Etta's First Day of School

Today was Etta's first day in the Early Childhood program at the BIG elementary school! Remember a few months ago when we had her first IEP meeting? Well, it was in preparation for this school year and I can't believe how quickly summer flew by! Yesterday morning Keith and I got to take her up to her new classroom for Open House. We had already met her teacher and therapists in the Spring, but it gave us an opportunity to ask questions and meet a few of the para pros (teacher's assistants) and some other parents and drop off her school supplies and for Etta to check out her new classroom and meet some of the kids and teachers/therapists. I was excited to find out that one of Etta's little friends, Piper, is also in her class! Well, I'm not sure if E realizes that they're friends yet, but her mom, Shauna and I are friends. ;) So, we were there for about an hour (of course, I left my camera in the car) and Etta checked everything out and pulled things off of shelves and played with blocks and even sat down to eat a little fruit and then we left.

So, today was the BIG day! I had to set an alarm clock for the first time in a while and I woke Etta (instead of the other way around). We got ready and hopped in the car.

We got in the car line for drop off and her OT, Ms. Lisa, came and got her out of the car and Etta waved goodbye and then I drove off! Yikes!! I teared up a little, but mostly it was because I didn't get to hug her goodbye. They ask that the parents stay in the car so that drop-off can run smoothly, but *I* wanted a hug goodbye!

So, then I had three hours to myself to think about how much I missed her... I really had a few errands I could have run, but in the end, Shauna and I met at the nail place and got pedicures (those errands can wait till Monday)!

Then, I was excited that it was time to go pick her up! I got there about 10 minutes early and sat in the car line with other parents. One of the staff brought over a clipboard and I signed her out and then I got out of the car because I wanted my hug, dammit! The para pro told me that she'd had a good day, but was beginning to act sleepy (rubbing her eyes).

I'm not REALLY sure how her day went because, with the way that pick-up is set up, you don't really get the opportunity to talk with her teachers. Her "daily communication note" says that she ate all of her snack (but I don't know what snack was) and that she had a wet diaper at 10:45 and that her favorite activity was "music & movement. She is such a GREAT little dancer!". (okay.. edited to add that I just received an email from her teacher with a generic "daily note". It sounds like they had a fun day and the snack was goldfish and graham crackers)

So, we went home and Etta TORE UP her lunch and I put her in her bed for a nap... but you KNOW my kid didn't just lay there and go to sleep. She had to run around her room talking to herself for an hour and a half before FINALLY passing out. It's like she just gets overstimulated sometimes and has a hard time bringing herself down. Anyway, she fell asleep around 2:00 and I woke her up with the vacuum (in the living room) a little before 4:00 because Laura from KidTalk was coming at 4. Laura was here for about an hour and now Etta's just hanging out, but acting a little fussy. It was a BIG day for her!

We really are looking forward to all she will learn at school this year!

Etta's First IEP

IEP... I first heard the term "IEP" at a Ds Mom's Night when Etta was just a bitty thing. It stands for "Individualized Education Program" and what I was hearing from the other, more experienced moms scared the shit out of me. From that moment, I dreaded the day Etta would turn three and we would be required to sit down and have a meeting with the school system about her and our goals for her as she transitioned out of the state's Early Intervention program in into an Early Childhood curriculum with the public school system. I worried that I would have to fight for the services I felt she needed/had a right to (as many moms in our group have done). The meetings seemed big and scary and I was not looking forward to having one.

I guess I should clarify that not all of us live in the same county and the worst stories were coming from Davidson County/Metro schools in Nashville. We live south of there in Williamson County. AND not all kids' needs are the same (that's why it's called an INDIVIDUALIZED education program). As time went on, I began to hear more positive stories about encounters with the school system and IEP meetings, especially in Williamson County, and my fears over Etta's IEP began to dissipate. Before I knew it, we were having Etta's "transition meeting", setting up dates for psych/speech/OT/PT evaluations, and setting the date for the IEP meeting.

As today's meeting drew near, Etta's KidTalk team helped me prepare a little by asking me (and helping me come up with) some of my personal goals for Etta, so I wouldn't feel put on the spot in the meeting. They put together a wonderful DVD of many of her signs and they put a report together. Laura and Courtney even offered to come to the meeting to offer support and help advocate for Etta.

And Today was THE Day. By this morning, I was feeling fairly confident that the meeting would go well, but I still didn't know exactly what to expect and I was a little worried that I had not prepared enough. Keith's mom came down to hang out at the house with Etta while we went over to the school to have the meeting. Courtney and Laura (her KidTalk team) were waiting for us in the waiting room. Then, the school psychologist (and my point of contact through out the transition process) came out and greeted us and told us to come on back. As I stepped into that meeting room, the anxiety crept up a little. I didn't expect SO many people to be in there and I immediately put my guard up around my non-present daughter. Sitting around a conference table were SEVEN people (the school psychologist, the school's asst principal, the occupational therapist, two speech therapists, the physical therapist, and two teachers- one representing general education and one representing special education) and there were the four of us. (EDITED TO ADD- ok, I just re-counted... there were EIGHT people from the school system in the room). I had actually already met many of the people in the room as Etta had evaluations done and I had met one of the teachers when I went for a classroom observation a couple weeks ago (I found out today that she will be Etta's teacher in the Fall and I like her. So, this made me happy).

So, we made ourselves comfortable and it began.

We were given copies of all of the reports done by all of the therapists and each therapist went over their report which were done to determine eligibility and to help set up her goals. Then, they said that yes, she does qualify for services and warrants an IEP and they began going over the IEP they had written up. I felt like the experience was very positive. There was a lot of give and take and asking for our input. They were very impressed with the report that KidTalk put together and they LOVED the video (many of them had not met her yet and they felt this was a great way to sort of get to know Etta).

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The peer model program in the classroom sounds amazing and we walked away feeling very good about the meeting and her "team". We didn't sign the IEP yet. We brought it home with us to read through it again before we agree to it.

I know every child is different and every school system is different and as she gets older, we may have to fight for certain things, but I just wanted to say that our first experience with the school system and putting together an IEP for Etta was a very positive one. I'm excited about all that she will learn next year from her teachers, therapists, and peers.

1st Day of School!

Today was Etta's first day at the WAVES Early Childhood Learning Program.  It's a two hour class that she attends on Fridays (we may pick up a second day later).  There are only 10 kids in the class with four of those kids having special needs and the other 6 being typical "peer models".  The class isn't quite full yet and today was an exceptionally slow day.  There were only three of them!  Etta, our friend Owen, and another little girl.  Etta's teacher Ms. Denise said that she liked following Charlotte around today.  :)  While Etta and Owen were in school this morning, Suzy and I went to Puckett's for breakfast.  I LOVE Puckett's, but had never been there for breakfast before.  It was SO good and I'm SO full!  I probably won't need to eat again until tomorrow!  It was nice to spend that time with Suzy this morning.  Not only is she just fun to be around, she kept my mind off of wondering how Etta was doing.  After we were done eating, we sat there and I filled out a little paperwork for WAVES and before I knew it, it was time to go get Etta! 

Owen's "tough guy" face! 

Owen:  "haha!  Just kiddin' ya'll!"

Etta: "byeeeee Mom!  I got this!"

When we walked in, they were sitting in "circle time" and Ms. Janine was reading a book. Etta was standing right in front of the book turning the pages. That's my girl! They did an art project today. They painted an apple outline on a piece of paper with red paint and a green handprint for a stem. The art is hanging on the bulletin board, so we didn't get to bring it home. It's cute- even if more paint seems to have ended up on her shirt than on the paper. ;)