Thursday, September 09, 2010

jk is a-okay. i think.

Today was day #2 of Junior Kindergarten and Max's last day of day care.  That's a lot of change for a little boy (and his mom).   Max is doing really well, all things considered (and I'm hanging in - thanks for asking).  Once again, I am blown away by "Team Max" - current members and new members alike.  Max's resource consultant, Liz, whipped together a social story ("Max's New School") - with pictures of every aspect of his day and all of his teachers.  She did this yesterday afternoon and delivered it to his daycare so I would have it for him that night.  Simply amazing.
Max's favourite therapist, Sarah, accompanied Max on his second jk visit today.  He was THRILLED to see her, and I was relieved knowing she was there to help him cope with this new experience.  She was also able to give Max's EA the 411 on all things "Max" (including how to deal with the huge meltdown he had for the first 45 minutes).  While I know it will take Max several weeks to settle in, I really think he is going to love it once he learns the routine and gets familiar with everyone.  Sarah will be with him for the first hour tomorrow, and next week if he needs it.  I couldn't ask more of his teachers and his EA's - they are all working really hard to make this a positive experience for everyone.
Another hard part about all of this is that Max is no longer attending daycare (today was his last day).  He really loved it there, and his teachers Eva and Nicky were a key part of that.  When Super Bumpa picked Max up today Eva wouldn't let Max go until she gave him a big hug.  And then Max wouldn't let go of her when it was time to leave.  As a parent you hope that the people caring for your children will at the very least like your kids and be nice of them.  When they love your kids, that is magic.  We are blessed to have found a place for Max where he was embraced and accepted, not only by his teachers, but all of the staff and his classmates too.  Cameron still attends this daycare so we have promised to bring Max back for visits so Eva doesn't go into hug withdrawal.

The hardest part for me in all of this is seeing Max through the eyes of people who don't know him yet, who haven't fallen in love with him.  They don't yet understand that even though he doesn't have the vocabulary of his peers and needs a lot of support, he is funny and charming and super smart.  He takes so much in with those big blue eyes, and he looks right into your soul when he locks his gaze with yours.  I am looking forward to watching his new teachers get to know Max.  I doubt it will be long before he has them under his spell.

5 comments:

  1. awe. They will fall in love with him. Great post. I cried when saying goodbye to Ruby's daycare peeps too. They really become a part of your life! Nice that he has the consistency with therapists. Good luck!!

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  2. That last part - I swear to God you summed it up. That is so the story of our lives - parents with special kids and you just want everyone to see what you see.

    Good on ya Max!

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  3. thanks @mumby and @stranded - being a mom is hard sometimes!! lol.

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  4. Go Team Max!!

    Those are great pics of the lil guy!!

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  5. I'm so glad to hear school is a good thing so far. That's exactly how it should be for all kids. :)

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