First Day of School

Ready or not, here we come! :) That's kind of how I felt this morning! I couldn't believe school was already starting, but very excited for the kids to get to go, and to have the routine again! I tend to be a more spontaneous or "free spirited" person and love not having to follow anyone else's schedule (probably why I'm an entrepreneur like most the rest of my family!), ;) but as we all know when it comes to kids, a loose routine is key to survival for all parties involved. And it felt great to be back into our routine today! And the kids had such a great first day! 

Two excited kids!

Jude was already buckled in his seat before I could get a photo of the kids together, but Josh snapped one of Selah and me together! <3 I've been focusing more on sweet Selah recently and it's been really special to plan fun intentional time with her! I just love this precious girl!! Because of Jude's therapy and sensory/social issues we've been intensely working on, he naturally has gotten more focused attention the past 9 months. Not like we're keeping track - it just needed to be a "Jude season" for that time, and he's made such great progress that I feel like we're finally easing out of the "critical" stage and I'm able to relax a bit knowing he's going to be just fine. And it's been great to remind this little girl just how extremely important she is too!

When we got to school the kids remembered the routine. They put their lunches in their cubbies and hung their backpacks on their hooks, and picked their "chore for the day" by putting their name tag by a classroom chore (like "feed the fish" or "water the plant".) Then they ran out to the playground to play until class started. The tire swing is often the most popular thing on the playground. Jude and these twin boys (J&C, that he remembered from school last spring) jumped right on and started having fun together. It made me so happy to see him playing/interacting with other boys on the very first day! Selah ran for the giant "rocking boat" that she and a couple other kids piled onto. The photo I took didn't turn out. :( After school she told me all about the new kids and we talked about how fun it will be to make new friends. She also told me she missed her friend Niko, that she and Jude often played with last spring (he went off to first grade). 

And Jude's teachers said he did great today, which made me so happy!

We talked to Jude off and on over the weekend, reminding him how important it is to sit still in a group, and to keep your hands to yourself when standing in line, and how to be a friend to others. He did a good job listening and could tell us just how to do each of those things. Jude's sensory system doesn't work like most peoples, so when he's in a group setting it can be very overstimulating for him and cause him to struggle with simple things. His body's main issues that can interfere with school are:

1. Knowing where he relates to space (he reaches out and touches or leans against most things to "anchor himself" to a space because his body doesn't naturally sense spacial awareness like you or me.) This can be tricky when standing in line because he may want to touch the kids by him. Also tricky for sitting still in a circle... he wants to constantly wiggle and feel secure by moving his body in his space to figure out how he relates to that space. This is called "seeking".
   
2. Deciphering where noise is coming from (all noise is at the same decibel to him, so he may not hear you speaking if there are children playing, or faucet water running, etc. because all noises are all the same volume to him and he has trouble "tuning other sounds out in order to focus on your voice." He can come across as "ignoring you" or "naughty for not listening and obeying" when often he struggles to hear/focus on the sounds he needs to.) 

These are the specific things he's been working on at therapy, and today after school the administrator came up to me and said that Jude's teachers were telling him how much Jude has grown/improved with his sensory/social issues just since last spring. That made my day! I'm praying the week continues on the same.

Happy First Day of school! :)