sick boy

Luke's first two full days of kindergarten went reasonably well. There were a couple of minor bumps in the road. Like Friday he just fell apart at pick up time. After giving his teacher a quick hug on the way to the car he calmed down. He later told me he'd been crying because he hadn't hugged Mrs. Wheeler. Pretty big deal, since Luke doesn't hug a lot of people. Obviously we need a little work on coping skills, but still kinda sweet.

I was glad for the weekend to recoop from the action and stressed packed week. And then Sunday morning Luke got sick. At the beginning of every school year he catches some sort of bug.


His eyes were a little heavy Sunday morning.




But he played a little Wheel of Fortune (at the kitchen table next to a stack of Bible and commentaries).




His eyes got a little heavier while eating breakfast.




And then he asked to lay down and watch TV. That never happens. I think this was his last smile of the day.

At first I thought it was just a simple cold but then he started running fever. After two long nights of not sleeping due to congestion and coughing, I think he's better now and hopefully heading back to school.

I just hate that he missed school so soon in year, during these important early days of getting acclimated. Oh well.

Thankfully he seems much better tonight. We watched Jeopardy as a family this evening. About a month ago the final jeopardy category was Old Testament. Since then Luke's been hoping the category would be New Testament. Tonight he said, "Mom, Mom say 'Please be New Testament! Please! Please!' Aww Mom, it's Film History (or something). Now cry and be upset." Yep, back to normal.

the first lunch

My friend Shantyl just sent me some photos she took at the kindergartners' first school lunch. She took them with her phone and the quality is not good, but they're pretty priceless so I'm posting them.



Coming down the hall from class to the cafeteria. Love the hands in the pockets.



Meeting up with mom in the hall.

Ordering his first school lunch. Chicken nuggets or a hot pocket. He chose chicken nuggets. He informed me "I will order all by myself."

Paying for his first school lunch. Love that expression.

Learning to open the milk. Luke hasn't drunk milk in years, but he was excited about the chocolate milk in the cafeteria. I guess it's what all the cool kids are drinking. He's yet to master opening the milk carton. It's pretty tricky.

I just think this picture is funny. Luke was enjoing his lunch and I look close to a panic attack. Pretty indicative of the entire day.

buy a vowel

Luke's second day of school was actually the first day for his classmates. Half the class went the first day, half the class the second day. Luke went both days because he is extra cool. An extra cool kid that needs every opportunity to adapt to his new class.

So since it was technically Day One, Take Two, I took my camera along.

Before school Luke told me he was too sick to go, because he'd eaten too much. This was before breakfast so not the best excuse.

He rallied and was calm about going.

And asked that I take a picture of his back.

Enjoyed a little block building and I don't think he knocked over anything anyone else built, which is kind of an obsession with him.

So after 3 half days, kindergarten seems to be going pretty well. He's really quiet about school. I get no details about his day. But really the only information I ever got about preschool was when a friend got sick, upset, or in trouble.

But today when I emailed Mrs. Wheeler to ask a few questions about drop off tomorrow morning (tomorrow is the real deal. Full day. Drop off with all the big kids.) she shared this little story with me.

Mrs. Wheeler showed the kids a visual and asked why some of the letters were in black and some in red. She said they all were quiet and Luke said, "I know. A, E, I, O, and U are vowels . . . like buy a vowel." She said he was the only one that knew. So the game show addiction has one perk. Mrs. Wheeler told Luke she loves Wheel of Fortune too.

After I got her email I called Lamar and told him to ask Luke if they talked about vowels at school today. Lamar had his cell phone on speaker and Luke heard me. He said, voice full of excitement, "Hey Mom! Mrs. Wheeler knows about vowels and consonants!!!!" He told me later this evening that in Mrs. Wheeler's class consonants are black, but on Wheel of Fortune they're blue (our computer game).

Then later this evening Luke told me there is a new clean up song in kindergarten, The Car Wash Song. He sang a little, but the only part I got was "car wash song." I asked him if Mrs. Wheeler likes to sing and he said, "She loves to dance." I said, "Oh really." He said, "Yeah, she dances like this," and showed me some fabulous moves.

On the way home from church this evening he gave some pretend kindergartners a pretend tour of the school. My favorite part was when he said, "And now we're going to meet our friends in the office. The LADIES."

So there you have it. All the highlights of the first two days of kindergarten.

the moment you've all been waiting for . . .

So after months of mommy angst filled blogging, today was the day.


He seemed ready. He even agreed to wear a "shirt with buttons", which he typically specifies are just for church and special days at school, like picture day. I suggested this outfit last night and he agreed. But this morning he needed to know if the other kids would be wearing button shirts. I told him I was pretty sure they would be. Thankfully I was right.

When we arrived at school I hoped our friend Durham was already there. They drive the same type vehicle as oh most every other family at our school. But when I pulled in behind a van purchased in Bartlesville, I knew I'd found them.




Luke and Durham waiting in the cafeteria before we all headed to class. I think reality was sinking in for Luke here.


We all headed to classroom.


He successfully found his cubby. I'm pretty sure he thought it was a scavenger hunt, because he immediately removed the smiley face with his name. We quickly replaced it and loaded his cubby.

Luke and Durham found their seats. The fabulous Ms. Wheeler seated them beside each other.

He was clingy when I left him. But no tears . . . from him. I was really fine til I walked out of the room. I think enormity of it all just hit me at that moment. Not just the enormity of this being the beginning of his school career, but also the mountains he's climbed to get here. In the early days of our diagnosis, I didn't dare to imagine what he would be like as he started kindergarten.

And as the tears fell, my good friend Shantyl asked if we should go to coffee. And we did. We ended up spending the day together. The theme for our day was caffeine and carbs. I've been seriously considering kicking the diet Coke habit. But this is not the week to try. We also enjoyed a little shopping and some other adventures.

We went back to school for lunch with the kids. Before you think me too neurotic, lots of moms and dads were there for lunch. The teachers really encouraged it. The kindergartners needed a little guidance remembering their plasticware, opening their milk and such.

Luke was happy to see me at lunch but was fine when I left again. He doesn't currently have an aid during lunch. We're still sorting through whether or not it's necessary. He's a big fan of the cafeteria though. He ate every last bite of his school lunch.

After lunch we headed to our favorite frozen yogurt place. We were pretty psyched that Durham and her mom joined us.

Celebrating a great day.

I think she'll take pretty good care of him.


So hooray for a great first day. God is good. And on the way home Luke asked, "So am I in first grade now?"

Amazing

While starting kindergarten is a pretty big deal, here's a developmental milestone to get excited about:


Oh yeah! My heart is bursting with pride.

Kindergarten class lists were posted Friday at 4:30 p.m. I planned to look when we arrived for Parent Orientation at 6:00 p.m. My good friend Shantyl called just after 4:30 to tell me her daughter and Luke are in the same class, with the teacher I was hoping for. And our friend Kate is in their class. And another boy we go to church with is in their class. At orientation I met another mom who I've known of for years through a dear friend. Her little boy is also in the same class. And a little boy who lives just a few houses down is in the same class too.

For months I've prayed for Luke's kindergarten class. I've prayed for the right blend of little personalities. And I've selfishly asked that Luke would have just one familiar face in class to make those first days and weeks a little bit easier. Amazing God. And a some pretty amazing teachers and principals.

At Parent Orientation we got a big packet of school paperwork. Luke signed the internet safety pledge. He promised me he would only look at good things on the computers at school. (seriously he did).


Not too shabby of a signature.

And today was pretty much Luke's official last day of summer vacay. But I've learned a thing or two in the last 5.5 years, and making too big a deal of today would lead to more nerves on Monday. So I had not one thing planned for today. Thankfully our friends Kate and Cooper and invited us to go bowling. A very fitting way to cap off the summer, since we've been frequent patrons of the lanes the past 3 months.



Too bad I forgot my camera and only had my phone, especially since they all were amazingly cooperative for the photo.

Still nervous about Monday, but excited about the new beginning. It might just be an amazing year.

Worries

Luke went for kindergarten testing on Friday. He wore his official school t-shirt. Hope he doesn't want to wear it every day of kindergarten. I'm not much for laundry every day.


I took this photo before we left for testing. It makes me a little teary, goofy smile and all.

Testing went fine. Luke was reluctant to head to the classroom without me, but did go willingly with the teacher he knows and his buddy Kate. I purposely signed Luke up to test with someone he knew. And we went to Kate's house to play the day before testing. I think the familiarity helped.



This weekend we enjoyed playing with our friend J and his baby brother while their parents were at a seminar. J is a little young for Wii, but the boys connected over some old favorite stand-bys.


The ball popper.




Watching Mickey Mouse.

And a little wrestling and couch jumping. Big fun. We had a great time.

So today I cried for the first time about kindergarten. Unfortunately I was at work. My timing is impeccable. When we visit school, I feel so at peace about the upcoming year. But at 3:00 a.m. I wake up wondering things like if he can get from the drop-off line to his classroom, if they have ketchup in the lunchroom, if he can open the ketchup, if kids still step on ketchup packets and make it squirt across the room, and if Luke will ever get ketchup squirted on him.

This evening I worried that Luke can't get toilet paper from the larger "industrial" toilet paper rolls without help. Yes, he's been in preschool for years. But his preschool class had 12 children and at least 4 adults at all times. He always had help with anything if he needed it. So tonight at church we practiced with the big toilet paper dispenser. He's good.

I wish I knew everything I should prepare him for. I wish we could rehearse each new situation and role play the right choice to make. But knowing every detail of his days isn't possible and probably wouldn't be beneficial for either of us. I pray that our parenting thus far, though full of flaws, with the help of excellent preschool teachers and therapists, has prepared him. And for all those inevitable moments he's not prepared for, I pray God will send helpers, angels on earth, to guide him. And that there will be no toilet paper or ketchup troubles.

Holding Pattern

Since I'm not entirely sure ebenezers is spelled correctly in my last post's title, it's definitely time for a new one.

All our friends and neighbors headed back to school day. Everyone except the kindergartners. Our county has kind of a "staggered start" for kindergartners. The children come in small groups for "testing" for the next week. Next Thursday class lists are posted and we have orientation. And Luke starts school the following Monday, beginning with shorter days. It will be a couple weeks before he's in school ALL day.

Tomorrow is Luke's "testing" time, which is kind of funny considering the amount of data they have on Luke's strengths and weaknesses. But it gives him one more chance to get acclimated to school so why not?

Sunday night I had a message for a very sweet lady, identifying herself as "Luke's file holder" and inviting us to come meet her on Tuesday. I responded to the email address she gave me and said we'd love to come meet her but what is a file holder? Apparently it's the p.c. term for special ed teacher. Terms are a bit too p.c. when they cease to make sense. I was kind of nervous because we met a special ed teacher last spring. I liked her. Why someone new?

We headed to school on Tuesday afternoon and I just love the new special ed teacher, I mean file holder. I think she will be a perfect fit for Luke. And for me. She was so warm and open and repeatedly asked me share any concerns or questions with her, even the small issues we might have at home. She stressed how important communication is to success. So big thumbs up there.

We decided to take a stroll down the kindergarten hall and ran into the teacher were wishing and hoping and thinking and praying Luke will have. She couldn't have been sweeter to Luke and asked us to please come in and look around. She was incredibly warm to both of us and offered me great encouragement with Luke and with life.

We also saw the assistant principal while were there. She immediately called Luke by name and asked about his summer and told him how excited she is that he will be in kindergarten there this year.

So, butterflies still abound about our first day, but God was smiling on our school visit this week. I realize this blog has been completely kindergarten anxiety absorbed lately, but this is a HUGE milestone for us. I'm sure kindergarten is huge for any child, certainly any first child in a family. But for our special boy this in monumental. And as much as I appreciate the "staggered start" approach, I am definitely ready for the anticipation to end.

In other news, Luke continues to amuse us greatly. He had a fabulous time playing with friends after church last night. He invited another friend to join them saying, "Meredith, do you want to play too?" and when she did he dramatically waved his arms and said, "WELCOME to the show!!!!!"

He was in time out this morning for a minor infraction and when I ignored his constant "PLEASE can I be all done with time out??!!!" requests, he began to pray. His daddy was proud.

ebenezers

Life continues in the sweltering heat. I cannot remember such a long stretch of miserable heat in summers past. Reminds me of growing up in Georgia.



As the beginning of kindergarten gets closer and closer, I'm attempting to capture as many memories as possible of these final preschool days. And now that I have a decent computer and a good internet connection, I've discovered the fabulous photo editor, Picasa. Yep, I'm about 5 years behind. Be warned. Lots of my photos will likely have some funky Picasa effect until I get over my excitement. This one is "warmth".

I tried to get a photo of Luke on Sunday, because it was just a great day, but my camera battery was dead. I took this pic on Monday.

Lately Luke has decided he cannot stay in Bible class by himself. I think it began when I was with him at VBS, but he's just been really clingy to me everywhere lately. Maybe anticipating school? While in the big picture I knew this wasn't a big deal, my nerves were wearing thin. He wasn't even content for Lamar to stay with him in class. It had to be me. And as an employee of the church I'm often running errands or answering questions during Bible class. Having Luke on my heals is always a challenge.

I've been patient. I've been in prayer. And last Wednesday night I really wanted to hear a woman I greatly respect speak. So I informed Luke this was the night to show off his bravery. He could and would stay in Bible class. He wasn't as confident. But I persisted. And I left Lamar on duty if problems arose.

Luke was all smiles after Bible class, proud of his accomplishment. Lamar peeked in the window once and saw Luke seated by the teacher looking a little tearful, but he made it.

Sunday rolls around. Lamar is working. Can Luke do it? I gave a pep talk all the way to church. He again was pretty adamant that he was too fearful. But I told him I just knew he could be brave. After I dropped him off I signed out a "parent pager" and told the volunteers on duty that a few tears would not be getting Luke out of Bible class today. And I sat in my adult class in silent prayer for Luke.

He was bursting with pride when I picked him up from class. He was great during worship and really just a fabulous boy all day.

Why do I share this? I realize it's not a very exciting story. But I have prayed and worried about this for over a month now. And God delivered, as I knew he would. Not necessarily when or how I would have planned, but in the way I know we both needed.

So as we face this major milestone of Luke starting kindergarten, a typical kindergarten class with an aid for just half his day, I need to reflect on His sweet provisions all along this journey.

I recently heard a quote from one of my favorite college professors that was something like, "Build an altar here in your heart so when you look back you'll remember the work of the Lord."

And I can simply read my blog posts to remember where we've been and where He's brought us.

Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I'm come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.

And while I'm singing hymns, Luke and Lamar are boxing with Jesse and Mr. Potato Head. Boxing is a new obsession around here.


Sweet blessings. Maybe a little violent, but still sweet.