Monday, July 14, 2008

Getting Ready for Kindergarten

Today I took Zion to get his Kindergarten Check-up and immunizations. My doctor asked me nicely (because she knows it is a sensitive subject) what I wanted to do today, regarding what shots I wanted to give him. Even though I wanted to just not get any, I realize I don't really have a choice. He must have immunizations to get into Kindergarten. I know some people lie to get around this, but I just don't feel right about doing that. Plus, I believe in immunizations, I just think there are too many at too young of an age.

Anyway, I chose to get the four shots he needed. I figure that he in now five years old and his brain is almost fully developed. So I pray now that there are no side effects of the shots. So far, I haven't seen him act any differently.

When we got into the exam room he laid down on the table and said, "Ahhh, my room!" That shows how often we have been there huh? And when all the nurses came in to help hold him down (for shots), he said, "Hey Girls! What's going on in here?" All of us busted out laughing.

He also thinks that anyone that works at a medical office is a doctor. So he addresses everyone by "Doctor": the receptionist, the nurse assistant, the nurse and finally the doctor. He called our nurse whose name is Summer, "Doctor" repeatedly. She would tell him, "No, I'm not the Doctor, my name is Summer." He would call her Doctor again and she would say they same thing. After the third time he thought about it and said, "Okay, Okay Doctor Summer". Even after they gave him shots he said thank you Doctor's! What a sweetie.

He was just plain hilarious today! He also gave lots of hugs. He pretty much loves everyone and is just so happy to be with people. He thinks everyone likes him and wants to cuddle with him. I am blessed! I also love our Doctor and her team of nurses!

His Pediatrician told me today, "You guys (Jason and I) are doing such a great job with him. I believe you are reclaiming him!" That meant so much to me. She has been in our lives and saw Zion go from completely non-verbal, no receptive language, bad eye contact, major sensory issues to the sweet little boy he is now. She was the one who first diagnosed him and referred us to first steps at age two. She is on top of her patients and I appreciate her so much!!! Anyway, hearing that was awesome. We have worked so hard! It has been our parental focus and our families focus for three years now. And we have and are seeing tremendous results!

School starts in one month. I can't believe he is going to a neuro-typical kindergarten. We have made some major progress!!!

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Summer School is Over

Last Friday was Zion's last day of summer school. It lasted about a month. He was in a neuro-typical, average kindergarten setting and he did amazingly well. He had his floor-time therapist with him two days out of the week and a para for most afternoons. Mornings though he was on his own. The biggest obstacle that he seemed to deal with was falling asleep. I tried to remedy the situation by getting him in bed by eight pm, but nothing helped. He kept falling asleep in the afternoons.

The Early Education Program for special needs was only a half day so this was the first time he has been gone all day. It just wore him out. When I would go and pick him up from school it looked like he had been through the war. I usually got wonderful reports, but the second to last day when he was offered a wet wipe for his hands, he pulled down his pants in the classroom and used the wipe on his bottom. Oops! Can't do that in school! So we will have to work on that. (I found out right when I got home that he was sick to his tummy and had diarrhea, poor baby).

So the plan for kindergarten is to try to do it on his own for the first two weeks and then we are going to ask for a revaluation and see if he is doing good, or needs extra assistance. I asked the Kindergarten Summer School teacher and she said he did better when someone was there pushing him to work. I hope we won't have to fight this point and they will be able to find someone quickly to fill this spot.

So that's the update. No summer school so we get to sleep in everyday. Well, except Zion. He has an internal clock that wakes up way too early.