Thursday was Hayden's annual IEP/ARD. I don't have to tell you how stressed out I get over this day just look back through this blog. I couldn't eat or sleep all week. I HATE it! I went in completely prepared to hear all the things that I hate to hear and how far behind he is and all the accommodations they are going to have to make for him to get what we want in 1st grade. Yep first grade!! Wow when did this happen. So let me just get all the bad out of the way. I had to check a box that said I understand that Hayden will not get a diploma. That he will only get a certificate of completion. Can you say complete break down in my head. Yep I kept it under control until we got home, when Mike informed me that its only if he continues to need an IEP. Well I could be one of those mom's who's says he's always going to need an IEP and I need to get used to it, or I could be one of those mom's that says I will see my son's name on a diploma and a college application. I'm going to be that mom I will not sell him short. I will pray that some day he won't need an IEP. Someday things won't be so hard for him. Some day I won't have to worry about a 45 page IEP that lays out the plans for my son for an entire school year. Some day Hayden will get a report card. Some day I will only have to worry about what lunch box and back pack he wants. I pray that someday is very soon.
The good... I actually heard was the phrase "he is pretty much at grade level"! I also heard "he will have academic goals the same as every other 1st grader we will just need to give him the extra support he needs". I also had the special education teacher that Hayden will have next year say if we can just find ways to help Hayden with his anxiety I think he will be able to be in with the 1st grade peers most of the day and that she had no idea how advanced he really was. To which his current teacher replied "it's because of how hard his mom and dad work at home and Mrs. Makris I know you will help him all summer because that's the kind of mom you are and I wish all our mom's were more like you". Say it with me - huge teacher gift at the end of the year I mean HUGE. I know they all have to say nice things but come on it didn't have to be that nice. So big pat on the back to both Mike and I. But oh boy do I have a lot of pressure this summer and that's all I am going to say about his IEP this year.
Mother's Day weekend.....
On Friday Hayden brought home a mother's day present all wrapped up in a paper bag with pretty tissue paper sticking out of it. It took everything I had to wait until Mike came home before I opened it. I was kidding myself if I even thought for a split second that I could actually wait till Sunday. Nope it simply was not gonna happen. So to show that I had some amount of restraint I waited until Mike got home which was later than usual by the way cause he was out of town. So yeah me!! I kept asking Hayden "what's in the bag?" he would reply "burgers". Now this could be taken one of two ways either A) his favorite thing is burgers and he loves me so much that he would share his favorite thing with me or B) we get take out way to much and he thinks anything in a brown paper bag is a burger. I'm going with A. Well needless to say it was not a burger it was a "plant" (a stick with tissue paper flowers on it). When Mike asked Hayden what it was he said "Mama Day" all proud of himself. This completely melted my heart as it would any mama's. Then I thought wow that kind of plant I CANNOT kill. I cannot over water or under water this one...it can just sit pretty on the mantle and warm my heart every time I see it. Mike calls our house plant hospice "where plants go to die". Yep that's me, plant killer or am I a kind soul who watches over plants in their final hours?...however you want to look at it. I in the bottom of my heart wish I got my Papaw or Nana's green thumb. Nope both my thumbs are brown and wilted.
I am a very lucky woman I have a wonderful husband who takes very good care of me
and ALWAYS makes me feel very special on mother's day...most of my friends and family say it's spoiled but whatever...can you say jealous. If Mike asks for a list I always like to put a ton of things on it so that I really don't have any idea what I am getting. Let me make it clear I do not ever expect everything on my list I just really hate knowing what I am getting. I really like to be surprised. This year among other things I asked for an organic window herb garden. I've been researching these and felt that it would be a great next step up since I have a plant that has lasted over a year. What did I get....all of the things necessary for planting a garden. Complete with the cutest ceramic garden turtle that I have ever seen, which Hayden picked out. WHAT!!!!! Now down in the bottom of my heart this is so exciting to me. I have this fantasy of a big lush garden overflowing with fruits and vegetables. I have so many we have to share them with our friends. Back to life...back to reality... I do not grow things...I cannot grow things....I want to be good at it...but I am just not. But it warms my heart and strokes my ego that Mike has that much confidence in me. That he thinks I can do it!! Maybe he is just challenging me. Am I up for it? Well I've been researching all day what to do and it looks really good on a computer screen. It says anybody can grow tomatoes....cumbers look a little harder but we're going for it. Wish me luck I will keep you posted. Maybe I can be a plant treatment center instead of hospice for plants.
Happy Mama Day,
Love
Tina
p.s I still have not figured out how to add another picture and neither can my techy husband.
