It's been a minute

And WOW.  Blogspot's interface looks entirely different.  I guess a lot can change in, err, nine months.

Most people I know are on my facebook and keep up with Asher through that means, so it's easy to just post it all there and not write out anything more lengthy in this little corner of the web.  Then I'll realize it's been ages since I posted anything, feel guilty, and write a new update.  Tada!

Well, since the last post, Asher has undergone major orthopedic surgery on his hip.  Turns out it wasn't just a loose tendon and he was dislocating like a circus performer.  He had surgery to correct his malformed bone structure at Vanderbilt Children's in June, and after a long summer, the cast will come off next week!  Unfortunately, he isn't finished.  His surgeon only operated on one leg after determining that bilateral surgery was just too risky with all of the work Asher needed done, so we still have the other leg to go.  Thankfully, he'll get a little break between the two surgeries and get to enjoy a couple of months of cast-free time before he goes back for operation (and cast) #2.

Therapies continue as usual (though his therapists and time slots have changed around a couple of times), and last week he started his second year of preschool, his last before entering into the big bad world of kindergarten.  He loves his teacher and classmates, and after being stuck in a stationary position and staying mostly at home all summer, I think he's glad for the change of scenery!

My goal is to update this page on a semi-regular basis, so I hope to be back soon.  ;)

My preschooler!

Asher has completed his first two weeks of preschool.  It's quite surreal to drop your three-year-old off at a local elementary school and then come home to... quiet.  His school day is five hours long, so it's quite the span of "me time."  I still don't know what to do with it!

Asher is doing fabulous.  I mean really.  Not, "I'm a mom so of course my kid is awesome."  He has seriously had one bout of fussiness, one afternoon, and that's it (well, and he did whimper for the first 10 minutes of his first day, but I'm not counting that - because I AM a mom and of course my kid is awesome - lol).  He comes home in a happy mood, and his communication folder has always had a note about how great of a day he had.  It rocks.

They've been doing the Icky Alphabet, Iggy Iguana, gray and purple, G/H/I, and of course various learning centers.  He came home Friday with some remnant green paint/marker on his hands, so he's been having fun with art, too.  Occasionally the kids get to go to the "treasure chest" and pick out a toy, I assume as a reward system.  Asher has two treasures so far.

He did miss Wednesday for a dentist appointment, which was quite traumatic - but that's another post for another time.  ;)

Transition

We had Asher's Transition meeting with the school system the other day.  The lady who typically runs it was out, so another person stepped in.  We went over our rights, which Chad and I are already both familiar with due to our teaching backgrounds.  Then we talked about specific questions related to Asher.

One of the main ones I've had is where he would be going to school.  We literally live right on a zoning line.  The school we're zoned to (St. B) doesn't have a special needs preschool classroom, so all kids zoned there go to Rossview.  I prefer for Asher to go to the elementary school that's right around the corner, Glenellen.  It's MUCH closer to us than Rossview is, and I'm going to be driving him anyway.  It's looking like it will be possible through Chad's contract, which states:

Teachers may enroll children for whom they are legal guardian in the
school nearest to their respective schools of employment, subject to
the following conditions: The teacher will submit a written plan for
having the child dropped off and picked up at the appropriate times.
This report will be submitted to the principal of the school where
the child is enrolled at the time of enrollment for his or her approval.
No child will be left unattended; and no school employee will assume
responsibility for teacher's child either before or after school. The
principal of the school in which the teacher wishes to enroll the child
will be the approving authority for enrollment. Principals will be
held responsible for enforcing the provision at their respective
schools.
Article XXVI, Memorandum of Agreement, section D (emphasis added)

The closest school to Chad's place of employment is Northeast, which doesn't have a special needs preschool.  The next closest is Hazelwood - also no SN preschool.  The NEXT closest is - you guessed it - Glenellen.
So we shall see.
p.s. a friend pointed out the other day that Glenellen's mascot is a Turtle... how perfect is that!?  Slow and steady wins the race!

First Bible Study

One thing that is important to us around here is our relationship with God.  Not only is it important... it's the most important aspect of our lives.  As Christian parents, one of our prime responsibilities to Asher is to nurture his own spiritual life.  I realize that it's not quite PC in the age of moral relativism and universal spirituality to take that approach, but it's our view nonetheless.  Asher will, of course, ultimately have to come into that relationship on his own, but we can help to lay the foundation.

I found this devotional Bible the other day and ordered it off of Amazon using some of our Coinstar gift card (did you know that a jar of spare change can add up to $130?  I didn't either!).

I really liked it because there are questions in the margin of each page to encourage active reading, which is so fundamental.  We live in the South - we know all about going to church and believing in God because... well... that's what you do.  We don't want that for Asher.  We want him to develop a genuine desire to learn about God and to grow in a relationship with Christ.  At the end of each story there's a section called Think Pray Live - the applicational part that asks kids to think about what they've read, pray about the topic/issue at hand, and practical ways to live out that principle in their lives.

Needless to say, I really fell in love with it, and I think it's a great choice for Asher's first "big boy" Bible.

Today when we were at Books-a-Million, I came across a companion book called The My First Message Bible Search: Discovering Answers in God's Word.


I almost didn't pick it up because I saw "Bible Search" and pictured a word search book with a Bible theme.  I'm glad I took a glance!  It's actually a Bible study that goes along with Asher's new Bible.  It addresses real life issues for young kids ("When I Don't Want to Go to Bed," "When I Always Want to Get My Way," etc) in a biblical context and breaks it down into little pieces.  It's a perfect resource for early Bible lessons.  Asher is still too young for it right now, but that's okay.  I'm happy to have it waiting in the wings.  To be honest, there are probably plenty of nuggets of truth that I could use for my own life!
Here's a sample of one of the studies if you're interested:

More finds!

EDIT: Lost the pics in the transfer from Typepad - sorry!

Lotsa pics - you've been warned!

Target had these Elmo plates and bowls in their bargain aisles up front for $1 each.  Too cute!  The tray came from Hobby Lobby and was $6.99, I think.

This DVD isn't a deal, per se, but it has tons of awesome Elmo segments that are fun for both Asher and mommy - folks like Jason Mraz and Feist make guest appearances!  It also has the Elmo's Ducks segment, which is my favorite Elmo skit of all time.

WARNING: gallery of boring homeschool finds below!
(click a thumbnail to enlarge)

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 List of items

Dr. Seuss flip chart ($11.88)
Giant flip chart ($9.99)
The Complete Book of Arts and Crafts ($6.88)
Comprehensive Curriculum of Basic Skills (preschool edition) ($7.86)
Scholastic Alphabet Mats ($10.04)
Write, Slide, and Learn Phonics ($9.99)
Basic Skills box set (1st) ($5.99)
Getting Your Preschooler Ready to Read ($3.99)
Getting Your Preschooler Ready for Math ($3.99)

The Homeschool Library

To answer your first question, no, we haven't decided to homeschool Asher.  ;)

That said, there have been some things happening within our school system lately in relation to the special ed department that make me somewhat uncomfortable.  I'm not one of those people who believes that just because something happens to one person it will automatically happen to me, but I'm also not one of those people who thinks it can't.

Asher will enter into the special ed pre-k program in March (after his 3rd birthday).  I truly think it will be good for him to be around other kids and other adults in a new environment.  The question is, what will we do when he's older (K, 1st, 2nd?).  I want Asher to receive the best education possible, and unfortunately, sometimes that doesn't happen in the public school system.

To be clear, I am not dogging on public school in general.  My husband is a teacher, I used to be a teacher, and both of us were educated entirely as public school students.  The problem is that far too often schools are understaffed and underfunded, and when you have a student with high needs such as Asher, sometimes those needs are set aside simply for lack of resources.  And we're not even there yet.  This is entirely theoretical.  I just want to be prepared for whatever comes my way, so I'm starting to build up a homeschool library.  Some of the stuff won't be used till later, but if it's on sale, why not?  ;)  These are my finds from yesterday:

Counting 1-20 and Tell the Time (w/ wall charts and write-n-wipe pages)

Write & Slide Math (w/ write-n-wipe pages)

Peter Rabbit connect-the-dots book

Scholastic First Dictionary


Now I'm Reading phonics book sets (1, 2, and 4... they were out of 3)

And there you have it.  Like I said, I'm not really limiting myself by difficulty level if I see a bargain deal, so it's a mish-mash of pre-k to 1 stuff.  Ideally, Asher will receive a wonderful education at school and these can just be supplementary materials for practice at home.  It's win-win the way I see it.

Oh, and as far as your second question: will Asher even be able to do some of these things?  I don't know - but I have no reason to think he can't, so he will be presented with every opportunity.