The Kindergartner

Hard to believe my boy's in Kindergarten! There were no tears (from either of us) on his first day, in fact when the teacher told them all to wave goodbye to their parents, he said, "Yeah, Mom, you need to leave on my first day of Kindergarten." He knows the drill. Mom doesn't stay for school, but he's very insistent every morning that I assure him I'll be there to pick him up after school.

As a side note to that comment, the school had a fire drill on Thursday, and of course they all had to go outside (through the same outside door they enter and leave the classroom every day). It seems that Aaron thought school was out for the day and was upset that he didn't see me. The teacher said that he kept saying, "I lost my mom." Mrs. Weins didn't understand what his problem was at the time, and I don't blame her since she doesn't know him well yet and she had several other students who were freaked out by the loud noise as well. But after being told this, I questioned him myself (which isn't an easy task) and I think what I just reported is accurate: he went outside and Mom wasn't there yet! So I reassured him that this had been just a fire drill, that school hadn't been done yet, and I did come to pick him up when it was time and that I would always come to pick him up. He hasn't mentioned it since so I'm guessing he's OK with it now. And that's just one example of how different it is to raise an high-functioning autistic child, especially by a mother who thinks she's a bit autistic herself. Our communication lines aren't always connected, but I think we did OK this time.

Flower Girl

No, it's not a wedding. Shaan's church was honoring their Sunday school teachers with flowers today and they had a few extra, so he got a bunch of stems of daisies instead of just one. Julia wanted her own stem, and when a white flower broke off another stem, she picked it up and asked for it to be put in her hair. She was so cute, I just had to take a picture! Hope you enjoy it, too.

Thank you to Miss Diane

I made this card today because on Monday Aaron has his last session with his speech therapist, Miss Diane. In about a year and a half, this lady has taken a boy who was frustrated and volatile and turned him into the sweetest boy who can express his feelings inside. She has worked wonders with him, as anyone who knows him can attest. She is quitting because gas prices and a long commute are not offsetting what little she makes. We were going to quit at the end of summer anyway because Aaron is starting Kindergarten in about six weeks and they will focus more on his social verbal skills, something private speech sessions can't do.

Supplies:
Patterned paper: DCWV mat stack. Cardstock: CTMH White Daisy regular and Honey (light side) textured. Stamp sets: CTMH Friendship Blessings (thank you) and new Decorative Dainties. Ink: Buttercup (although I used a Goldrush sponge for the edges, so I think that's darker than I planned).