1st week of school

We are almost through the first FULL week of school for Karter. Last week he did gradual entry each day. The first few days were about 90 minutes and then he worked his way up to half days. This week however, he has gone everyday all day!

It was weird the first day he was gone. I was working at my computer and then all of the sudden I would have this panicked feeling and I would stop my work, jump up and look at his mat...oh right he is not here. Or I would stop and listen to hear is he was awake from his nap...oh right he is not here. It was so strange. I wonder how long it will take to break that habit? I am certain this transition is only hard on me :-)

I have to say, I was skeptical about how he would handle the full days. I had figured that Karter would crash around 10:30 and then again in the afternoon. I was wrong! Karter has done amazing, he loves his class and it seems that he has not once slept.

It is pretty amazing for this Mama to see how much he is enjoying each day. When I pick him up, he is all smiles and when we hits the car, he is jibber jabbering away in the back seat, happy as can be. This just warms my heart and has made the transition so easy.

I really did fear sending him all day. Will he like it? Will he be upset the whole time? Will he eat for someone else?... Looking back, I realized I really did have a lot of worries. All of my fears and concerns have been laid to rest. His teachers are fabulous, the program is exceptional and for the first time in his life, he is in a place where he is typical. Honestly, if you have not had a child with special needs or exceptional circumstances, I am not sure you can understand what a gift that is. My son is in a place where he is like everyone else, there are no concessions made for him, there are no modifications that need to be made to the program or explanations that need to be had. For the first time, he has a place to go where he can be who he is and he can excel from that place. I almost cannot contain the joy in my heart because of this.

So, the first week has been a real success. Karter has adjusted so easily and seems so happy.