it's 7:28 a.m and i just packed caden's specific lunch (5 homemade PB cracker sandwiches, fresh fruit, rice cake and a juice) combed his handsome hair, reiterated his plan for the day's events, squeezed him repeatedly and waited for the bus. it was only yesterday that i was chillin' in bed, cereal being everywhere and cartoons going all morning. dang it, the summer is over. but this morning the chant was, "HOORAY for second grade".
he insists on waiting for the bus by looking out the back window. he spots it go by and we get all excited to grab the backpack and go get buckled in. since it is frequently asked what is going on with caden's school, i will quickly explain. when we got his diagnosis he was turned over to the county for special education. there are several programs in the area for autistic children. i had a big meeting with the principal and various teachers from these programs, they invited me to check out a couple of recommendations then we all made our decision. he attends New Republic elementary school out in North Salinas. the county has 4 classroom there for this specific program. it is the least restrictive program for caden, since he is pretty high funcioning. they dont really like to label the program but just know its a perfect fit. he has one main teacher and 4 paraprofessionals to assist him and the other 8 or 9 students. these women are WONDERFUL and i've watched them work tirelessly and so lovingly with these special kids. the tools they use and their cirriculum is a perfect blend of mainstream education and all the avaliable materials specific to the needs of an autistic mind. we are totally thrilled for caden's second grade year.
i hope that explained things. now i wanna share just a couple little quotes he's said lately that have warmed my heart. i was hanging with some girlfriends one day and he came in to ask for a snack. i took him over to the cabinet and i inquired of his desire, he said, " mommy i want milk's favorite cookie, of course". i always double check to make sure i hear him right, and he repeated it. i cracked up and said, "oh you want an Oreo?!?!" well of course, him being so cute, he got one and went on his way.
the other funny ha-ha was when i was prepping Brady for his tidbits he needed to know to start kindergarten. he needed to know his address. i said, "Caden, can you tell Brady what our address is?" he glanced at me not fully engaged yet, so i added "Caden what are the numbers on our house, where do we live?" and he looked at me and picked up a book, saying, "well it's right here in the Book of Mormon" and he started thumbing thru the pages. Oh man, i just died. it's like he's on a stage. he innocently just recites lines and phrases that don't always match up but are almost there. even though it's challenging at times, we see him as such a unique blessing in our lives. we love our funny funny little guy.
he insists on waiting for the bus by looking out the back window. he spots it go by and we get all excited to grab the backpack and go get buckled in. since it is frequently asked what is going on with caden's school, i will quickly explain. when we got his diagnosis he was turned over to the county for special education. there are several programs in the area for autistic children. i had a big meeting with the principal and various teachers from these programs, they invited me to check out a couple of recommendations then we all made our decision. he attends New Republic elementary school out in North Salinas. the county has 4 classroom there for this specific program. it is the least restrictive program for caden, since he is pretty high funcioning. they dont really like to label the program but just know its a perfect fit. he has one main teacher and 4 paraprofessionals to assist him and the other 8 or 9 students. these women are WONDERFUL and i've watched them work tirelessly and so lovingly with these special kids. the tools they use and their cirriculum is a perfect blend of mainstream education and all the avaliable materials specific to the needs of an autistic mind. we are totally thrilled for caden's second grade year.
i hope that explained things. now i wanna share just a couple little quotes he's said lately that have warmed my heart. i was hanging with some girlfriends one day and he came in to ask for a snack. i took him over to the cabinet and i inquired of his desire, he said, " mommy i want milk's favorite cookie, of course". i always double check to make sure i hear him right, and he repeated it. i cracked up and said, "oh you want an Oreo?!?!" well of course, him being so cute, he got one and went on his way.
the other funny ha-ha was when i was prepping Brady for his tidbits he needed to know to start kindergarten. he needed to know his address. i said, "Caden, can you tell Brady what our address is?" he glanced at me not fully engaged yet, so i added "Caden what are the numbers on our house, where do we live?" and he looked at me and picked up a book, saying, "well it's right here in the Book of Mormon" and he started thumbing thru the pages. Oh man, i just died. it's like he's on a stage. he innocently just recites lines and phrases that don't always match up but are almost there. even though it's challenging at times, we see him as such a unique blessing in our lives. we love our funny funny little guy.
2 comments:
awwwh I just love Caden! Hope he has a great 2nd grade year! :) Hope you all are well!
Milk's favorite cookie :) Kent will love that one...his favorite cookie- which he only eats with his big cup of milk.
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