Kindergarten is over

Well, Nate is officially a 1st grader!  Today was his last day of Kindergarten.  I can't believe that this school year has gone so fast.  It seems like just yesterday that it was his first day of school.  Matt and I were able to take the bus to school with him for orientation.  Nate was so crazy, running up and down the driveway while waiting for the bus to come.  I thought to myself "there is no way he is ever going to stay in one place and wait for the bus to come."  Matt and I were totally freaking out because he wasn't in preschool anymore.

Nate has come so far in 180 school days.  He has gone form running around the neighborhood while waiting for the bus, to either sitting or standing at the end of the driveway waiting in anticipation for the bus to arrive.  He absolutely loves school, and would walk around the house in the morning wearing his backpack as soon as he finished breakfast. 

Nate took the first 2 weeks to explore the entire school building, keeping his teachers on their toes while racing from his classroom to other rooms in the building.  They didn't know where he would end up once he took off.  Now he navigates the school with ease.  His teachers know that if it's time to go to art, gym, or speech, Nate will take off and wait at the door for everyone else to join him.

He is spelling, he recognizes words, does homework, has learned his math facts, and is using an amazing program on the iPad to communicate with his teachers.  He's settled down in the classroom.  At the beginning of the year he spent about 1/2 hour in the mainstream classroom with his peers.  By the end of the year he was in the room for the entire kindergarten day.   I'm so proud of all of his accomplishments and so excited that he kicked butt in mastering his IEP goals.

This past school year has been good for me.  I've learned to let go (a little) of my biggest monster.  I had such a hard time with him going to kindergarten.  Nate was going from a school of about 65 students, a school where he spent 3 years, a school where everyone knew him; to a school where everything was the complete opposite.  Surrarrer is not a school of 65 students, it is a K-6 building with hundreds of students.  He was entering his first year at a "huge" school and I was stressed.  No one at Surrarrer knew him, his quirks, his need to explore, or his issues.  I tried to prepare myself and his teachers as best as I could, but knew that there was only so much that I could do.  I had to let go, and I did.  Nate thrived. 

My baby is a first grader now, and I am one proud mommy.

 

How Can I Help?

In the past many wonderful people have asked me "how can I help?"  I don't have much of an answer when that question is posed.  My dream answer would consist of several things:

"You can help my child speak"

"You can pay for his speech therapy"

"You can come over a few times a week help me out by watching my boys so that I can have 10 minutes of peace and quiet"

I know that these aren't feasible responses, so here's what I'm answering now.

Each year CASANA (Childhood Apraxia of Speech Association of North America) has walks and 5Ks to raise money for research, grants, programs, webinars, and other incidentals that help out families who have children with Apraxia.  

My family and a few close friends participated in the walk/5K last year, and I would love to have a bigger and better team this year.  The walk is on Sunday, September 30 in Huron.  It's a very uplifting and inspiring walk/run.  I have met so many families who have shared the challenges and successes of having a child with Apraxia.  

What I'm asking of all of you wonderful and caring people that I know is to come and participate in the walk/run on September 30.  Join our team- Nate's Mates, and show your support for Nate and all of the other children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech.

If you aren't able to participate, and would like to make a donation, that would also be very much appreciated.  The link to the walk/run website is

http://www.apraxia-kids.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=1012293

Our team name is Nate's Mates.  When you join our team you'll not only get the satisfaction of helping children to find their voices, but you'll also get an adorable Nate's Mates t-shirt to wear during the walk.

Thank you so much for your love and support. 

Track Star

Today Nate participated in his school's field day.  At the end of each school year, the kids gather outside and participate in track and field type activities.  Each child has an opportunity to participate both individually and with his/her class.  

Nate was able to run in the 25 yard dash with his classmates, as well as participate in both the softball and frisbee throwing contest.  

When Nate came home from school today, the first thing I saw was a beautiful blue ribbon pinned to his t-shirt.  Since Nate isn't able to answer my "WOW, what did you take first place in?" question, I emailed his intervention teacher.  I was told by his teacher that he wasn't 100% sure which event he got the ribbon in, but he did a FANTASTIC job at field day.  

I'm doing a little more investigating right now and I'll post and update when I find out what event you'll see him in at the 2024 Olympic Games.

I'm so proud of my biggest monster and his FIRST PLACE RIBBON!!!