Every parent dreams of spoiling their kids christmas morning and well I want nothing different. Sure there is a deeper meaning behind the holiday but to a kid they don't understand that too well. Now Conner is definitely different. Due to having ASD he doesn't really understand holiday and birthdays, with the exception of the past year.
It wasn't until recently that he was excited for Halloween and now he's excited for Christmas. He will run around our house wearing a Santa hat saying "ho ho ho" and I swear it's the cutest thing to watch!
The past few years have been financially hard on us and we haven't been able to make christmas extra special to enjoy. Also we haven't ever had a Christmas where we were in our own home! We always travelled back to our "motherstate" and spent it with family.we made the decision this year to stay here for the actual holiday and we will travel home for a few days when the husband and Conner are free. This has been the first year that I made sure Conner will get gifts from Santa that he's going to LOVE. Last year he received many gifts ( well I think he got about 20 different dinosaurs from my parents each wrapped individually) but because of family issues he unwrapped them spread out on at least 3 different occasions.
It will be different this year! I told my husband all I want for christmas is to see my babies happy and to see them get plenty of fun learning toys! And sure enough that's just what I have been able to do. I look forward to Christmas morning when Conner runs to the tree as his little brother waddles behind him to go open their gifts.
I know I've said this before but I will do my best to not let myself treat Conner different because he has autism. He is a five year old boy with a disorder but he is still a kid and he deserves the same as others. Now am I saying there won't be meltdowns when the unwrapping starts and Conner doesn't want his toy but he wants his brothers- I know that will happen but I think ill be able to manage.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Monday, December 3, 2012
School. And an Ignorant Bus Driver.
My child, survived his first week of school! One proud mama alert right here! So a lot has happened but lets think of where to start- oh I guess Monday sounds good!
We have had conflicting times about when the bus is to arrive at our house, the not so kind lady on the phone from the bus services said 615 and without thinking my husband agreed, and then the next day a bus showed up at 620... now let me point out that the bus was coming to our house two whole weeks before Conner even started school! So since obviously my husband is military and leaves to work at wee hours of the morning, he waited for the bus driver and told her he wouldn't be actually starting school until after thanksgiving and yet another rude lady said she would come by in a few weeks. So low and behold Monday morning at 615, I heard NO bus but it was after all his first day and I was not going to put him in the hands of that many strangers all at once. As I was getting ready to wake my kids up and get them dressed I heard a bus stop in front of our house, I looked at my phone- it was 640! Yes you read that correctly! So me being the mother I am, I walked outside and confronted the bus driver. First I asked if she was the only person on the bus since we requested an assistant in our IEP, she responded with yes (keep in mind this is a full size regular school bus, we requested a smaller bus with an assistant) so then I asked to see the so called "car seat". First of all this was not a carseat! It was a cutout in the foam "seats" they have with a 5 point harness wrapped around where he would "sit" so I kindly told the lady, he was not going to stay seated in there and she bluntly said "OH he cant get OUTTA dat"! I swear to the readers that was the exact way she said that. Im sorry but that "SHIT aint gonna fly here" SO I then proceeded to ask what time she was going to be here becasue I was confused, she then proceeded to tell me (in her not so proper english) that "oh no hunny, I told your husband 6:15 to 6:20". that is when I snapped. All i responded with is "Its 6:40" and "He will not be riding your bus" and I turned and walked back in my house.
I do not understand how somebody can be so rude to a person who was nothing but polite to them. This person should not be driving a bus nor will my child ever rider her bus. I refuse to possibly wait 20-25 minutes for her to possibly show up at my house! Elementary school does not start until 730 here and thankfully it is only ten minutes down the road.
So besides the bus fiasco, I drove him to school, walked him to his class and greeted his teacher. My child looked like he had been doing that for years, he definitely fit right in and had no issues with us leaving him!! Me on the other hand- I couldn't wait til 1030 to pick him up!
He survived his first week with minimal issues, with the main one being he didn't want to eat any of the school breakfast. Which honestly I knew would be an issue because he is so picky at home so I made sure to pack an apple every day just in case.
The coolest part about his first week is how much he's changed- we are now at the end of the two week mark since well I'm one busy mama and haven't had time to post quickly (sorry mom! Haha). Not only has my child started "talking" more to the point of he can say "taa sh can" for trashcan and "ahl done" for all done- my child is officially potty training himself! For the past 7 days, my son has gone potty in the big boy potty 6 out of 7 days when prompted. I have tried for years to potty train and I honestly was ready to give up. When surprisingly he is showing us that he is ready and wants to try!
School is doing amazing things for my child and I really hope you are understanding how much help there is out there! He looks forward to going and even more I can feel the bond that his teachers have with him! Thank you ladies for being part of the support Conner needs, it's more than just a job! As for the bus driver, I suggest finding a new job.
We have had conflicting times about when the bus is to arrive at our house, the not so kind lady on the phone from the bus services said 615 and without thinking my husband agreed, and then the next day a bus showed up at 620... now let me point out that the bus was coming to our house two whole weeks before Conner even started school! So since obviously my husband is military and leaves to work at wee hours of the morning, he waited for the bus driver and told her he wouldn't be actually starting school until after thanksgiving and yet another rude lady said she would come by in a few weeks. So low and behold Monday morning at 615, I heard NO bus but it was after all his first day and I was not going to put him in the hands of that many strangers all at once. As I was getting ready to wake my kids up and get them dressed I heard a bus stop in front of our house, I looked at my phone- it was 640! Yes you read that correctly! So me being the mother I am, I walked outside and confronted the bus driver. First I asked if she was the only person on the bus since we requested an assistant in our IEP, she responded with yes (keep in mind this is a full size regular school bus, we requested a smaller bus with an assistant) so then I asked to see the so called "car seat". First of all this was not a carseat! It was a cutout in the foam "seats" they have with a 5 point harness wrapped around where he would "sit" so I kindly told the lady, he was not going to stay seated in there and she bluntly said "OH he cant get OUTTA dat"! I swear to the readers that was the exact way she said that. Im sorry but that "SHIT aint gonna fly here" SO I then proceeded to ask what time she was going to be here becasue I was confused, she then proceeded to tell me (in her not so proper english) that "oh no hunny, I told your husband 6:15 to 6:20". that is when I snapped. All i responded with is "Its 6:40" and "He will not be riding your bus" and I turned and walked back in my house.
I do not understand how somebody can be so rude to a person who was nothing but polite to them. This person should not be driving a bus nor will my child ever rider her bus. I refuse to possibly wait 20-25 minutes for her to possibly show up at my house! Elementary school does not start until 730 here and thankfully it is only ten minutes down the road.
So besides the bus fiasco, I drove him to school, walked him to his class and greeted his teacher. My child looked like he had been doing that for years, he definitely fit right in and had no issues with us leaving him!! Me on the other hand- I couldn't wait til 1030 to pick him up!
He survived his first week with minimal issues, with the main one being he didn't want to eat any of the school breakfast. Which honestly I knew would be an issue because he is so picky at home so I made sure to pack an apple every day just in case.
The coolest part about his first week is how much he's changed- we are now at the end of the two week mark since well I'm one busy mama and haven't had time to post quickly (sorry mom! Haha). Not only has my child started "talking" more to the point of he can say "taa sh can" for trashcan and "ahl done" for all done- my child is officially potty training himself! For the past 7 days, my son has gone potty in the big boy potty 6 out of 7 days when prompted. I have tried for years to potty train and I honestly was ready to give up. When surprisingly he is showing us that he is ready and wants to try!
School is doing amazing things for my child and I really hope you are understanding how much help there is out there! He looks forward to going and even more I can feel the bond that his teachers have with him! Thank you ladies for being part of the support Conner needs, it's more than just a job! As for the bus driver, I suggest finding a new job.
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