Social Group
Three weeks ago, Cruise began an intensive social skills group called The Secret Agent Society. My parents were extremely helpful in paying for Cruise to be in the program. It is 9 weeks long, and group meets on Monday nights from 6-7:30. Dave's parents have been so nice to come watch Jett and Miles while I drive Cruise up to Draper for group every week. Parents are required to stay as well and we are separately trained. Cruise has had mixed feelings about it and goes from loving it to completely refusing to go. The therapists that run the program say that is normal and actually a good sign. So...I hope they're right. There is also a computer game that is part of the program and Cruise really enjoys that. Jett even has fun doing it with him, so that's a positive! So far it has been a lot of work, but that is a given when you are trying to learn new life skills. So far, they've been working on identifying how people are feeling based on facial expressions, body language, and listening to their voice. They have also been working a lot on identifying their own emotions and finding tools to deal with anger and anxiety. Cruise has been really good at practicing this and seems to actually enjoy using his tools to calm himself. We still have a ways to go, but I'm hopeful he will learn a lot of good social skills to help him navigate situations at school, especially in a couple years when he's in jr. high.
ICC
In May, my friend Kelsey who is the director of the Early Intervention Program, Kids Who Count, invited me to apply for the Parent Representative position on the Interagency Coordinating Council for the Baby Watch Program here in Utah. I thought it would be a good opportunity and decided to apply. The application process is a little crazy: I had to fill out an on-line application, write a letter of intent, and a resume (I don't have one, so it was one less thing!). I also had to wait all summer because the council had to vote and then send their recommendation to the Governor's office for them to sign off. So finally in September I was notified that I had been appointed. I attended a 6 hour long meeting at the end of the month in SLC and I had never felt so out of place. I honestly felt like I had made a huge mistake because I had no idea what everyone was talking about, and it was a ton of new information hitting me all at once. It was also weird because my vocabulary has reduced itself to a maximum 5th grade level and my recall is pretty bad. So there was that. But my friend Kelsey sat next to me the whole time and tried to explain a few things and made sure I wasn't completely overwhelmed. I also learned that despite it being a volunteer position, I get reimbursed for my time and gas. So I made $230 for being at that 6 hour meeting! That was a pleasant surprise! Anyway, I have to attend one of those meetings every other month. So between now and the end of November, I get to read a binder full of boring information. Ha ha!
Miles' Well-Child Check-Up
I forgot to post Miles' 4 year stats, so here they are:
Weight-33.5 lbs (28th percentile)
Height-38.5 inches (14th percentile)
Yeah, he's the shortest kid in his class.
Parent Teacher Conferences: Cruise
Last week was PTCs and Cruise's gen. ed teacher, Mr. Young, was so awesome and coordinated with Cruise's spec. ed teacher, Mrs. Poyfair, so we could meet all together and discuss Cruise. Cruise apparently has been awesome in his gen. ed class. (Don't tell, but I'm pretty sure a lot of it has to do with the fact that it's first thing in the morning right after he takes his ADD meds. lol!) Anyway, Cruise goes to gen. ed for math, science social studies, and speciality (art, P.E., etc.). He also goes to recess and lunch with them. After lunch recess, Cruise goes to Poyfair's class where he works on reading, writing, social skills, and gets help with any assignments from gen. ed.
His gen. ed teacher is incredible and is one of those people who was just born to be a teacher. He loves Cruise and loves having him in his class. He expressed to me how important it was for his students to see someone who may struggle with things they don't; that it helps them develop a sense of empathy and understanding. He also told me that many students in the class help him if he is getting overwhelmed and starting to freak out if he doesn't do something perfect. Mr. Young requested from Mrs. Poyfair that she send an aide with Cruise during math since he tends to need a little more help than the rest of the class and can't always be helping him when other students need help. So that was arranged and I think will be really helpful for Cruise. Another cool thing is that the 5th grade classes are doing something called the Great American Award or something like that. It's not required and there are a lot of things the kids can do to complete it. One of the things was learning and memorizing all the states, their locations, and their capitals. Cruise seemed very concerned about this award thing and even though he wanted to do it, was super overwhelmed by it. So I told him let's aim for 3 requirements, which would get him a bronze in the award. I have to admit, I didn't help him much with his capitals, but they worked on them at school and when it was time for testing, Cruise aced it! I was so proud of him and his spec. ed teacher and aides gave him a U.S. puzzle to congratulate him for doing so well!
Poyfair said Cruise is doing well in her class and has a couple friends in there. He has really struggled with spelling despite the fact that he is almost at grade level for reading. She said his handwriting is beautiful when he's not in a hurry but still struggles with the spelling. She did, however, say he spells science and chemistry perfectly. Ha ha! Overall he is doing great and I was so relieved to hear that!
Parent Teacher Conferences: Jett
Jett's teacher is kind of an odd-ball, but Jett really enjoys her class, so that is the most important. However, she is terrible at communication. I have yet to receive an e-mail from her, even when I've e-mailed her asking about specific things. I never get any correspondence back. I also wish she'd let parents help in the class more because last year I was there once a week and so far she hasn't asked for help at all from parents. So that has been a little tough getting used to this year. But when it came to Jett, his teacher only had good things to say and just expressed at how helpful and kind he is. That day at school, the kids were all making a special thing for the parents to see. Jett had finished his before a lot of his classmates, so he went around and helped kids finish theirs. In fact, after school when he got into the car, he told me that he was sad that one boy didn't get to finish his before the bell rang. I thought how sweet he was and how empathetic of a kid he is.
His teacher showed me his scores for everything and he was above end-of-the-year goal levels. She said he is super smart but doesn't try to stand out and show off. Honestly, Jett is just a humble kid and likes to do well but doesn't want people to make a big fuss about it (although, he does love to be recognized and complimented, even if he pretends that he doesn't. It's kind of adorable actually). I love going to PTCs for Jett because I always leave in such a good mood because every teacher he's ever had has loved him and never have one complaint about his behavior or his academics.
Miles' Preschool & Field Trip to Cornbelly's
Miles has loved Preschool, despite the fact that he isn't always the easiest kid in class. Unfortunately, the boy can be a little difficult sometimes. Not always, but I've had a few chats with his teacher and he isn't always the most well-behaved. But we're working on it. However, he is always happy to go to school and is happy when he comes home. He always wants to do his homework and really likes practicing writing his letters. Last week I got to go with him and his class to Cornbelly's for their field trip. I was in charge of Miles and one other kid and they were both super well-behaved so it was actually a really fun morning.
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