David Christopher was born on August 3rd, 2005, at only 26 weeks and 6 days gestation.

He weighed in at 1 lb, 4oz, and was 12.5 inches long.

Here's his story.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

PTA, here we come!!!

As of 7:55am tomorrow, Monday August 25th, David will be officially enrolled in school!! I can't believe my little boy is growing up!

David is enrolled in the PPCD program at a local elementary school. His teacher's name is Ms. Davis, and she seems really great. She's been teaching special education for five years and she claims it to be her passion. Her assistant, Yvonne, and her will have five students, including David, in her morning PPCD class.

I'm so excited for him, even though my heart is breaking that he's grown up so much. But they go on field trips (ten a year!), play outside on the playground with the pre-kindergartners, learn to ride tricycles, get physical, occupational, and speech therapy, etc... and they teach them all kinds of things. I'll tell you the goal list in a minute.

I'm worried because David is a little bit demanding, seeing as though he has *always* had one-on-one time from adults, and has never had to share the attention with anyone else. When I expressed that concern with the teacher, she said that it was perfectly normal for children coming from an one-child home, who have never gone to daycare, to experience that. So that made me feel better.

You know I'll have tons of pictures from his first day - but here's a teaser - David in his big boy backpack. Hopefully this isn't a prelude to how things will go in the morning - poor kid! I have to tie the strings around his waist, otherwise he can get it off in about two seconds flat. 36_1_20%5B1%5D.gif
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Anyways here's the list of the things they expect David to learn this year:
*name (or point to named) colors: red, yellow, blue, black, brown, and green
*identify and count sets of objects through five
*using a pencil draw numbers 1-9 and letters of the alphabet, including those in his first name
*perform pre-academic symbolic tasks (e.g., count aloud 1-20, recite person information, play computer games) concentrating for 15+ minutes to complete the task
*state full name, address, phone number and parents' first names
*name and point to 10 or more body parts, to answer queries: e.g., "where does it hurt?" "Here, on my elbow."
*hold paper down and still with one hand while drawing with the other hand
*draw straight and curverd lines, left to right, in shaded or maked area, using a model to imitate
*eat complete served meals using standard utensils without prompting: e.g., spoon/fork and knife, glass, napkin
*assert independence in functional physical activites: e.g., toileting, eating with spoon/fork/knife, dressing without help, bathing, helpful chores
*remain seated and quiet during 15-30 minute group storytime, music-time, etc.
*listen to picture books and one-plot stories with multiple characters read aloud: ask and answer questions
*use 3-6 word sentences, spontaneously, to relate personal facts/activites; e.g., "it's my birthday," "green is my favorite color," "I hurt myself, see?"
*respond to questions re: who, whose, where, what, do and why (not 'how'); "where are your red shoes?" ... "on the chair."
*as questions primarily regarding who, whose, where, what and why: "why are your shoes all wet?" "because...uh...I don't know!"
*demonstrate family-specific acceptable table manners daily
*recognize need and go to the bathroom alone; may still need help with wiping
*sing and perform with small group activity songs such as "Rng Around the Rosey" (Verbal leading only, no modeling)
*follow rules in gross motor games (not more than 2 rules) with verbal commands, with adult as caller/leader

That's a crazy lot, huh? He's supposed to master at least 80% in all areas - and they have 3 hours a day to do it in.

On top of all of that, August 13th was was David's first time to go to Progressive Steps, which is the therapy company we will use since ECI cannot take them after they turn three.

It is GREAT there!! I'm so excited for David! They have all kinds of really fun toys, and the therapists are so nice. Even the waiting room was fun!

The occupational therapist asked me if his shoulders had always been "winged" or something like that... apparently it's a bad thing? I don't know... I'll have to google it or something - noone's ever mentioned it to me before.

The speech therapist didn't really work with him much (that day was really mostly an evaluation) but she was really nice.

And the physical therapist said that David looked really good and that she thought we wouldn't need much more than like six more months of the therapy 36_19_2%5B1%5D.gif

Anyways - here is a couple of pictures I took.

Here's David working with Jacob (the occupational therapist)
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And here's David jumping on a trampoline with Ryan, the physical therapist
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I'm so excited! I have a feeling David's about to take off - and we're not going to recognize him in a few months!!!

This is a big week for other reasons as well - this next week is the last week that we will ever have nursing.

It's hard to convey to someone who has never had nursing how much we've learned to depend on them. Of course, the obvious - if David's ever showing signs of illness, they're equipped to handle the situation. However, there's so many small things that I've learned to count on the nurses to take care of. Like setting up and remembering doctor's appointments or ordering medicines when we're almost out.

I always knew, without even having to ask, that when I got home from work, David had had all of the fluids he was supposed to have, is caught up with medicines, and is fed, bathed, and dressed.

And for the first time in David's life, it is us that is responsible for doing all of these things. We are the ones who have to make sure that David's got plenty of medicine. We are the ones who have to make sure he's getting physical therapy at home. We are the ones who have to make sure that he's progressing in his abilities to drink from a cup and potty train.

I'm just wondering if I am capable of doing all these things? Thinking.gif Luckily JoAnn will be around to help me out - she's going to be working for me under the MDCP program (we finally spent the night in the Hereford nursing home on the 15th) and she's really great with David.

... just some random thoughts on a sunday morning.

AND! On Monday, BritKare came by and picked up the oxygen machine and all of our little bottles of oxygen!!

David hasn't been on oxygen even at night since last year (except for when he got the flu in January) but I've kept it around - just in case.

And now it's gone 36_19_2%5B1%5D.gif 23_30_125%5B1%5D.gif I'm scared. 36_1_20%5B1%5D.gif
OK so time to backtrack a little - on Sunday, August 17th, we celebrated David's 3rd birthday party at home. It was his second party - he's just that special!! Haha... here are the pictures from that:

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Weston and Jaxon
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And my nephew Yoda, er, Jaxon
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OK... gotta go finish getting things ready for tomorrow! Wish us luck!!!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Have fun at school David!!! Amazing how you have come so far and have gotten so big!
Hard to believe I have been following your story for 3 years now!
Big hugs you guys!
Darni

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

that is absolutely wonderful that he's in school. also, is his Occupational Therapist single cus from the camera view, he looks kinda hotttt. =)

-adi

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