The day of the IEP meeting, Brett and I were able to get away for the weekend.  Turns out it was a much-needed weekend away!  Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for keeping the kids for us.  As I was dropping the kids off and going through the run-down of the weekend, Emma was pushing me out the door telling me to leave!  It was great. I knew they’d miss us but when the kids are pushing me to leave, it makes me happy knowing they’re happy to stay there.

So Brett and I headed up north.  My parents were in Eastern Europe, so we had the cabin to ourselves.  Oh yeah, and we also had my dad’s Nissan Z convertible.  Turns out it was the perfect weekend to have the top down!  We met my Uncle Mike for dinner that night.  Had breakfast the next morning at a place worthy of a spot on Diners Drive Ins and Dives called Miz Zips.  Um, they make their own donuts there…and they’re made to order. Hello Heaven!! After breakfast we headed up to the Grand Canyon.  In almost 10 years of being together, Brett and I had never been to the Grand Canyon together!  Seems unbelievable.  We had a great time. My brother works up there now selling and leading tours of the canyon, and he got us tickets to the IMAX.  We drove just a bit visiting various spots and we even had a drink (over-priced, of course) at the famed El Tovar Hotel. It was the perfect day.  Here are some pictures!

Brett would never get this close to the edge!

On Sunday, we stopped at Montezuma’s Castle.  As a native, I found it odd that I hadn’t ever been here!  Of course, my parents will probably correct me and tell me that I had been there when I was 2.  So, let me rephrase by saying that I don’t recall ever visiting Montezuma’s Castle.  It was sooo cool!

I think it’s so important for couple’s to get away when they can.  And I have to emphasize that it’s even more important, I think, when you have a child with special needs.  As you read earlier, Emma’s whole education consumed me.  I couldn’t think of anything else.  And the wheels in my brain just kept turning.  It was nice to have the weekend away to recharge.  And even if a weekend away isn’t doable, then even just a date night is a great way to  reconnect and recharge.  I learned this early on after Emma’s diagnosis.  I needed to trust other people when they cared for her (and of course, not just anyone).  And I needed to spend the time away enjoying the moment, and not worrying about my kids.  Not always easy, but proves beneficial in the end.

Where are some of your places to go?

I realize I haven’t shared with you how the latest IEP meeting went.  In a word: AWESOME!  See, here’s how it goes for me.  For about a week before the meeting, I am a stress all.  It’s not a pretty picture, and it’s not good for me and my family.  This time was no different, and perhaps a bit worse.  With the last IEP meeting I was caught off-guard.  I didn’t know she wasn’t progressing.  I honestly didn’t.  Which is kind of weird because I’m usually in tune with how things are going.  So I was frustrated that I was caught off guard.  Emma’s school situation consumed my thoughts from that meeting on September 23rd until this last one on October 15th.  I was racking my brain to figure out how to fix it and make her situation better.  I wanted her to thrive and I didn’t know if she could get the environment she needed.  After mulling this over (mmm…mulled cider, anyone?), I came to a conclusion in my head.  I wanted her to stay put.  She knew everyone around her and she worked well with them (I even snuck around and checked up on some of them).  She knew the school really well.  And I wanted to disrupt her schedule as little as possible.  So I was going to ask for more of a “self-contained” environment.  Technically they don’t have one at this school, which is a shame.  But that’s another story.  But I wanted to see if we could create one for her by keeping her in the resource room (with the special ed teacher) for the morning, and part of the afternoon.  She’d get pulled for her therapies from that room, and she’d always know where she should be and where she’d be going.  To make a long story short, they AGREED!  This was going to be Emma’s new setting!

Here’s how it works.  Basically, she’s in resource all morning and gets pulled for therapies from there.  She heads to lunch and specials with her class.  Then she returns to resource for a bit.  She’ll spend the last part of the day in the classroom with her classmates and learn science, social studies, and also will go to library.

This past week was the first week we had the new schedule. Well, it was filled with rain and half-days, so we couldn’t really conclude anything. The next few weeks will be telling. I have a good feeling about this new schedule though. Oh, and we see the psychiatrist in a few weeks to talk about her medication…if it’s the right one, etc.

The feeling I had following that meeting was great. I felt like a HUGE weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. I just pray, now, that Emma is able to start making some progress in school. However, in this household we celebrate all progress, small and large!

Opthalmologist update:  Emma’s vision has improved in her good eye!  Her astigmatism is getting better!  And so we went and picked out these cute frames to match her school uniform!

Every fall, Emma and I head west.  Ultimately, our goal is LA where we visit Emma’s awesome neuro-opthalmologist, Dr. Borchert.  But, along the way we always manage to have some fun.  And for the third year in a row, we’ve hit up Disneyland for a day or two.  This year I was wise and we stayed in Anaheim.  Years past, we have stayed in West Hollywood, which is close to the hospital (and, an awesome area to stay in). This year, looking outside our hotel door we saw this.

The Matterhorn, probably Emma's second-favorite ride.

Emma was so excited to get through those Disneyland gates!  I think I was just as excited.  In fact, Monday morning, I woke up first and was dressed and ready to go before she even stirred! (granted, a lot of that sleeping has to do with her ADHD medication, but still)  I asked her which ride she wanted to go on first.  If you know my girl, you know her answer was Thunder Mountain.

First, we stopped at City Hall.  I had a chat with one of the cast members there and explained a bit about her disabilities.  They handed me a guest assistance pass, which to me was like paper gold.  If a ride had fast pass, we went directly to that line.  If the ride didn’t have fast pass, we went through the exit to get on the ride.  This cut down or eliminated waiting in line for Emma.   oh.my.gosh.  Hello…why hadn’t I tried this before? The longest we waited for a ride was probably 15 minutes.  And that was for Space Mountain; a ride we won’t be going on again anytime soon.

And, I might add that using the guest assistance passed probably allowed me to walk at least 2 miles more. (note to self: get a pedometer before next trip to DL)  Anyhoo.

So our two days in Disneyland were awesome.  Granted it rained the second day.  A lot.  As in, we were both drenched when we got to the hotel.  But she didn’t want to leave!  In fact, that day during the rain, we went on Thunder Mountain 4 times in a row, 7 times total. A personal record. You can see the evidence of humidity in her hair.  Wish I had those curls!

So excited to meet Tinker Bell!

Only it wasn't Tinker Bell, but two of her friends. Who, I might add, didn't look overly-enthusiastic about being there.

One of Daddy's favorite rides!

Emma loves her some Winnie The Pooh!

And finally, life can go on after that re-opened Tea Cups! It was too rainy most of the day.

I’m ready to go back already.  I seriously can’t get enough of that place!  And Emma’s taking after me.  Never once did she want to stop or slow down.  Even when we grabbed a bite of food, she was always wanting to go! Even though I will gladly head to Disneyland with anyone, this fall trip will always be “our thing”.

It’s been too long.  Way too long.  And for that I apologize.  To be honest, I’ve been so busy and so stressed that this blog fell to the wayside.

Let me rewind.  On October 1st, Emma and I made our way westward to California.  Our favorite state (after Arizona, of course).  We had a fun mother/daughter trip planned and to be honest, I couldn’t get us out of here quick enough!  We spend Friday through Sunday in Oceanside.  We hung out with family for dinner, and saw our cousin play in his roller-hockey game.  Saturday we met up with some friends for a slightly noisy and chaotic dinner (sorry, Shauna!). The food was good and the company was great, even though we had a hard time hearing each other!

Sunday was a great day, as Emma got to go sailing on a real sailboat in San Diego harbor.  It was soooo cool and she had a great time!  We met up with Marshelle and Emily, our friends who live there.  I’ve talked about them quite a bit.  Emily is 11 and has SOD just like Emma.  And she’s an absolute doll.  Love that girl!  Marshelle is her grandma and such a huge source of support and strength to me.  Love that girl, too!  The girls were absolutely adorable (as they always are) on the sailboat.

Check out some of our sailing pictures.  Please excuse the quality.  My nice big camera decided not to work right before we got on the boat.  So I was left with my iPhone!

All secure and ready to depart!

Captain Emily sailing the high seas!

It took Emma a little while to warm up to it…

…but once she did, she didn't let go!

These two girls were adorable together!

We went sailing through a non-profit charity called Heart of Sailing.  I couldn’t have been more impressed.  They were awesome and so accommodating.  Our captain, Jamey, was awesome.  He was in the Coast Guard, was once a special education teacher, and had a daughter with special needs as well.  He was wonderful.  I would definitely recommend other families who have children with special needs to look into this.  It was awesome and Emma and Emily had a blast.  I’m  positive we’ll see them again next time!

After our trip to San Diego, we headed north to Anaheim…Disneyland was next on our agenda!