HI everyone!

Ethan is doing well. He started preschool this fall
and he is doing awesome! He is in a class with
children who all have speech delays and receives
speech, OT and PT. He also receives private PT and we
are on a waiting list for a permanent speech time
slot but they will begin "co- treating" (speech during
his PT) tomorrow.

He is getting his DAFO's next week. He did so well for
the casting. He just sat there so still smiling and
helped pick out the colors for the velcro.

The school district bus service finally gave up their
fight against me. Originally they did not want to come
to the house to pick up Ethan. SEveral phone calls and
tears and educating them on what CP is and that he
falls often and tires easily finally got them to come
to the house to pick him up and drop him off. THen
began the battle of explaining that I needed
assistance with my other "able bodied children" (as
they put it, because I could not be in 2 places at
once. I think the thing that helped was talking to the
supervisor when I was still upset. My instunct is to
go calm down then make my calls. THe call that I got
the furtest was the one where I let them hear how
upset I truly was (not angry..but upset). Sometimes it
feels like Ethan is the only child to have ever had a
disability in my school district. Thankfully his
teacher is wonderful and supportive and helped steer
me and guide me.

I am also coming to terms with being a parent of a
child with special needs. Ethan has had special needs
all along (he began therapies at 12 months) but the
diagnosis made me face it head on. I think I greived
well, read books about greiving. Don't get me wrong I
still have my days but I don't even see the CP
anymore..I just see Ethan and he's "typical" to me and
I jsut love him to pieces. I think the hardest part
was the guilt I felt for greiving. Even though I knew
it was necessary to greive I felt terrible for feeling
that things were different when I had such a wonderful
child. I still wish Ethan didn't have CP, I just wish
that now for HIM instead of for me. I just feel so
lucky that I get to have him and how he has enriched
my life and my other children's life.


I hope everyone else is doing well.

Sandy,
Mom to Brandon (7) Cameron (5) Ethan (3)& Logan (7mos)

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com