Rally in Raleigh

I'm so jealous...I know 5 year olds aren't supposed to be jealous, but today while Dad and I were working mom and brother went to our state capital, Raleigh, to see the future President of the USA, Barack Obama, at a rally (yes, you read that right--even at 5 I can see things coming!). She said there were 40,000 people there, plus police and secret service and firemen...people were so excited and they had a great time. Hmph, now I KNOW who does all the work around here! :)

Anyway, the election is next week, so things will be decided soon. Not that it really affects me, but I do get to go vote with mom next Tuesday since I'll be out of school. After we have my next doctor's appointment, that is. The fun never ends around here.

On a less interesting note, I went to the creche with mom and brother tonight since dad is away again. I absolutely tore it up, not to mention that I threw my hearing aids off in the car as we arrived and mom still can't find one of them! I don't know exactly what will happen if it's really lost, and neither does mom so that's why she was a little cross with me tonight! Brother gave me lots of nice kisses in the tub, though, so that made up for it all. Even mom laughed!

More soon, love Adam.

p.s. mom said to tell you sorry she didn't have a picture for you of the rally, but they really should have a "short people's section"!

It's a date!

Hi folks,

My mom's been doing lots of typing today so I had to fight her off the computer to do MY business. Really, mom's...you'd think they have other things to do than sit at the computer all day! :)

Anyway, we have a date for my surgery, November 11 (yes, it IS soon!) It looks like we'll be first case, so that means a 6:30am arrival and 7:30am surgery. I'm supposed to be home the same day too, which is nice. My Oma from CA is going to stay to help mom with me--that makes me happy!

No other news at the moment...it's been a quiet, cold weekend and nice time with the family at the church picnic. Oh, great...now DAD needs the computer. Hmph, a boy can't get his work done for all the interruptions around here!

More soon, love Adam.

And the days go by...

Hi all,

I realised that I have not written all week. A 5 year old's work is never done, but nevertheless, sorry to leave you hanging! Let's see...I'll recap the highlights:

On Tuesday I started to ride the bus again. Actually, it's a taxi driven by a man named Mr Jerome. Or at least that's what I call him--he's nice and takes me to and from school now so mom can stay home and do her thing. Whatever moms do, you know! That same day I had an eye doctor appointment AND bowling with my class--don't ask how it all fit together, mom is STILL spinning from all the to and fro!

The eye doctor said that she would be happy to test my eyes under anesthetic (when I have my ears fixed), much to mom's delight. We're still waiting for the date, but it should be in the next few weeks.

I have started to use the signs for "more" and "want", also much to mom's delight! :) I can even say the word more, but I choose my occasions for speaking carefully so as not to become a chatterbox. I have managed to go through all of my extra clothes that mom sends to school, which means that it's been a good week!

Not much else to add, except that mom has our costumes sorted out for Halloween, so look for some pics next week of the festivities. Our neighborhood has some hundreds of people cruising for candy, so it will be quite the event. Dad of course will be away, which means that he gets no candy!

That's all for now--must get my beauty rest. Love, Adam.

My first week (again)!

Hello friends,

I've had four days now at my new school, and it's definitely a good fit for me. I'm very excited every morning to go in, and each day when mom has come to pick me up I'm smiling and happy, dancing all the way to the car--except for this limp, so kind of limp-dancing actually!

Today I was swarmed some of the other kids who are in my hallway...they like me and want to give me hugs when I leave. I really like the hugs, and reach out to touch all the faces I can reach. Of course, I'm the smallest one, so it's hard to reach them sometimes! Mom is starting to learn their names, though she also needs to learn to sign so she can "talk" to the ones who are deaf!

The funny story from today is that my teacher called mom at 2pm to say that they had lost one of my hearing aids. She said that two boys from another class in my hallway had gone to look for it, since they like me and have become my "buddies". They looked for 20 minutes through THE TRASH to find it...now, that's some kind of buddies to have, don't you think?? Well, anyway mom said that I always pull my ears out at the same time, so if the other one was in the class then that's where the lost one would be. Sure enough, my teacher called 10 minutes later to say it was in the toy box! Too bad for my buddies, but mom thanked their teacher and they got some candy for being good helpers so it wasn't all bad!

Let that be a lesson to look for someone's ear the next time you are asked!
Love, Adam

My first days...

Hi all,

Mom said to make this quick--it's late and I need to get my beauty sleep (and so, I suspect--does mom!!)

I have now had 1 1/2 days at my new school and it has gone GREAT! Mom and Caleb took me on Tuesday morning, and as soon as I walked in to the hallway I had lots of new friends. Everyone is so friendly, like they were at my old school too. My teachers are young and nice, and they take me to do all sorts of fun stuff all day. When mom came to pick me up on Tuesday afternoon I didn't even want to go home (although I did!). We went to the park, and then Dad came home early and took me for a celebratory bike ride in his new basket--that's right, I said IN his basket--see the picture and be jealous of my fun life! ;)

Today was a short day for a teacher's inservice, but again a good day. I'm learning where to put my bag when I come in, where to sit and what to do. My teacher has made a visual schedule for me that tells me what I'm doing next. I like to wave it around a lot, but I also look at it. My classmates like me, and we are all learning to adjust to each other.

I've been having a little trouble walking today--for some reason that I can't tell mom I'm limping, but she thinks it might be a bruise from walking barefoot over the weekend and will hopefully get better. I think it just means I get to be carried more--lazy boy that I am!! :)

Caleb and I went to work with mom this evening since Dad is away, and boy did I make lots of work for the ladies!! It was fun though, and we danced a bit when we came home to burn off energy. Now I'm off to bed, like I said, and up again early for school. Bye for now!

Love, Adam.

My last day

Well, mom WAS going to go to bed early, until I got her up at 11:10 pm when I started coughing, after the neighbor played "name that tune" with her hammer until 10:30pm! SO, we might as well tell you about our day until I go back to sleep...

Today my friends at Hillandale sent me off with a grand morning's activities. It mainly involved taking me to my favorite activities and taking pictures of me and my classmates and teachers, which they then made into a card to give to mom. Mom got a little teary when she saw the card-SO embarrassing!! It's a great card, and a great way to remember such a fun group of people. I will be sad not to go back, and not to see my friends Ramona and Michael on the bus in the morning, but I'll get to meet new people and have new friends soon enough. Tomorrow I start at Merrick Moore, and my "bus" for a while will be mom and brother. Wish me luck--these new people will make me work!!

I said morning's activities because mom picked me up at 12noon for a doctor's appointment with my general doctor. I like him a lot--but that doesn't mean I didn't make him work! I don't know what it is about doctor's offices that makes me want to go crazy--so much tissue paper to pull and tear up, so many chairs to tip, trash cans (bins) to knock over, doors to open, lights to turn off...you get the picture. Anyway, mom had her hands full, but it seemed like a good meeting.

They talked about how I'm doing and what things might happen, like the whole sleep thing I told you about--he thinks it's a good idea, and that taking out adenoids is not such a big deal as tonsils. Mom was glad to hear that! He also said the doctors I'm going to are not "mavericks" (to use a big word I keep hearing lately from some funny lady on TV) and they don't do this thing lightly.

They also talked about my nose and cough and decided to leave things alone for now. Mom may be wishing after tonight that she had given me antibiotics, but I'M not sad to not have to take more medicine yet!

Looks like we might have a little ice cream and go to bed, so goodnight!
More soon, love Adam.

You gotta love Grassroots!

Hi all,

Mom and Dad took brother and I to something called a music festival yesterday, and boy howdy did we all have a good time! It was grassroots, whatever that means: to me it means lots of people in funny clothes, sitting around on grass listening to lots of different bands play music. As you can imagine, it was my kind of place!

We heard some good bands, one called Paleface and another Indian band I can't pronounce--I liked that one so much dad took me up on stage to dance with them (bottom picture). Another real lively one was called the Holy Ghost Tent Revival--at that concert we did lots of dancing, brother and Dad and I (top picture). It was fun being able to dance whenever I wanted to, and mom never had to tell me to be quiet! Then we ate some good food and drove home. Brother fell asleep on the way home, but he still went to bed because he's sick right now. His voice is all hoarse--he sounds real funny now when he yells at me if I take his blankie!

Of course, it wouldn't be a complete post if I didn't tell you about a doctor appointment, like the 8am one we had with the ENT before the music thing! Mom took me--I think it was hard for her to get up and to get ME up, but we got there on time. Except when we got there they told mom the appointment had been cancelled somehow, so we had to wait a while. I was pretty good, but mom was cross.

When we finally saw the doctor he said my ear was better but still lots of fluid, so he sent me to the hearing test lady. She put a funny thing on my head to put the sound through my bone and show if there is any nerve damage or only a conductive hearing loss. It doesn't look like nerves, she said, which means it's probably mostly fluid in my ears that makes hearing harder.

So the doctor said we might think about doing the "Big procedure": putting me to sleep, getting my ears cleaned out and maybe tubes put in, doing the sleep hearing test (ABR for those of you who know things like that), checking my eyes and maybe even taking out my tonsils. Whew, all at one go--good thing I'll be asleep! Mom and Dad are not sure about the tonsils bit, but all the rest sounds like it will happen. If you have any advice for them, I'm sure they would want to hear it. I think I'll only be in for a day--maybe a grandma will come to help?? :)

Mom had to make a few other appointments for me--looks like the docs are not through with me yet!

That's all for now, love Adam.

and the verdict is....

I'm moving to a new school!

Mom had another marathon meeting today--Dad watched Caleb and I so she could concentrate, which was doubly hard because she's "all full of the cold" as our Scottish friends would say. I'm afraid I gave it to her, but all the kids at class gave it to me first!

Actually, that was the first order of the day: Mom got a call from my teacher at 10:30am to ask if she could come pick me up, not because I was being bad, but because my nose was running so much and they were worried about me spreading it to the other kids! Mom tried to explain things to them, but a policy is a policy and since she was already there she took me home. I wasn't that bad, and both she and I knew it, but we tried to make the best of it anyway.

Dad came home as soon as we got home and we all had lunch together. Then mom went off to her meeting and Dad and brother and I had a nap--a little too long if you ask mom, but we didn't mind! :) It was sort of raining anyway, and my nose needed the rest!

So, mom's meeting was at my new school, Merrick-Moore elementary school in East Durham. It's a little farther away from home than my school now, but it's nice and very big. Mom said she saw lots of students playing and in class, and she met the people who will be my teachers and they are nice. They are almost all very young, so they will probably have enough energy to chase me around! Mom said the routine is more structured than mine here at Hillandale, and there are lots of fun things I'll get to do there like music therapy, art, dancing, adaptive PE, signing and field trips. In fact, the first day I'm there they will take me with them to the local field where we will practice for the Special Olympics. Wow--I'll be an Olympian before you know it (but what sport to choose??)!

Mom said she was a little sad, both that I will have to make another transition and that I will have to leave my friends at Hillandale. They have truly become my friends--they hug me, they help me and they make me laugh. Mom came to my parent conference on Wednesday and she and my teacher Ms Mills talked about how far I had come in just 6 weeks. I know mom doesn't want me to leave that safe and happy environment, but she thinks the school people believe this move is for my best development and I think she trusts them. I hope to make more friends at Merrick-Moore, both in the hearing impaired (HI) class and the Autistic (AU) classroom. There are three other students in the HI class, and three others in the AU so we will be cozy and have lots of time to interact closely.

So my first day will be next Tuesday, after a doctor's appointment on Monday morning and a big cupcake party at Hillandale later that day. Mom thinks it won't be long until I'm settled in my new school, but to help things along she will take me and pick me up rather than me taking the bus. It's going to be a long bus ride, an hour each way, so she's still thinking if she wants me to do that or not. I don't mind the bus, but 2 hours IS a long time in a wee boy's life!

Well, we've still got some rough-housing to do and then it's off to bed. I wouldn't want to keep dad waiting, so I'd better go. I have an ENT appointment in the morning (at 8am!) and then we're going to a grassroots music festival outside Chapel Hill, so I'll tell you all about it next post.

Bye for now, love Adam.

Not much to say, but a great photo!

Hi all,

It's been a quiet kind of day--you know, school, park, dinner...but mom has been taking photos for a little book she's going to make for me, and she took a good one of brother and me so I thought I'd post that for you. I got the feeling today that brother really likes me...he even played the role of my protector at the park when a little girl threatened to get close to me. He chased her around for a while and then came back and hugged me. Boy, do I feel safe! :)

I'm off to bed--more soon.

Love, Adam

p.s. I may look uncomfortable, but I'm really just surprised--I didn't know the love was coming!

Back to normal...for now!

Oma left on Sunday, after a couple of crazy fun-filled days. It was hard to see her go, but knowing that she got a free flight voucher for being delayed by the airlines means we'll see her again soon--yeah!!

I had a nice day at school today, and am still waiting for news about my upcoming transition. Mom will go visit the new school on Thursday--I trust her to give me the real scoop and not hold back, she's pretty good at that. The only real consideration, or so I hear, is that it is in a "rough neighbourhood". What that really means is anyone's guess, but being a good Scottish boy I think I can take 'em! Or to put it another way, I'm sure I'll be in good hands and won't need to worry, but we'll see what mom thinks when she goes.

Meanwhile I carry on at school, at the park, watching Baby Einstein, dancing and learning new words. Today mom and I played with a balloon and she tried to get me to say balloon--it kept coming out like ball, but at least I did the sign too! :)

That's all for now, love Adam.

Thursday

No news really, just wanted to keep up the conversation...

Oma is still here, so today we took her to the park--Oval park--and to Bullock's Bar-B-Que (mom and dad giggle when they say the name, but I don't know what they're laughing about). She liked that place, I think, even though I didn't! Today I wouldn't eat hardly anything--it's too spicy, I tell ya! Mom tried lots of things, but today is just a day for cereal and that's that!

Also, it's colder today...I had to wear a jacket for the first time, and it kind of felt nice. I know my friends in Aberdeen have not stopped wearing theirs, so I won't complain! The sun was out, so that made it nice in the afternoon when we were on the swings.

No more news on my next school placement. Mom is waiting to get a date to visit the school, and we still have to get my hearing checked at some point. I'll let you know when we hear something.

More soon, love Adam.

Recapping the week

Hi folks, sorry it's been so long! I've just been so busy and have so much to tell as a result, that I'll get to work right away. No chatter--I'm all about business! :)

After my last post, we had a nice weekend and then mom had two worrisome days wondering how I would do at school. Well, the answer is that I've settled down a bit and they've done some different things with my school friends and I, like taking us to the playground each morning at 10am for 15 minutes, and that has helped me carry through my day better.

On Wednesday I had my appointment with the ENT, Dr. Hulka--who everyone says is great, and who had a really cool tie that I spent the whole time trying to grab! Mom and Dad were thrilled, not least because Dr. Hulka said he could help get rid of the fluid in my ears and maybe put tubes in so I can hear better. He also said I had an ear infection at the moment, and gave me antibiotic ear drops which made me feel lots better in a couple of days. I've even been eating a lot more, which shows that I was not comfortable for a while. But I try not to complain, I'm a pretty tough cookie in general!

Then we set off on Thursday morning for Asheville, NC--actually for Fairview, where my aunt Michelle and uncle Tim and cousins Brock, Wesley, Rachel and baby Maria were waiting for our family. We spent four days there, one entirely in the rain!, riding ATV's, swimming, playing, singing, cooking, running, swinging and talking. I got to know the boys (Brock and Wesley) much better, and spent some time wrestling and singing with them. They were great to take MY time to get to know me too!! Auntie Michelle also sat and sang lots with me--I even taught her "Wind the Bobbin"! I'll try to include some photos from that trip here--mom and dad also said they had a great time, even if they didn't get much sleep!

We came back Sunday night, and it was straight back to school on Monday morning. I did well, and had a couple of good days. Then this morning Mom and Dad had their big meeting at school to talk about my IEP (Individualised Education Plan) and discuss where might be the best place for me to receive services. They talked for a long time--3 hours!!--and decided that my category of eligibility (which you have to have to receive special education services) is called "Multi-handicap" or MH. That means I tick lots of boxes, and mom and dad are OK with that. So am I, I mean after all it's true! And I know everyone likes me anyway, so a label is no big deal to me.

So now with the MH label, they can provide services, but where is still the question. One suggestion is moving to a school a little ways from our house where they have both an AU (Autism) class and a HI (Hearing Impaired) class and I could split my time between the two. Mom will go visit with the EC (Exceptional children) coordinator and the Teacher of the Deaf who works there and we'll talk about if it's a good fit for me or not. According to the law here, you have to be placed in your "least restrictive environment", which is why they put me in the class I'm in right now, but this other one might be more helpful for me since I need lots of structure and visual aids, and also people to work with me and help me.

They have given us a target date of October 13 to maybe have me transitioned. I know I'll have to help mom as she really loves my class and teachers and will be sad if I have to leave! So will I, but I also adapt pretty quickly--and I know we'll go back to Hillandale for visits if I have to leave. My teacher said I can still come to the Pumpkin patch and bowling which are on the 14th and 15th of October--too bad Dad will be gone and won't get to see me bowl!

So that's where we're at...mom and dad had a long nap today after their meeting, I had a good day at school...oh yeah, and Oma is here!! She came in last night and stayed with my brother this morning while mom and dad were at the meeting. She's playing with me now, so I better go. More later--love, Adam.