I will go out of chronological order for a bit here. Some times I cannot talk about the accident, sometimes it doesn't bother me at all. Yesterday, a friend of my mom's lost her battle with Cancer. Ms Pat was one of the reasons I was able to get through the whole ordeal. Knowing that she is gone, makes it more difficult to think about those dark days.
On August 15, 2010, we decided to place Mr D back in public school. It was a difficult and agonizing decision, but he really, really , REALLY wanted to go to public school. We had a meeting with the teachers, where I laid out the non-negotiable items...right.
We had an IEP meeting that lasted some four hours. At the end, I was not 100% convinced that they understood what the extent of his injuries were or what he needed. In fact the school principal (he has a DR in front of his name, after all!) tried to tell me his medication and therapies were not medically needed and they could not make allowances for it at school. I think it took him all of about 2 minutes to realize he had said the wrong thing.
My sweet non reading, non writing, special needs child had the following homework on his first day of public school: "Read pages 2 through 22 in your language arts book and write a story about it. Study your spelling words." By the way, included in the spelling words were : they're; their; and there.
So, so, SO not going to happen! On top of that, his teacher told him he HAD to do his homework after dinner each night. Now I understand having a routine, or a set time to do your homework is a good idea. But for the teacher to arbitrarily choose for me when that will be ...regardless of how that fits into our family life was a bit much!
She was a bit upset that I told her that homework would be when I saw fit, not at her schedule. I also explained to her that D was not capable of reading...her response was, "...until he tries how do we know?"
Yup, for the two and a half years I was home schooling, it NEVER dawned on me to have him pick up a book and try to read!
Of course, his psychologist got a big laugh out of the whole thing!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
One Smart Little Boy!
Mr D was a very intelligent little boy.
He had such finely developed motor skills, it was so impossible to believe. His favorite thing to do was to take apart pens and put them back together. He could use any tool you put in front of him to make (or more accurately) tear apart anything!
He loved to take apart almost anything. But he seemed to have a special fascination with vacuum cleaners! He would continually take them apart, and then put them back together again over and over. After about the 10th time, he would start loosing parts. After about the 12th time, they would no longer work! We started buying the same brand of vacuum cleaners over and over, hoping that the parts he lost could be salvaged from another one, but he was never considerate enough to loose a different part!
He knew how to sing his ABC song, and could recognize his name. He knew the sounds that most of the letters made, and could recognize simple words. He was well on the track (at 2 years old) of being just as smart as his older sister.
He had a smile that was infectious. To see that little smile would brighten up the whole room. Even when he was angry, that smile would show through. He told me his day care teachers told him he was a fox. I asked him why, and he said it was cause he was sly like a fox...then he asked me what sly meant...I told him it meant handsome. He was quickly turning into a spoiled little boy. No one could deny that smile. No matter what, he would flash that smile and you melted!
He also had a unique ability to vomit on command. A very strange ability to say the least, but from a small toddler, he was known to have a unique way of showing his displeasure at something you did. As he got older, it became a bit of a problem, so I started telling him if he threw up he had to clean it. Amazing, but he was able to grasp that concept at about the age of 18 months.
So, my strange beautiful baby boy was the brightest light in the room. How could we not but love him!
He had such finely developed motor skills, it was so impossible to believe. His favorite thing to do was to take apart pens and put them back together. He could use any tool you put in front of him to make (or more accurately) tear apart anything!
He loved to take apart almost anything. But he seemed to have a special fascination with vacuum cleaners! He would continually take them apart, and then put them back together again over and over. After about the 10th time, he would start loosing parts. After about the 12th time, they would no longer work! We started buying the same brand of vacuum cleaners over and over, hoping that the parts he lost could be salvaged from another one, but he was never considerate enough to loose a different part!
He knew how to sing his ABC song, and could recognize his name. He knew the sounds that most of the letters made, and could recognize simple words. He was well on the track (at 2 years old) of being just as smart as his older sister.
He had a smile that was infectious. To see that little smile would brighten up the whole room. Even when he was angry, that smile would show through. He told me his day care teachers told him he was a fox. I asked him why, and he said it was cause he was sly like a fox...then he asked me what sly meant...I told him it meant handsome. He was quickly turning into a spoiled little boy. No one could deny that smile. No matter what, he would flash that smile and you melted!
He also had a unique ability to vomit on command. A very strange ability to say the least, but from a small toddler, he was known to have a unique way of showing his displeasure at something you did. As he got older, it became a bit of a problem, so I started telling him if he threw up he had to clean it. Amazing, but he was able to grasp that concept at about the age of 18 months.
So, my strange beautiful baby boy was the brightest light in the room. How could we not but love him!
September 25, 2001
That was an important day for me. That was the day Mr D was born. While I did not give birth to him, it still remains an important day to me.
Mr D has his beginnings from a mother who not only was a prostitute, but had no misgivings about taking drugs while she was pregnant. The fact that he was born so perfectly was in no small part, a gift from God. One of many gifts from God he would experience in his life.
He very quickly became a colicky baby who loved to cry. His bio-mom would lock him and his 15 month older sister in a bedroom while she entertain her 'guests'. If he needed a diaper change, it was up to his older sister to take care of it because bio-mom could not be bothered. Little Miss B became a great surrogate Mom to him. She was extremely intelligent and learned very quickly what needed to be done to take care of a new baby.
When Mr D was about 6 months old, DFACS decided to remove him and his sister from their home. This is when they first came to live with me. It was little strange at first for all of us. My youngest child was a senior in high school. But both kids flourished for the few months they lived with us. All too soon they were sent back to their bio-mom.
As you probably expected, they didn't stay long, and were returned to us. Both children were very bright. At the age of three, Miss B knew her ABCs, and could spell her name. She showed a great desire for knowledge and the written word. My Mom, Memaw, lived with us and read to both of them constantly. It was probably the only time those two kids sat still!
They loved their Memaw, and she loved them.
Mr D has his beginnings from a mother who not only was a prostitute, but had no misgivings about taking drugs while she was pregnant. The fact that he was born so perfectly was in no small part, a gift from God. One of many gifts from God he would experience in his life.
He very quickly became a colicky baby who loved to cry. His bio-mom would lock him and his 15 month older sister in a bedroom while she entertain her 'guests'. If he needed a diaper change, it was up to his older sister to take care of it because bio-mom could not be bothered. Little Miss B became a great surrogate Mom to him. She was extremely intelligent and learned very quickly what needed to be done to take care of a new baby.
When Mr D was about 6 months old, DFACS decided to remove him and his sister from their home. This is when they first came to live with me. It was little strange at first for all of us. My youngest child was a senior in high school. But both kids flourished for the few months they lived with us. All too soon they were sent back to their bio-mom.
As you probably expected, they didn't stay long, and were returned to us. Both children were very bright. At the age of three, Miss B knew her ABCs, and could spell her name. She showed a great desire for knowledge and the written word. My Mom, Memaw, lived with us and read to both of them constantly. It was probably the only time those two kids sat still!
They loved their Memaw, and she loved them.
I think it is important to document where Mr D has come from. Without knowing this bit of information about him, you could never know how incredibly far he has come!
In this blog I will attempt to give you some insights into the life of one amazing child. How he started. The promise he showed. How that promise was cut short, and how he remarkably is coming back. Some installments will be history or back story, some will be current, and some will be just the feelings of a mom.
Please join me as I attempt to share Mr. D's Story.
In this blog I will attempt to give you some insights into the life of one amazing child. How he started. The promise he showed. How that promise was cut short, and how he remarkably is coming back. Some installments will be history or back story, some will be current, and some will be just the feelings of a mom.
Please join me as I attempt to share Mr. D's Story.
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