Can She Read?

I took the day off work yesterday and went on a field trip with Lucy's preschool class. We went to the Knox County Airport. It's very small. No security checks necessary.

Like most preschool classrooms Lucy's has some morning routines she needs to complete. One of them to to move a clothes pin with her name from the home side of the chart to the school side.

Lucy is a jokester. She likes to do things just to be funny; for example, sitting on the potty with her pants on, stealing your seat when you get up and many others.

So there we are at the chart when another mother and her son come up. Lucy grabs a name, gets that rotten little smile on her face, and looks at me. "Lucy, is that your name?"
"No."
"What does that say?"
"Tommy."
"Find Lucy."
"Lucy is that your name?"
"No"
"Whose name is it?"
"Ryann."
"Find Lucy." At this point the mom looks at Lucy then back and me and has the biggest look of shock on her face! "Can she read?" I reply with, "She's working on it," and Lucy goes through the game with one more name before she finally decides to choose her own.
The look on the mother's face was priceless. I love moments like that. A moment went Lucy gets a chance to knock someones socks off. A chance to tear down some of the walls of stereotype that are built around people with special needs. It was a good moment.

Birthdays

Turning 5 seems to mark a turning point in birthdays. For us 1-4 has been a gathering of family and a few close friends. I’m not sure if this is how it is for everyone but 5 seems to be the start of the "friend" parties.

We have been to three parties for kids from Lucy’s preschool class. The families have been kind enough to invite everyone from their class. So far we’ve made a point to go to every party we have been invited to.

To be honest they are pretty difficult for me. The kids in Lucy’s class are very kind to her but at parties it’s pretty evident that she is an outsider. She needs a little more help when it comes to the games and sitting and watching the presents being opened. I’m always on guard wondering if she has gone upstairs and found her way into the parent’s bedroom. I’m totally cool with everything but when I see her being left behind it’s hard on me. I wish I didn’t care what others thought but I always wonder what other parents are thinking. Usually I can brush most of this off because Lucy hasn’t quite caught on yet. Recently I’ve seen a look on her face that is making me begin to wonder if she is starting to notice. Ouch!

Some parties are easier than others. This past weekend we went to a turning 5 party for a girl in Lucy’s class. It was great… no organized games, the kids could go upstairs or downstairs. They played, opened presents, ate cake (she’s a pro at this), and played outside. The little girl’s parents were great in the way they talked with Lucy and made room for her to be herself. She is always a big hit with adults.

Spring Break

Lucy and I were on spring break last week. I couldn't have asked for a better week of weather. It was so beautiful out. I thought I would just recap our special outings.


We headed to the Blue Jackets game thanks to DSACO and RJ Umberger. We had a great time. Ian got some one on one time at Nana and Papa's house. I think the popcorn was their favorite part.

We also took a trip to the zoo. The zoo gets more enjoyable every year. This year we are down to one stroller. We take the double stroller. Ian stays in most of the time. He gets a little freedom at the aquarium. We save the second seat for time out purposes. Lucy is still working on staying with us.

We played in the backyard and took walks on the gap trail. It was so nice to bust out the t-shirts and shorts. I thought Ian looked so cute in his shorts, short socks, and little tennis shoes. I kept trying to get a picture of him but he wouldn't stand still long enough.

It was a great week! I was so sad to see it go. I can't wait until summer!