eSpecially Ben

The Miracle League held a social this week to get us ready for the games this Saturday. Ben is playing for the Braves - a fact his Dad is very happy about. Volunteers, coaches and buddies were there for us to meet. We have a team mom who is also the coach's wife, and very excited players. Logan and Sean had the best time throwing balls and meeting the other kids. I think for them, this will be a time to play with siblings who are in the same situation - not that I am looking for group counseling, but it is a good place to talk, meet and make friends. I get to socialize quite a bit with other parents, but Ryan does not and this can be a safe place to meet other dads facing similar stresses, emotions and questions. The new field, the tons of volunteers, the coach's letter to us - none of it got me emotional. Reading the list of information we received today letting us know of the team party and that each player will receive a trophy is what got to me. Ben being part ...

A creative approach to business - check it out: Pawing It Forward

After three hours of bowling, Logan and Sean were begging to go home. Ryan and I were more than ready too. The one still giggling and laughing at 10pm? Ben. He was the winner of the first game and came in second place in the next game. I guess all that practice for the Special Olympics paid off. Finished up the third frame and look who was in the lead... And the winner...

Ben saw the eye doctor for his annual visit last week, a change since last year when he was given a clean bill of health. His strabimus, or lazy eye, is much better now and he does not need to be seen quarterly. The doctor did mention that when Ben looks all the way to the left or right, his eyes jump, perhaps making objects to his far right or left blurry. Combined with this information the new speech therapist gave us a week ago - Ben does much better with picture cards that are in a vertical line rather than a horizontal line. Putting these two pieces of information together help teachers and therapists working with Ben develop strategies to enhance his education. A word of caution for those of you have not experienced the eye doctor visit when eye dilation is involved...it can be a two to three hour long visit. Bring whatever survival items you need to get through it - food, toys, DVD player and Valium for yourself in severe cases. I had Sean and Logan with me and luckily the...

Ben and Logan had their first day of school today. Sean starts on Thursday for staggered entry for Pre-K students. Ben's bus was too late for us to wait for it, so after 50 minutes of waiting impatiently, I drove him to school. It was so easy, it made me think about making that one mile drive each day. This year, I am trying out a new plan. I will pick Ben up from school at 3:15pm every day to give him  time to eat and use the bathroom before therapy. In years past, it has been a mad rush to get everything done and if the bus was late, it was stressful. Logan and Sean need to be picked up at the same time Ben is "supposed" to get off the bus. By doing it this way, Ben will get to walk with me to Logan and Sean's school to pick them up. I think he will enjoy being a part of this ritual. Hope all goes well for your first days of school!

During a conversation with another parent yesterday about the best way to work with the teachers and principal at Ben's school, she said that she was ready to "do battle." I was glad we were talking on the phone because she could not see my reaction to her declaration. I vehemently disagree with this method of advocating for your child. Using a fighting mentality to get what you want for your child may only get you a reputation for being a difficult parent, that could potentially follow you around from school to school and agency to agency. (The special education/exceptional child field is small.) The results may be that your child's needs are never met. Here are a few ideas that came to mind as I thought about this situation with this mom and how she discussed her relationship with the school and the roadblocks she encountered. Hopefully, you may be able to put a few of these to good use: Be an advocate. When I looked up the definition for "advocate" a...

There are not many times when Ryan and I are both left speechless, but it happened one evening when we were out to dinner with the boys. It was our last night at the beach and a thunderstorm was threatening to hit. We chose the covered porch area because the wait for an inside table was over 30 minutes long. I realized too late that the outdoor dining also served as the smokers' hangout. With the Olympics playing on the TV, the big storm hovering above and three rambunctious boys, conversation with the revolving door of smokers came easy. Our food took awhile to arrive and Ben became fiercely hungry. Ben's mood was not at its best - he was tired and hungry, never a good combination for anyone. One of the quieter smokers brought us out popcorn. He mentioned that things were a bit slow in the kitchen. We thanked him, and assumed he was an owner. After we ate a delicious dinner, the waitress came over to tell us that our bill had been paid. My husband...