Grade One - Check.

Been there, done that.  Grade one is so yesterday.

Moving on.  Moving up.

 

So much has happened in ten months it is hard to remember it all.  There is alot I wish not to think about again, but there is also lots that was really, really great about Sophie being in school this past year.  To say it was a learning curve for everyone would be an understatement, that is for sure.

So many nights I worried over what was going to be happening the next day, or the day after that in what seemed to be battle after battle.  And it was all ridiculousness.  All we wanted was for Sophie to be part of the class.  It didn't seem like it should be so insurmountable. 

For the kids in the class it was a no brainer.  They love Sophie and were sad when she wasn't part of their day.  Everyone could learn so much from these six and seven year olds.  No preconceived notions of what a person with severe disabilities can or cannot do.  When the goal is for Sophie to thrive in an inclusive setting her educators need to know that each day may look different for Sophie.  That it isn't all about assessment, that sometimes you just can't know what she is taking in, and that is ok.  Her teacher from this year tried so very hard, but I know she was incredibly frustrated.

Sophie loved every moment of being in an inclusive classroom and that is why we went through the struggle.  It was all for her and I know it was worth it.  And we will be there when she needs us to be her advocate again. 

We already have concerns for grade two.  Hopefully with some of the supports we have we will be able to deal with them so that next year is much more enjoyable for all of us.

Switch adapted for the fun of it

Playing on her own terms is not something that Sophie gets to do very often.  We are able to give her choices between items that we choose for her to pick from, but we don't really always know if she wants something different.  When she plays with something we sometimes have to help her play.  I love the concept of Active Learning because it is more on her own terms, playing without help. 

Excited about what has landed on her tray

Checking out her switch

I ordered some battery interrupters in the winter and a few days ago I finally got around to making some of Sophie's toys switch adapted.  One more step on the road to independence for my girl.  When a battery operated toy is switch adapted, Sophie is the one who has the control of that toy.  She makes it go, she makes it stop and she had a great time figuring that out this weekend.

Checking out her horse

Hand on the switch, ready to make it go

I know the more that she is able to use switch adapted toys, not just programs and games on the computer or Ipad, she is going to enjoy all the fun toys that are out there more than if we held it for her and she wasn't a participant in the playing.

Holding her switch and watching the horse walk

Happy with her toy and that she made it go :)

I switch adapted the little horse that neighs and walks across the floor first.  Next I used a dollar store fibre optic light to switch adapt.  Both worked really well and were easy to close the compartments that hold the batteries. It isn't always that easy, sometimes you have to file away the plastic to make everything fit.  It is hard to tell in the photos but there is a wire that goes from the back of the horse which attaches to the plug for the switch. 

 It is possible to make your own battery interrupter, which I will probably do at some point.  There are lots of tutorials on the web, but for now it was nice and easy to order a premade one that I could just use right out of the package.

Lots of opportunity for fun awaits. :)

Italy condensed

This month Jason, Lucas and I were able to go on a trip to Italy.  I was there for a week and the boys were lucky enough to have two weeks to travel around. 

I took a couple thousand photos (seriously!) and had a wonderful time. 

Here are just a few of my faves from Rome and Florence, the two cities I visited.

Roma...

 

 

Firenze...

 

 

 

 

 

 

What an amazing way to kick off the summer.

 



A Birthday party - take 2

When we had to cancel Sophie's birthday party in March because she was too sick, we were so sad for her.  We knew that Sophie would have loved having all her friends to our house for an afternoon of fun to celebrate her birthday.  After a month of waiting for her to get healthy and then a month to find the right date, it finally happened on the long weekend.  On Monday afternoon Sophie was able to celebrate her 7th birthday with her friends.  It was all kinds of awesome.

We had a birds and butterflies theme, so all the girls painted birdhouses which was a definite hit.

 

 Each of Sophie's friends helped her open her presents.  They were all very excited to show her what they had chosen for her.  Sophie received some amazing gifts and she has been having lots of fun playing with them and reading all her new books.  It isn't easy finding toys and gifts for Sophie, but each of these girls chose really special items for her.

 

 Sophie and all the girls had a blast running under the parachute.  There is something about a parachute that just exudes fun, I have not met a kid who doesn't love it.

Five of her friends from school were able to make it and they had so much fun.  I wish I could put a photo of the group of them but I haven't received permission to post the photos of two of the girls yet, so that will have to wait.

 

 It was such a great day and I know that Sophie felt the love that was showered on her by her friends.  She is truly a very lucky seven year old.

The long weekend

We had a fantastic, busy, fun Victoria Day long weekend.  On Sunday night we went to fireworks at a friends house which we have gone to for a few years now.  They put on the most amazing show and this year there was probably over a hundred people in their back yard.  This was the first year that we took Sophie and we were a little nervous about how she was going to handle it. 

As we expected she jumped at the sound of every single one, but she didn't cry.  Unfortunately she didn't get used to the explosions and she was surprised by every bang through the evening.  It did seem like she could see them in the sky though so I hope she enjoyed the display at least.

Luckily a couple of Sophie's closest friends from school were there and they held her hand through the entire night.  They didn't leave her side for more than a few seconds at a time and I think that they really helped Sophie deal with the noise as they talked to her and told her about each firework that went off.   They concluded that Sophie liked the colourful ones that didn't make any noise, I think they were absolutely right.
 

It made my heart happy to see Sophie with her friends at a neighbourhood gathering like this.  It made me thankful once again for having her at our home school and I was reminded that all the difficult times we have dealt with in her first school year were worth it for times just like these.

I basically didn't see Lucas all night.  He was with his friends having a wonderful time enjoying the show and running around hyped up on pop and candy.  His perfect night. :)

 

It was a really great start to the summer, lots more adventures await.

A purple spring

True to my word I set out with camera in hand again today, instead of sitting at my desk at work surfing.  It was another beautiful day and the flowers have continued to bloom and grow.

 I haven't been so great at taking photos of the kids recently.  Last night we all headed out to Lucas' soccer practice and I forgot my camera.  It was a shame because Sophie was full of smiles, she had so much fun watching the boys run around.  I will remember it in a few days for his first game for sure!  For now, nature shots will have to suffice.

I decided to do something different and just have some fun editing.  Some beauty from campus today....

New blooms

Today I decided that I would not sit at my desk and surf during my lunch break at work.  It was so beautiful outside and I wanted to make sure that I enjoyed it as much as I could so I brought my camera to work.  I am so glad I did.  The sunshine felt glorious and I was able to take some photos of some beautiful new blooms on my walk around campus.

As usual I didn't edit anything, but what you see is what you get.  :)