Wednesday was Korban's first day at Extended School Year. He did really well. His teacher came to see him and she and the special education director (whom he loves and insists on calling by her full name) met us outside and we walked in together. His ABA lady was already in the classroom, along with the ESY teachers. There are only three other students. He did okay with me leaving, for the most part, he just kept asking if I was coming back.
He stayed for about an hour and a half (it lasts for three hours) but I was so glad they called me when he started getting anxious and asking for me rather than letting him blow up. His ABA lady called me on her cell phone and let him talk to me and tell me he was ready for me to come get him. I liked that because it gave him some control over the matter and hopefully helped him see that using your words and asking for things gets it done much better than throwing a big ol' fit does. His teacher got him a smiley face balloon for doing so well and Selah got a star one. They were both really happy.
Today was pretty similar. They were playing with shaving cream when I got there, and he separated from me pretty easily I thought. He didn't really ask for me until about an hour and a half later, and his ABA lady let him call me again. I think that is working well. He's very funny--he is still adamant that he is NOT going to first grade, although he did tell me this morning that he had to go to "work." So funny. He didn't say it in a negative way, he seemed pretty happy about it and said he would see his friends, so I thought that was a good sign. His ABA lady told me that he was very anxious today but was able to keep his impulses under control so well that it impressed her. She said that when he started getting worked up, he would back up against her for her to give him deep pressure rather than lashing out at anybody. I was very proud to hear that.
Selah and I hung out at the library while we waited on him. She enjoyed herself. She played with the toys and looked at books. She cracked me up when we were looking at sale books together. They didn't have any children's books for sale really, but she picked out a book with a baby on the cover that she thought she needed. It was actually a Harlequin Romance, so needless to say, I politely declined to buy that one for her. ;)
After school, I had planned to take Korban to my mom's because Selah had dress rehearsal for her dance recital this Saturday. I took him to the rehearsal last week and he didn't do well at all. Thankfully my mother-in-law had gone with me to help out, so I was able to see most of Selah's practice and do what I needed to do, but there was still a lot of screaming and it was tough. I wasn't anxious to repeat that whole scenario again, so I made other arrangements. He was excited about going to his nana's, and Selah was excited about getting to go dance.
As I was leaving Iuka, one of my very closest friends since high school called me. He lives in another state now, but we've stayed close throughout the years. He and Brad had talked a few nights ago, and I knew that he was in visiting his family and we were hoping to see him soon. He asked me what I was doing, and I explained that I was about to drop Korban off at my mom's and then take Selah to dance practice. He asked if he could stop by my house a minute to drop something off, and I said sure.
So we got to my house at the same time, and I let the kids out of the car seats to give him hugs. After all the hugs and excitement were over, he handed me a bag. Inside the bag was a Wii, Mario Kart, an extra controller, and two steering wheels to "drive" with--he explained that he thought it might make it easier with Korban's fine motor issues. He even got a battery charger so we wouldn't go broke buying remote batteries. Talk about thinking of everything! I was completely flabbergasted and didn't even know what to say, so I just blubbered around for a while and acted like a dork. Since he's known me since I was 14, this is absolutely not the first time he's seen me be a dork, so he took it all in stride.
Seriously though, how awesome is that! So excited. Korban's going to be over the moon. Brad and I are blown away.
Selah did great at her dance practice. I love watching that girl dance. She's so funny. They are doing two numbers--one ballet, and the other to the song "Chihuahua." She loves Chihuahua so much, and gets really into it, facial expressions and all. She's not as crazy about the ballet--she mostly freestyles. I was telling Brad that she did a handstand during the ballet number and he said "What, was she not supposed to?" No. Ballet generally does not involve handstands. Perhaps we need to look into gymnastics classes as well. She keeps telling me her dream is to be "acrobat Selah." Ha!
After dance, I took her to the park to let her play, since we were right by Kid's Town and we rarely get to go there. She loved the "castles" as she called the wooden play structures. Korban wound up asking to stay the night over at my mom's so I went to check on him and make sure all was well, and he was having a great time. Very sweet.
When I finally got back home, there was a package on my porch. A sweet friend in Texas has been mailing us care packages. God knows who to put in your life and when to do it, even if they are 1000 miles away. This one contained a new cookbook (Comfort Food) for me and an Amazon gift card. Amazing. It blew me away, because earlier today Brad and I were talking on the phone and he asked me if I had decided on a sensory swing to order for Korban's bedroom. I told him I had been looking at several on Amazon and had found some that were really reasonable. We agreed that we needed to order one soon. And then I get home and there's an Amazon gift card waiting on me. It's like God was saying "Here you go!"
Please don't take this like I want everybody to give us stuff all the time, and that material stuff matters more to me than anything. I absolutely don't want anybody to think that. It just really humbles me to know that people are thinking of us and I was just so excited today. I also want to be able to count our many blessings as often as we can, however big or small they are. I make a point to explain to the kids that the gifts were from people who love us and that God is using them to bless us. We want them to understand how by blessing others God in turn blesses us. One of Brad's favorite sayings is "Love God, Love People, Nothing Else Matters". This is what we try to live by and want our kids to stride for. When we focus on helping others it takes our focus off of our own problems. I get so caught up in helping Korban handle all his many issues that as I've stated before I don't take care of myself. I am reminded by days such as this that God is ALWAYS looking out for me and that feels so very awesome.
I hope that all makes sense. Today was a very sweet day and we have so many things to be thankful for. Now I'm going to spend some time learning how to operate a Wii. I've never really played before, and although I'm sure the kids can teach me, I don't want them to think I'm a complete dunce. :)
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