wouldn't find a job because everybody wants to do that, she laughed at me.   Last year, at the very end of the year, my boss turned to somebody next to her and said, "Carol doesn't know it yet, but she is going to be our AAC person."    

Today I worked with a young nonverbal student to determine AAC needs.  When I said it was time for me to leave, the little tyke mimed crying, pointed to me and then waved. I asked, "Are you saying you're sad I have to leave?" The kiddo gave a nod yes, waved goodbye then skipped away. Today was a good day.

Stephanie, thank you for hiring me so I could have a day like today.

 

Max

When I went to work this morning, I left a note on the wall that said "Max, please empty the dishwasher and then load the dirty dishes."  When I came home, it was done. 

Max, thanks for doing the dishes the first time you were asked without complaining.

Mark

Mark, thank you for answering questions about how long processing takes, orientation, and a million other things about working at Kings Island.

Maxwell T.

A very sweet little 8 year old boy made this movie.  You can hear him singing at the end.  Sam and I enjoyed it immensely! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU7ek8G37X0

Maxwell, thank you for making such a wonderful movie for us all to enjoy.

Lynn @ UDF

Tonight was Pizza and ice cream night.  We went to UDF for the ice cream.  I am trying to make Sam more independent when he is communicating in the community.  His speech is to the point that he is sometimes clear to some people with context.  Sometimes he is not clear to anybody with lots of  context.  He is only so-so about telling the difference.   It's very hard not to jump in and explain what he wants or direct him to use his communication device instead, but it has to be done.  Otherwise, he will never be independent in monitoring his communication himself.

Tonight, he was able to ask "Can I have chocolate ice cream please?" clearly enough that the lady behind the counter understood.  She asked if he wanted a cone or cup.  He got cone across.  Then she wanted to know "sugar cone or cake cone?"  He just didn't know what to do with that.  I knew he wanted a sugar cone and was just about ready to jump in, but, the lady (Lynn) was so good, that without missing a beat she asked him, "pointy or flat?"  That he got and told her "pointy, yes!"  How great is she?????  It's such a relief to know that people like that are out there and nice to people who need a little extra time.  She was also nice to Josey whose only problem is that she can never make up her mind!

Lynn, thanks for being so patient and creative when Sam was ordering.  Thanks for being patient when my daughter took forever and a day to order her cone too.

Megan

New favorite store:  Deals in Dillonvale!

Tomorrow is Muncha! Muncha!  Muncha! story time in my pre-school dis classroom.  If you are familiar with the book, you know that Mr. McGreely has a big problem with some very bad bunnies.  Last week, we made bunnies.  This week, we are going to "plant" some seeds in a "garden."  Then we are going to use our bunnies to act out the story...complete with moat.  Deals had inexpensive poster board which will be my moat and massive wall.  Seeds for 25 cents a packet to plant.  All I needed was a garden.  Megan was nice enough to look in the back to find me an empty box.  When there were none to be found, she combined the contents of two boxes so I could have one of them. That saved me from having to spend $6 on a new box at Target!  That savings made me feel good about buying floss, lip gloss, and tape on my way out.  I bought twelve items for under $11.  Deals will now be a regular stop for me.

Megan, thank you fro the box.  Mr. McGreely, the bad bunnies, and several small children thank you too!

Chrissy

I went to my local Kroger's to pick up a prescription for Sam.  He still can't swallow a pill without chewing, so everything is liquid form.  The pharmacy tech asked me if I needed a dropper or measuring spoon.  I said no, because I really liked the syringes instead.  She agreed and we talked about how much better they are and how they use to give them out for free but stopped carrying them.  Next thing I know, she went to the back and returned with one for me! 

Chrissy, thanks for finding me a syringe without me even asking!

Gail

Notice there is a difference in the spelling from the previous Gale.  That is because this is a different Gail.

When Sam was small, I had to take him to get an eye exam at our local pediatric eye clinic.  It was a NIGHTMARE!  I swore that I would never repeat that experience.  When I was having my Scarlet O'Hara "As God as my witness, I will never have an eye exam again" moment, I was unaware that the state of Ohio could force the issue by requiring that Sam pass an eye exam every so often in school.  I was not happy and fought it as long as I could, but eventually had to buckle down and git 'er done.  By the time I had given up and made the appointment, I had discovered a little gem of a person available at the hospital who could ease my eye clinic pain.  The person is called a "child life specialist."  When your child is facing a potentially unpleasant trip to the hospital, the child life specialist is a cross between a fairy godmother and a genie. She can make videos appear.  She can get staff to understand that when the mother of a child with autism says, "We can't change the room 3 times," it is because bad things will happen and not because she is too lazy to walk across the office.  Gail was that fairy godmother, genie of a little gem.

She helped develop a protocol for eye clinic appointments that made my second time around a fantastic experience.  She worked with me, Sam and the doctors to come up with some methods that would allow Sam to actually "read" the eye chart.  That meant that not only did I appease the state, but I was able to find out that Sam had normal vision.  I loved working with Gail.  I'm not the only one.  A Facebook friend was posting pictures of her experience in the NICU 8 years ago with a narrative.  At the time, they were facing the possibility that their son would not survive his surgery.  The series of pictures showed her daughter holding her brother for the first, and what could have been the last time, ever.  Then she said how the woman explained the surgery to her daughter in a way that a little one could understand and gave her a box of special things to remind her of her baby brother.  That family still has that magic box as well as the now 8 year old boy.  The friend said that she couldn't remember the woman's name.  I said that woman in the picture was Gail.  Isn't it a small world?  Wasn't I right about her being a gem?

She contacted me a day or two ago asking to use a picture of Sam and I in a presentation she is giving about working with families in the medical field.  I found out she retired, which makes me oh so very jealous.  I mentioned a little project that has been weighing heavily on my mind.  She was wonderfully understanding, as always. 

Gail, thanks for your encouragement over the years.  You have touched many lives and every last one of us is more grateful than words could ever express. (By the way, you are number 70 and I ran out of real note cards!)

Barb

I love a person with a dry sense of humor and strong convictions.  Saturday night I ran into somebody who always makes me smile.  Barb, thanks for sharing your time with me on Saturday. 

Linda

A long, long time ago, in a land far, far away......

Ok, really, it was just 7 years ago on the other side of the district.....I was a stay at home mom.  I served on PTO, was a room mom, chaired committees, and did all those other things that create a feeling of community in a school.  My current situation no longer allows me to volunteer that way, which makes me that much more appreciative of all the people who do.  They work hard to make sure that all of our children have book fairs, dances, and the quality of life opportunities during their school experience that are only possible because of parent volunteers.

Last night I went to the high school parent/child dinner dance.  The decorations were clever.  The food was yummy.  The band whipped the crowd into a dancing frenzy.  Overall, it was just a really nice evening.  It was a collaboration of many people, but I am sending this one to Linda because she was extra chatty with Max when he bought the tickets.  Linda was very welcoming to Sam and I when he transferred to BAE all those years ago.  She always has a friendly, inclusive attitude.  You know that is just the kind of person I like to say a big fat thank you to!

Linda, thanks for helping plan such a fun evening.  Max and I had a great time. 

Max

When I was a senior, back in 1988, my high school had their first Odd Couple's Ball.  Daughters took fathers.  Sons took mothers.  I didn't go.  Max started at that same high school in the Fall of 2010.  Dancing, loud music, and social frivolity in general are not Max's thing at all.  The first year, I said, "That's cool," and volunteered to serve at the dinner.  Last year, I begged before the dance.  When that didn't work, I laid  on a guilt trip after.  You know, laying the ground work for this year.  It's taken three years, but he FINALLY took me to the ball!  This year's theme was Rock 'n' Roll.  People dress in the costume to match the theme or they dress formal. 

Max was an awesome date.  Sure, I had to pay for my own ticket, but he only rolled his eyes 2 of the 3 times I made him change clothes.  He was an absolute sport about taking pictures at the photo booths.  The dinner was pasta, which is his least favorite food, but he didn't complain.  Best of all, he actually came out on the dance floor and danced with me.  I even have video taken by a friend as proof.  Or for future blackmail.  You know, I try to keep my options open.  We ended the evening by getting milkshakes at Steak 'n' Shake.  I shared that I was once madly in love with a guy until I realized he laughed like Bevis from Bevis and Butthead.  He shared that if a girl were hot enough, he wouldn't care that she laughed like Bevis or Butthead.  You just don't get those deep mother/son moments every day. 

All kidding aside, the little boy peaking out from under the hat in the picture on the wall behind us, is turning into a very sweet young man.  When I look back on my life and what I value most in this world, nights like tonight are what I will count among my treasures. 

Estrella

Back in the day, when I was just a mom, I wasn't just a mom.  I was, COOKIE MOM!  If you know what that is, then you are impressed.  You are impressed because you know that it means you are responsible for ordering and tracking hundreds of boxes of Girl Scout cookies as well as reserving the best sales booth opportunities.  Oh, and the prizes.  You must make sure that the girls get their rewards which are figured by some formula that rivals Einstein's theory of relativity.  If you screw any part of it up, you could bankrupt your troop, cause little girl's to cry, be stuck with 50 boxes of low fat lemon cookies that nobody likes, or...worst of all...get a call from Cookie Manager mom.  The memory of that still causes me to shutter.  It is truly worse than being called by the Popcorn Colonel. I became cookie mom because somebody else was kind enough to step forward and offer to be the Girl Scout leader.  The fact that I agreed to be Cookie Mom for her more than once should tell you how much respect and appreciation I have for her.  That wonderful person happened to be sitting in front of me at the school play tonight.  She said possibly the best thing I have heard in months.  She told me that she remembered how much I said I loved my job when she saw me at the beginning of the summer.

Estrella, thanks for the reminder.

Gale

When my sister was little, she begged and begged my parents for a little sister.  First came David.  Then Michael.  By the time I came along, I think she was actually over the whole wanting a sister thing.  But after 25 years, she warmed up to me.  Or maybe she just warmed up to my kids.

Josey wanted Grandma and I both to escort her to the junior high musical. The problem is that Grandma is usually sitter when Josey and I have an outing planned.  Lucky for us, it was Aunt Gale to the rescue.  She offered to have Sam ride along to OSU with her to get my nephew for Spring break.  She is even keeping the Friday night pizza tradition.  Sam is thrilled.  Josey is thrilled.  I am thankful.

Gale, thanks for taking Sam so Josey can have a some much needed girl time. 
 

Sam

In case you didn't know, today is Spread the Word to End the Word day www.r-word.org.  We are also closing in on Autism awareness month.  Which I do not celebrate by "turning it blue."  One year I did post one good thing about autism every day for the entire month of April.  That may sound odd to you.  That I could find 30 good things to say about my son having autism.  The truth is, I ran out of month before I ran out of things to say.  When I was writing the last post about how many more things I had to say, I thought about the day Sam was diagnosed.  It was awful.  Really.  Two things stick out from that time period.  One was the MRI.  I remember sitting in the room while Sam was in the machine which was so loud.  I thought to myself, "I should pray, or wish, or something."  But when I thought about it, I knew if I hoped they found something, it would mean Sam had a tumor or brain damage.  If I hoped they found nothing, it likely meant autism.  I remember thinking, "So THIS is what it means to be hopeless." I spent the next thirty minutes trying to empty my mind and focus on the loud whirring and periodic clicks of the medical equipment.

When Dr. Valentin finally sat us down (yes, there was still an us back then, physically and legally) I thought there was nothing worse than being told "Your child has autism."  I was right.  That was the worst part.  It's been a wild ride.  At times it's been hair raising and all I can do is close my eyes and hang on tight.  Others, it's like the cork screw hill on a roller coaster.  All I can do is throw up my hands and enjoy it.  When Sam comes into the room, looks me in the eye, giggles and throws his arms around me to give a hug, it's a roller coaster cork screw kind of day.

Sam, thanks for teaching me the value of life and happiness.  Most of all, thank you for giving some of the best hugs ever.  (For the record, he did read the thank you note I wrote.)

Rose

I'm sorry, but any teacher who would call you about an IEP at night, and talk for over an hour is just tops.

Rose, thanks for being such a dedicated teacher. 

Matt

You know, Matt; if you read it now, the card won't be as exciting.  You can always read the blog later.

Sometimes, life is crazy.  Sometimes, it's hard.  Sometimes, it is crazy hard.  Matt, thank you for making things crazy good when they get crazy bad.  I love you.

Karen

Karen is the director of 4 Paws for Ability. I know, you are thinking here is the big heartfelt story about the wonders or our service dog.  Nope!  Sorry.

Today is about the on-line support group that Karen formed for families with a 4 Paws for Ability dog or who are going to be getting one.  After I was able to achieve my fundraising goal, Karen told me that I could go to the November class or wait until March.  November, March. November, March.  I went back and forth before deciding that November was just too soon and I would need to wait until March.  I was going to visit 4 Paws the following August.  Finding myself newly single, I decided to stay home with my kids to provide them with the support they needed to deal with our new family status.  Ironically, the man who is now my emotional rock on my craziest jello days was in the November class. He happened to return in August for a refresher.  Had he not posted in the Yahoo group and then e-mailed me about Sam's Dynavox the following fall, I may never have met the amazing Mr. L.  Yep.  I'm a speech language pathologist who met the man of my dreams over the soft glow of a communication device. And it never would have happened if it weren't for the 4 Paws for Ability Yahoo group.

Thank you Karen for facilitating two great matches.  First, John Boy for Sam.  Then Matt for me. 

J.J.

Today was the annual Pancake Day extravaganza.  It is our school's fine arts festival.  Sam and Josey each  had pieces in the art show.  The teacher tells you that your child has work in the show, but nobody knows exactly where it will be located.  There is artwork from 4 elementary schools, a middle school, the junior high, and the high school.  Hundreds of pieces created using a variety of mediums.  It's hard to see every last thing.  We found all of Josey's artwork, but only 2 of Sam's.  I missed this one.  Fortunately, I know good people who have me covered.

J.J., thanks for texting me a picture of Sam's self portrait.

Lynn the Art Teacher

In special education, there are two kinds of inclusion.  There is the kind that describes physical location only.  This kind of inclusion is when a student with a disability is physically in the room, but not participating with peers or taught the curriculum.  In this situation, the teacher does not know anything about the student beyond his or her name.  There is also the kind that describes the student's membership in the classroom.  In this model of inclusion, the teacher values every student equally.  The teacher engages with the student who has a disability as much as he or she engages with typically developing peers.  When the student engages at his or her level, the teacher supports that interest in order to encourage development.  Inclusion describing location meets the basic criteria of the law.  Inclusion describing classroom membership makes mama very, very happy.

Mrs. S, Sam's art teacher, is one of several people who have made his Jr. High experience truly wonderful.  When he started 7th grade, he was at a turning point in his social and language development.  He really needed to have experiences with peers and higher expectations from adults.  Not only did Mrs. S provide this in her classroom, Sam really enjoyed the class.  One project from last year was completed by he and another boy.  It was a "bookworm."  The worm was reading a book in bed about "26 boys....they were all special, but they were all named Sam."  That is the story Sam's classmate wrote in tiny letters in the worm's  book.  He gave it to Sam to keep.  When it came home and we were looking at it, Sam giggled.  This year, Sam made a tiny family of snowmen.  It was before Christmas when all he could talk about was snow.  I don't think it was an "official" class project, but Sam had found his muse and Mrs. S just went with it.  That little snowman family resides in my living room. 

Mrs. S, thank you for providing the best kind of inclusion and helping to release Sam's inner artist.