Monday Morning Snaps

Some snapshots of the boys, sans pants.

The kids have been getting up around 6:15 am recently. Micah gets on the school bus around 8:15 am. That gives us two hours to figure out what to do with ourselves. Breakfast isn’t an option for Micah because he eats at school. Sarah’s not home from work yet. It’s just me and the boys and the puppy. So somedays I decide to pull out my camera and take a few snapshots of our mornings together. Usually this means that it’s them running off their morning energy, and usually without pants.

I tend to like black and white photography for these sorts of moments.

Today I went to Micah’s preschool to meet with his teachers and therapists to go over his updated IEP.

An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a written statement from his teachers and therapists designed to meet Micah’s specific needs. Every child who receives special education services must have an IEP. Together, the teachers, therapists, and I set goals that are challenging for both Micah and the teachers, to help stretch him to grow and learn. Hopefully, teaching him in a way that helps catch him up to other kids his age or at least helps him excel in the best way possible. The ideal is to help push him past the expectations that may have been put on him improperly.

I am so proud of this kiddo. He’s made some real strides since January. Vocabulary. Behavior. Motor skills. Comprehension. All these have increased significantly. We know he’s a bright kid. The teachers say he’s always the happiest kid that comes into the room each day, greeting the teachers with a big grin and a hug.

Sarah and I are very grateful for the teachers and therapists that have devoted their lives to helping Micah and other kids with varying disabilities and syndromes.

We are thankful for a public school system that places him in a room with students of varying levels of development.

We are thankful for the government that makes this possible for our family by providing these services for him, including a school bus that transports him every day and a nutritious breakfast.

It’s a life changer and definitely something that makes me proud to be living in America. These are the sorts of programs and helps that truly do make America great. When we care for the vulnerable, and for those who need a little extra help to address their special needs, we are at our best. It means the world to us as a family, and we don’t take it for granted.