Kindergarten Graduate

As a parent, it is natural to be excited yet sad when your children hit a milestone. As Susie's Kindergarten graduation grew closer I began to worry what the night would look like for her. Would she cooperate? Would she sit still? Would she wear the cap and gown? Her teachers and my fellow coworkers ensured me she would be just fine. 

Leading up to graduation Susie had been dealing with a nasty bilateral ear infection. The night of graduation she started getting hives which we would later discover she had an allergy to antibiotics. Susie got dressed up in her pretty new dress and we headed to the school. 

Once we got there we dressed Susie in her cap and gown and I was shocked she left it on. Of course I was emotional the whole time but I still didn't know what it would look like for Susie or how cooperative she would be. Friends, let me tell you I was not prepared for how the evening would go. 

Susie's special education teacher, Mrs. Zorn had a well thought out plan to help Susie succeed. She had fidgets ready to keep Susie busy. The class started to come, and there was Susie, in line, waiting her turn. She marched in the gym holding Mrs. Zorn's hand and they made it to the stage. Susie stood with her classmates and danced along to a song. They then went to sit on chairs, Susie kept her hat on the whole time! Finally it was Susie's turn to receive her diploma, again she walked on stage and got her diploma and thanked the school board president and returned to her seat!

 

Now, I was crying for a different reason. Our big girl cooperated beautifully through the entire program. Afterwards was a bit of a different story when we made her keep her clothes on at the Mexican place but we can't win them all! 

  

 

We are so proud of our Kindergarten graduate and can't wait to see what 1st grade has in store! 

End of Year Picture Recap - September, and October!

 Hello friends. It has been a while since I have updated about Susie. Life has been super busy, and Susie has made a whole lot of progress. Would you believe she is already halfway done with kindergarten? I don't know where in the world the time has gone. Susie has made some tremendous progress and far exceeded our expectations in kindergarten this semester. She has had some wonderful Paras, Teachers, and a Speech Pathologist that have made school a huge success for Susie. She loves to go to school, knows her routine well, and works hard when she is there. She also makes sure her voice is heard when she is not satisfied with something, an`d we know how loud that can be! 

September was a good month for Susie, it was her first full month of school at Hamilton. She was busy adjusting to the new routine and going to school with mom and Sally. 

SEPTEMBER

Susie loves to play with toys at school! 

Although we don't promote it, some days this girl just has to have a nap!

Susie loves to swing at recess! 

Pictures are always hard, and picture day was no exception! 

Susie had an assembly at school in which she stayed for a little while! 

The Hornet Mascot came to visit! 

More swinging! 

First time on a school bus to the school Petting Zoo

Her favorite class is P.E. and she loves the gym, this was a photo from a Taylor Swift Dance Party!

This last photo was at a family outing to JC Penney days. This picture does not show the sheer joy that this girl experienced this day. It was a foam party for the whole town. I did not think she would respond well to this, as she doesn't normally love this kind of sensory activity and there were a lot of people in attendance. Boy was I wrong, she had so much fun, and I looked like a fool crying as she played! 

October brought some beautiful weather and some new firsts for Susie. Thankfully she was still able to wear dresses because she was not tolerating pants very well at this point. The paras would put pants on her for recess and then take them back off for the remainder of the day. She dressed up in costume for Halloween and even went to a trunk or treat to get candy! I don't have a picture, but October is also the month that Susie started eating lunch at the table with her classmates. She has done extremely well with this and has only stolen French fries from a friend once! 

    OCTOBER

Susie brought a new water toy to school and her, and her friend loved playing together. This was a big deal because Susie doesn't like to share! 

Susie attended church for 4-H week as she is now a Clover Kid! 

Susie painted during art class! Going to art class with Susie is challenging because she tries to put everything in her mouth so her para always has to be on their toes! 

Susie declares our kitchen bench as her own, and this area often looks like this. Yes, I confiscated the Windex right after this photo! 

This was another day when a nap was necessary. She ended up not feeling very well this day. That is a weighted blanket that was used to help her relax. 

Susie spent the weekend with Dad while mom, Nana, and the big kids were in Columbia! She got spoiled!

Susie got her painting project done and is pictured her with our beloved art Teacher!

This girl always loves doing puzzles. 

We were shocked when she put on this crayon costume and entered a costume contest at a trunk or treat. She walked up to the stage all by herself when her name was called. 

    

Susie and dad ate a good lunch at a local picnic! 

Trunk or Treating at a local church. She walked all the way around and was very patient about collecting the candy in her bag. 

We have established an after-school routine in which Susie and sits at a table to eat a snack while I finish my work for the day. 

We didn't think a costume would work all day, so I found this adorable Halloween dress! 

Susie and her Teacher, Mrs. Zorn made a spider craft together! 

The highlight of the whole month is when they got her to put her witches costume on to trick or treat at school. Nana altered this little dress for her, and we could not be more excited that she allowed us to put it on her. She did not enjoy trick or treating at school as much, she just wanted to eat candy. 

As always, thank you for all the continued love and support for our sweet girl. Every day is an adventure, and we are sure glad you are all on this journey with us. Stay tuned for November and December where Susie did even more exciting things! 

Kindergarten

 Just like that, Summer is over and we are 2 weeks into school!! I had so much anxiety about the change this school year would bring! Sam started 7th grade, Sally 5th grade, and Susie Claire headed to Kindergarten. I was nervous for Susie and I to be in the same building, and sending your baby to kindergarten is hard, no matter what. 

Kindergarten Teacher, Mrs. Greenwood

Back to school night!

Many people have asked what Kindergarten looks like for her. Susie has a para with her at all times. The para changes throughout the day. Susie spends the majority of her time in a special education room with a para, a teacher, and a few other kids. She loves doing puzzles and other activities. I also think the paras are getting a lot of snuggles. She goes to recess, and most specials with her classmates. She also has occupational therapy and speech therapy a few times a week. Susie does not yet eat lunch with her peers, because she likes to steal food :) 

First day of School! 

She loves to swing!

Mornings are so hard!

Susie has done amazing so far. She is getting into a good sleeping routine and is making it through the day without a nap. She is cooperating to get her hair done and clothes on in the mornings. She was not getting up until about 10 so this is a big change. She walks down the hall and carries her own backpack. She loves the paras and teachers and is responding well in therapies. She's eating well at lunch and loves the playground. This week she even pooped on the big girl potty! She is utilizing her AAC more as well! 

Coloring in Art Class

Playing with her paras.

I try my best to not let her see me, and to not respond when I hear her (happy or mad). I do peek in every once in a while and watch her swing at recess from a window! After school she waits for me with a para and then I either take her straight home or she sits at a table and has a snack while she waits for me. She has done so well so far, and I can't wait to see how much she grows this year! 

Waiting on mom after school! 

Twinning with one of our favorites!

Routes

I have mentioned that Susie loves routine, and follows a chosen route at the pool. If you haven't seen her, it's quite amazing. Susie has repetitive behaviors that are fascinating to watch. It's very intriguing and I really wish I knew what she was thinking as she creates these routes and routines.

She hands us sunscreen when she's ready for the pool.

It took me a while to realize that some of Susie's Quirky behaviors were signs of Autism. Susie is selective in what she likes and enjoys doing, but she when she enjoys something, she does it over and over and over. 

Playground at science City!

Susie loves puzzles. Lately she has had one favorite one. It's a wooden puzzle with sea animals. Susie will sit in the floor and do it 10-15 times. The other night she was putting it together and every time she picked up the octopus she would hit her arm and then slam the octopus. She didn't do it with any other piece, just that one and she did it the same way every single time! We still haven't figured out why she was mad at the octopus! 

Puzzles at school!

We visited Chilli Bay last week, and for 2 hours she walked the exact same route. She started at one end of the baby pool by diving in. She then would walk to the steps, get out, walk to the other pool, jump in, get out, and start all over again. Ty and I were getting tired so we just each manned a pool! 

Pool time with the family!

The other night Susie was walking a routine around the living room that involved a dangerous balancing act on the trampoline. She walked by my mom, mom touched her back and said, "what are you doing." From then on, every time Susie went by she would not move in until Nana touched her back! 

I took Susie to a different park a week ago. It took a minute but she developed a routine. She started in the swing, jumped out, and  stoped the swing. Then she would run across the playground, touch the fence and then head back to the swing! 

We were on the porch one afternoon and Susie was playing in her water table. She would duck her head in and then come drop the water on me. I told her to go away, and she would walk away. Then she would start all over with dunking her head, and dripping it on me. To mess with her I started waiting her out. She would grab my arm to get my attention and when I would say "go away" she would run off! 

Next time you see Susie out somewhere, see if you can figure out her route! They are always unique and entertaining to watch! 

Behavior

Hello friends! Summer is sure flying by and I don't like it one little bit! Susie has had a very busy, but fun summer. She is down to her last few days at UCP, and will have a few weeks off before starting KINDERGARTEN! We will save that for another post. 😭

Susie joined the Sunday School class this week!

In this post I want to address Susies routines and behaviors. In the past few weeks, we have had some situations in which people think Susie can't/shouldn't be made to follow rules. However, we have also had a few instances where people don't realize that sometimes she's doing the best she can in the situation she's been placed in. 

I made her take a picture by the UCP sign, she didn't want to stop playing! 

Every child is different and fulfilling their wants and needs is often trial and error. Susie thrives off of routine and structure. Despite her inability to speak, Susie knows right from wrong, and can follow directions. However, that doesn't mean she always likes what she's hearing. This sometimes leads to fit throwing or crying. A major misconception is that non verbal = quiet, and that's far from the case with Susie! 

Her Dad gets the best pictures of her! 

For a long time, I was nervous to take Susie places because she does have a difficult time in some situations. However, we have learned how to accommodate her needs, and avoid situations that could lead to a melt down. Like driving by the pool with no intention to stop and swim!

Fireworks really stressed her out, so we watched from a distance! 

Just this summer, Susie has learned that at the pool we take a break every hour and get a snack. She has never done this before, and it was not popular at first, but she now does it with little fuss. Susie has also learned that at Casey's (her favorite place in the world) she must give the cashier her snack before she can have it back. Last week, she even gave them money to pay for her snack. Susie also knows that the gate to our front porch should be shut, and if it's not she takes care of it. She does the same with all the bedroom doors. Susie is also responding to "come here" "can I have a hug?" "bring me a cup" and "time for a bath." Susie is following the command of "sit down" and is holding hands really well in public. Susie has also started to respond to "tell me you are sorry," by giving us a hug when she has done something unkind.

She loves her brother and sister! 

I would be lying if I said Susie never has fits anymore because she absolutely does. However, I feel the more people that know her are eager to accommodate her and assist us in anything we need. Sometimes that means giving Susie the chips right out of your mouth or a swipe of your cake icing! 

You don't normally want to share chips with her! 

We have had a few run ins in the last few weeks in which I wanted to give people a lesson on having compassion. But most of the time, people we encounter who know our story are wonderful and nurturing. 

She loves her brother's Godzilla and will give him the remote to work it! 

Since Susie was officially diagnosed with Autism I have felt a sense of validation and acceptance. I have mentioned it before but once we learned to live in Susie's world she is thriving!

Thank you for reading along and sharing in our story! If you see me in public and have a question, please don't be afraid to ask. I love sharing our story and often times I learn from those conversations too! ❤️