Sharing

So, now we have a diagnosis of no signs of issues with Emma's brain and we are facing putting Emma in school four days a week for half of the day.  Three is so young to ship off to school.  Three is still a baby.  Three makes your heart ache when she cannot tell you how her day was or if somebody hit her or hurt her or made her sad.  My heart ached.  My heart aches still.  This schooling, called Pre-K, came with a transition from Early Intervention (our services we received at home) via more evaluations.  There were fewer medical proddings, mostly just observations of more OT's, PT's and speech and reports of the therapists that visited our home.  Again we were in a room hearing what our child could not do and where she should be placed.  Did you know that this went on?  Did you ever think how special ed kids end up at your school? 

Here I am coping after a harrowing meeting of several professionals deciding what to do with Emma.  Crocheting.

Drug of choice-Slurpee.

And watching my babies.

Well, Emma was placed at a school a few miles from us, it happened that the programs closest to us were full.  So from April until June of 2005, Emma attended Eileen Conners Elementary.  Emma had the opportunity to ride the bus to school since it was such a distance.  I could not agree to it.  My baby was too little to be turned over to some stranger for who knows how long while the bus route was run.  We have heard that in some instances because programs are full, that children would spend an hour on the bus each way!  Couldn't do it.  Wouldn't do it.  I relied on our amazing church family to help Archer on his way home.  Our church family stepped up to help even though we didn't share all the issues and concerns they just knew that Emma was getting help with delays.  I am so grateful for people that are willing to help!

I will admit that I paced the floors, I cried pleading tears that she would catch up with her peers.  I again tried to bargain with the Lord to heal my baby.  It was not our time.  Looking at that time now, from where we are today, I can see that we had so much to learn.  If we had so much to learn, it only stands to reason that we still have much to learn.

Just when you think you can adjust to the therapies that have become a part of your week and you think you might be able to handle your baby in school starting at 3 years-old, because it is only for barely two months, you learn you are now in with a much bigger entity than you can grasp the concept of-the school district.

I feel that I started this journey with the school district in my sandals.  Sandals are not the footwear for a journey.  I was in serious need of some broken-in hiking boots.  Have you ever tried to find woman's hiking boots in size 12?  That must have been what took me so long to catch on to what was ahead of us!  I will update about how my hiking boots were quickly replaced with combat boots.  That's right, Emma's momma wears combat boots!

Seriously, could you send this face off to school?