Strike a Pose (and Kindy update)

Aidan's latest favorite thing is posing for pictures. He will find his props, then ask me to take his picture...and he does this about 300 times per day.

I enjoy it and these photos make me laugh out loud because I think about how he examines each one after I take it and admires himself. I know we are going to buy him his own camera for Christmas so he will stop trying to take mine.

Several people have asked me how school is going for the boys. Brendan is just loving it but is having a difficult time with the schedule. He can't understand why he doesn't go to Kindergarten every day. We have a color coded calendar that shows his Kindergarten days in blue and the other group of kids in yellow, so he can visually see what is going on. But, like many of us, he doesn't understand why it has to be so complicated!! HE can't wait for his next day of school.

Aidan loved his first day of school and I am told he is doing well. I wish I could be a fly on the wall and see what is going on, though. There has been a lot of turmoil involving school these past few weeks. The main thing is that the school district opened a new elementary school this year and many staff members from our school left to go to this new building. We lost the principal, the intervention specialist from the cognitive disabilities learning center, and all of the Kindergarten teachers. So, there is a lot of learning that all of our new people need to do and there isn't anyone left who has experience dealing with what is going on. They somehow need to organize the schedules of 16 children with cognitive disabilities, 6 of whom are in Kindergarten with the insane every-other-day schedule, with the two new teachers (3 kids with disabilities in each class). So far it has been a logistical nightmare. I can tell they are trying very hard. I have gotten at least 4 or 5 calls from the principal in the last 2 weeks and I have spoken to her in person just as many times. The teacher is young and ambitious and she will be great with the kids, but she really doesn't know much about IEP's yet. I can tell she is interested in learning, though. I remain optimistic about half of the time, and the other half I am in tears at this point. I'm just hoping everything comes together soon. There are really a lot of kids in Kindergarten and so many new people. They don't have a handle on the kids needs yet. I've also had very dramatic emotions...at times I'm worried they are switching the kids Kindergarten days and I am going to have to reorganize every therapy appointment we have scheduled; then I'm worried we are switching Kindergarten teachers and I will have to get Aidan prepped all over again; then I'm worried because they think Aidan should go 5 days a week; then I'm worried because they are trying to pull him from class when they shouldn't be; then Aidan wouldn't even touch his lunch the first day; before school even started I had to make what felt like a trillion phone calls to track down a harness (seat belt) for the bus; then the bus shows up on the wrong day, etc., etc., etc.. This will all get figured out soon and will hopefully be a distant memory. I only hope Aidan makes it through!! Like I said, they are making a real effort. I'm sure the principal doesn't have to be calling me every day, right?? The good news is that the kids probably don't realize what Scotte and I are going through, except I have spent many hours on the phone this week and Brendan doesn't miss a trick. He hasn't asked any questions about it yet, though!

Well, that is my school update in a very condensed form. I don't want to go into too many details, but I'm trying to convey a little of the confusion going on. Wish us all luck!!