Christian's 2nd and 3rd Field Trips



Setting patiently.



Still didn't know I was there yet.

Christian had his first big field trip on Monday, March 28th to a swimming pool in a University. He did well until I came in and he started with meltdowns and temper tantrums. His teacher's left the Center without squish (his stuffed animal that he takes EVERYWHERE) and forgot his bottle and he was ready for lunch and his nap, which only added fuel to the fire. We went to the second location of the field trip to Mr. Gattis for pizza and things only got worse. So we left before everyone else, got his lunch, stopped by school and got his dog and went home. *Oh, and he never got in the pool but he did put his feet in a few seconds.

His field trip yesterday at an airport went much better. I didn't go fearing I would only make things worse for him. He went inside the biggest airplane, looked around and explored in the cockpit. He had a bit of tantrum as they were leaving. He was strapped in his seat on the bus (while having a fit) and his teacher said, "your in time-out."  Within 15 second she said he calmed down and was good the rest of the trip.

Field Trip, Bus and Progess.

Christian went on his first field trip and bus ride today and they were both a success! I was heart broken that I was not able to go with him today. I had to take Graci for her allergy test today. But Christian did great without me. They took a tour of several places around our hometown square. He got to visit his Nanny (my mom) at her work and had his only tantrum of the trip because he didn't want to leave her. I was lucky enough to see some pictures of the trip that the teachers had taken and they are PRECIOUS. I wish I had some to share but I don't for this trip. :(

Since he loved riding the bus, Ben and I have decided to start letting him ride the bus home. He has transitioned into school really well and is in a good routine. We think it is a good time to try something new, not to mention he proved he is ready for it! I am not sure at this time on the day he will start riding it.

He has field trips scheduled for Monday and Tuesday of next week. Since the grant money for my class has stalled (for whatever reason) and no schedule is set in stone yet means I get to go and be with him next week! I am so excited!!

Christian's has made so much progress in the last couple of months. 

• He is in a good routine as I had mentioned before.
• He is using his pictures, signs and using what words he can say to communicate.
• He has made a big improvement with making sounds and saying words. 
• Not just doing them-but making a better effort at saying them.
• Eating & sitting at the lunch table with his class (before sitting in something like a high chair).
• He gets put in time-out for typical toddler tantrums and is learning to calm him self down. 
• This process just started last Monday.
• He is working well with his Speech Pathologist. He is attentive and cooperates well with her.
• He is really paying attention to the other kids and trying to do as they do. The kids are very good to him and like to help and encourage him! :)))
• Example- Christian was trying to climb up the slide and a little girl grabbed "squoosh" (his favorite stuffed animal and companion)  placed it at the top of the slide and said, "Come on little boy, you can do it."  She was from another class...
• He naps well and eats very good most of the time.
• Christian is staying about 30 to 45 minutes longer than the kids who ride the bus so I can pick him and Graci up together. He doesn't get distressed when he sees the other kids leave but when his teacher brings him out to me in the afternoon he lights up like a Christmas tree.

I could go on about the progress and stories about his time at school. But you get the idea...great progress is being made. He is still not drinking at school only his bottle at nap time. His teacher's are working hard with him and try different methods to get him to drink. But he is a stubborn little boy! I don't where he gets it from, lol. Hopefully one day this issue will no longer be one.

Look at Mr. Big Stuff!

It will probably sound silly to most people or most parents that I would be so excited for Christian to be wearing his back pack. But when your child has been going to school for close to four months and screams (like someone is trying to kill him) every time you try putting his back pack on during that time. The first time he finally puts it on makes for a huge victory in the battle to wear it!

Christian is making such great progress in school! I will try to blog more about it when I have a better time to do so.

The Special Needs Sibling

I can still remember the first reactions I had just hours after Christian was born. After being told my son would never make it, my first thought was what am I gonna tell Graci! She was only 7 weeks away from her 3rd birthday and was so anxious and excited to meet her baby brother. How would I explain to her that he might not ever come home? Then when Christian was 3 days old and had stabilized, Ben and I were told that Christian may end up severely disabled or mentally disabled. My first thought then was, what have we done to Graci?! Why would God do this to us? What did our children ever do to deserve all this? How would I ever raise a special needs child and make sure that my other child feels just as special and not neglected?

The past three years have been a roller coaster ride to say the least for our family dealing with the constant changes, worry and just the uncertainty of how things would turn out for Christian. Spending five weeks in the hospital, in the first six weeks of his life, endless doctor appointments, testing/evaluations,  four types of therapy, diagnosing, and trying to make our life "normal" and making sure Graci never felt neglected through all this. Ben and I knew that if Christian got a lot of special time, Graci would have to get a lot of special time as well. We always let her go to the Doctor appointments we knew we would be in and out of (if she volunteered to go) she attended therapy sessions (about 95% of them) and she always helped me out with him whenever she could. This was just so she could be involved and try to help her understand better of what was going on even though we always tried to explain things to her. For her time, we have taken her to Wild Life Museum, Dinosaur World, Mammoth Cave, Chuck E Cheese (numerous times), fishing trips, four wheeler riding, swimming, etc. I take her shopping, we make days to have our nails and hair done, go see a movie, go for ice cream, and my favorite go for walks. I try to find something special to do with her at least once a month.

However no matter how much I do for either one of my kids it sometimes never feels enough. Then today Graci did something unexpected that has made me think differently, at least half way anyway.

A note was sent home yesterday that today Graci's class would attend the book fair at her school. She told me last night that she was gonna buy Christian a sponge bob baseball book that she knew he would love. She never once told me what she was wanting to get. So I put her money in her bag this morning and sent them to school not thinking anymore about it. I get home this morning and see the book fair booklet with all the books listed and saw everything she had circled (that she wanted) and knew she would not have enough to get it all but didn't think anymore about it once again. Then this afternoon I picked them up from school and as soon as they got into the car, Graci hands her brother his book she got him. I ask her, "Did you have enough money to get everything you wanted?" Graci replies, "no, you only gave me ten dollars and I didn't have enough money. So I got Bubby his book and I got me one too."  To think that Ben and I never asked her to get her brother anything. And to think she is only 6 years old and went to school with her own money and could buy whatever she wanted with it and selflessly bought her brother something, even though she knew she wouldn't be able to get something else she wanted made me feel like I was doing something right as a mother.

All I have ever wanted for my kids was for them to both know they are special to their dad and I (in their own way) and for them to know they are loved equally by us.  I am so proud of both of my children! I am proud of Christian for overcoming all he has been through and I am most certainly proud of Graci for treating her brother equally today even though she was never asked to share her money.

 

It is funny to think now that I once thought I could of ever ruined Graci's life by having Christian in our lives. We may not have always known what the outcome to each situation was/is going to be but, God knew Christian wouldn't ruin Graci's life just like He knew Graci would better Christian's!  God always knows what he is doing even if we don't always know.