say goodbye and mean it

 

 

Kindergarten.

 

 

My stars…how did it fly by so quickly?

 

 

These past five years.

 

 

He’s FIVE!

 

 

When did he get so big?

 

 

My baby.  My sweet baby.  He has lived a lifetime already.  At times the days seem to creep by.  Drip drip dripping along.  Inch-stoning our way forward.  Then suddenly, I’m sitting in an IEP meeting and we’re planning for…

 

 

Kindergarten!

 

 

Nuts.

 

 

I don’t know about you…but I often hear negativity swirling around special ed services.  Therapists.  Teachers.  Aides.  Some of it very valid.  I carry a chip or two with specific names on my shoulders as well.  But the thing is…

 

 

each of these people have played a role in Trevy’s life these past two years.  Each of them has left a little mark in his life.  One or two has helped me grow into a better advocate.  Personality conflicts aside, I do believe everyone in Trevy’s life cares about him.  In their own way. 

 

 

I don’t usually get all crafty with the gifting.  A)  I just don’t have the energy.  B)  We just don’t have the mulah.  C) I’m just really not that crafty.  I want to be.  I’m in awe of the girls who are.  But my go-to gift is a couple lotto tickets shoved hastily into a Christmas card.  It’s affordable and fun. 

 

 

But this is different.

 

 

This is Kindergarten.

 

 

And I genuinely wanted to say goodbye.  And mean it.  With the help of some friends, here’s what I came up with…

 

 

   

 

 

A purple (for epilepsy) flower ($1.50 each at Home Depot).  I wanted a perennial that would grow back year after year and forever remind the recipients of Trevy.  But these annuals were just too perfect.  Hopefully, they’ll still think about him without the garden reminder.

 

 

The plan was to add a Trevy hand or foot print thank you note with each flower.

 

 

He had fun helping me squeeze the paint out.  I let him choose the color.  How funny that he choose purple (for epilepsy)!

 

 

I already had the construction paper and the finger paints.

 

 

He enjoyed the first foot print.

 

 

But that was where the joy ended. 

 

 

After that, it got a little primal.  No joke, it was like wrestling a greased pig!  He wanted none of it!  There were little purple running away foot prints all over the yard!  We live on the coast with perpetual wind.  Just when I’d have him headlocked and lathered with paint again…along came a breeze to wisk away the construction paper.  Stress buckets.  I was sweating and he was shouting his protests at me!  I think he was trying to tell me that he wasn’t in the mood for sensory input!

 

 

:: grin ::

 

 

 

To bad so sad, I said.

 

 

We needed to get these &$^# goodbye gifts done, by golly!  And we needed to mean it!

 

 

I succeeded at last!

 

 

I do outweigh him.

 

 

Although the hand prints didn’t come out quite as nice.  He’s very good at the quick angry slap.

 

 

Can you believe I rewarded the little stinker pot with a popsicle?

 

:: wink ::

 

 

After the prints had dried.  And he was snug as a bug in bed.  I cut out all the prints that were salvageable. 

 

 

Added little heart felt thank you notes. Taped them on a clothspin. And clipped them to the pots.

 

 

Good bye, Preschool…

 

 

Hello, Kindergarten!

 

 

Don’t mind me, I’m just over here letting my sappy leak all over the place…

 

 

…danielle