Happy Love Day

Hi all,

Apparently this is a big day for some people, namely Mr. and Mrs. Hallmark and the people who make those little heart shaped candies with letters on them. Good for them, they're everywhere.
Mom says it's a day where you are supposed to express your love for people, so I just want to say I love you. All. There--can I go play now? :)

Actually, there is a funny little twist to all of this. When I came home yesterday from school mom opened my bag because it was suspiciously heavy. She knew that I had thrown my pants down the toilet (don't be alarmed, it was clean), so she expected to find just them in there. When she took out my pants, she found all my "booty", the valentines cards and candy that I got from my friends at school. Wow, talk about amazement. She could not believe all the love--in the form of little cards with Kung Fu Panda and Superman on them--that had come home with me from school. I try to tell her that I have a lot of friends there, and I think now she believes me. For some reason these kids had thought to give me a card, even though I don't really look twice at them (not because I don't love them, see above). It's enough to make you rethink how people feel about someone with disabilities.

So mom says she will cherish my cards forever, brother cherished all my candy clean up, and I cherish all my friends--candy giving and not--for loving little ol' me just as I am. Enough said.
A

Christmas break has begun

Hi all,

Well, we are off to a COLD start, with temperatures in the 20's this morning, warming up to a balmy 35 degrees by 2pm. I know, you are surprised that a young man like myself knows the word "balmy". Let's just say I have some wordy parents!

Mom dragged brother and I around Durham today in the buggy, wrapped up but still cold!! We had some errands to run and then had a root beer float at the soda shop on 9th street. It was fun, but not enough chairs and brother was ancy.

Tonight we went to a Christmas party at St John's church here in Durham. It was for all the people who had received presents from other people at other churches. Let me be more clear: it was mostly for people who had no money to buy presents, so were being given things so that their kids might have something to open in 3 days. It was really nice--and really good to do. Brother gave a gift to another young girl who was really happy. We felt good being there, because it made us think about how good it is to be a community together with other people who live near you. Sort of like me being in a classroom with other kids with disabilities--they are the ones who hug me the most, you know? Dad introduced me to a man with Down Syndrome who was there. His name is Luck, and he is 28. He's a bit bigger than me, but I know we are friends.

Oh, and I played piano for the whole group. Lots. Even when I wasn't supposed to--but you know something? They didn't mind.

Blessings to you all--more before Christmas.
Love, Adam.

What a week!!

Hi folks,

You may be wondering why I've not been writing lately. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. It was my last week at school for one thing, and I had a lot to do. Mom and Dad have been dragging us to various parties (OK, just one, but it felt like many!). That was a Christmas dinner for the Divinity school at Duke, so I got to pal around with some of Dad's friends. Actually, I laid on the floor when my dinner was finished and made people step over me to get to the cobbler. He he!

Brother and I also lost our "pink car" to the recycling people when mom left it by the side of the street one morning. That was a sad story, until the next morning when Dad, as he was riding to work, came across one almost exactly the same sitting in someone else's rubbish. Perfect! He carried it in his bike basket to our church, and mom drove over as soon as I was off to school to pick it up. We now have two again, good as new. Actually, good as VERY used, but who cares?!

Now, the biggest news of all: I ate SALAD for dinner. Yep, you read right. Mom spooned it on to my plate, and when I couldn't get a piece on my spoon I just picked it up with my hands. It was good, and Mom and Dad were so pleased too. Now Dad says that if I can eat it, so can mom. Whatever that means. Hmmmm...

Today was a really sweet day too, my last day of this year at school. Mom gave Mr. Jerome (my taxi driver) some cookies when he picked me up from school. Then Mom and Brother came to my school to give them some cookies and pick me up early. Then we drove over to Hillandale, my old school, to see all my friends there and give them some cookies (do you see a theme here?). If I was worried that they had forgotten me, I now rest easy. They absolutely bombarded me with hugs and kisses, so much so that mom couldn't even see me for a good 10 minutes!! I had so much fun, laughing and playing and eating ice cream with my friends, it was really nice to reconnect. I even said my name several times so they could enjoy my new voice. I'll put up a picture of our class as soon as I can.

So, now I'm bushed and ready for bed. We played outside for a long time this afternoon since it was 70 degrees. Sorry, that was too good to keep to myself! Hope you all have a nice sleep.

More soon, 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

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.

My BIG DAY!

Well, it's been a good week at kindergarten, a nice Friday and a nice birthday--a triple whammy in my book!

Mom and Caleb came to meet me at school today to bring cupcakes for my birthday, and she had a great time with my class (she said I could speak for her). She said the class is great, very warm and loving, even with many of us only knowing each other for a week. The other kids are funny, they make me laugh and take care of me. They watch when I might go out the door and don't step on me when I take my naps.

I was sleeping with my "best friend" Graham when mom came in. He's in second grade and much taller than me but he likes me a lot. We spend lots of time together. Mom's helped me put in a picture of us. Now don't think it's all like this at school, we do lots of work too...there's a boy with Down Syndrome in my class named Elliot who can say all his colors in Spanish--wow! I'm going to learn the letters in my name by the end of the year, that is one thing my teacher Ms Mills is hoping to teach me. I'll put a picture of her in too, singing with me.

The class sang Happy Birthday to me (since I'm five today) and we all had cupcakes. I got to go around and give everyone high 5's, and even graced them with one of my special dances (top picture), it was very fun. We all went out to the bus early, and played for a while in the grass. Mom really seems happy with my class, and talked lots to the teachers. They asked more questions about my signing, and mom taught them some more of my Makaton signs to use. They all said I'm doing real well and had a lot of fun the past two days. They even heard me laugh and liked it!

I am five now, but as I'm finding it doesn't mean I stay up any later at night. So goodnight, sleep well and more later. Love, Adam.

p.s. thank you for the gifts...I've had fun listening to music and playing with lights and sounds and sorting shapes all evening!

Sunday was a bright day yesterday...

We had a nice day yesterday, though it started out with a bang! We were all eating breakfast when a big thunderstorm moved in and it rained lots. We sat out on the porch and watched it for a while, then we ate breakfast and got ready for church. By the time we left it had stopped.

We visited our first church in Durham, called Blacknall Presbyterian. It was pretty nice, at least the children's area was since I didn't see much of the rest of it! I liked the people who took care of my brother and I, and the other kids who were there. They sang to me and helped me when brother hit me on the head with a plane. OK, it was an accident, but I did feel better when they sent mom in!

Mom and Dad said the service was nice, and they met quite a few new people. They think we'll probably go there again, and I guess that means me and Caleb too. In the afternoon we met more new people, a man and woman named Alan and Michelle, who were pretty cool. It was their son Mikael who I really liked--he let me tap his face and didn't get mad at me!! We went to their pool club to swim, and it had a big slide too. It would have been great except mom forgot the swim nappies (pants) and I had to wear my diaper. Mom said it held out for two or three gallons then busted all the insides out by the side of the pool, and that was that.

Afterwards we went to their house and had pizza which I really enjoyed. I know mom and dad had a good time because they talked lots to the other grownups and not much to us!!

Today was a park in the morning and another in the afternoon. It's a rough life, I can tell ya! The weather was a bit cooler, only upper 80's mom said, which was nice for a change. I do need to remember that the ground gets really hot in the afternoon, though, and when I go barefoot I can get myself in all sorts of trouble!

That's all for now...more soon.
Love, Adam