Preschool Update

People are always asking me how Isaac is doing in preschool. I know that several professionals in the special ed. community disagreed with our decision to pursue sending Isaac to a mainstream preschool and despite their opinions, we felt it would be best for Isaac to attend a school other than the one he was on track to attend due to his special needs. We are so happy with the decision we made for Isaac. He is thriving and is having so much fun in his current preschool setting. After only a couple weeks of preschool, I noticed that Isaac was beginning to act more like a boy and less like a baby. We tend to call Isaac our "forever baby" since his daily care is more involved than the typical three year old, so it is incredibly exciting to see him blossom (finally) from baby to boy. Isaac is making tremendous progress in speech development and gross motor skills. It is so exciting to hear him begin to verbalize some of his needs and wants, and I love watching his karate and superhero moves. Last October, he was only taking a few steps and even then he was mainly furniture walking. Now, he is jumping--JUMPING! It's incredible.

It still tugs at my emotions to see a typical three and a half year old standing next to Isaac, but I have found ways to cope with those emotions and I always remind myself of how much progress he has made over the last six months. What most people do not realize is that Isaac's self-care (toileting, dressing, feeding, bathing) is still that of an infant. This is what becomes the most discouraging, but I am so used to our "normal" that on most days I have become somewhat blind to Isaac's delays. When he is in a good mood, Isaac is the most entertaining, interesting and funniest person I know.

"Come, Beda (Isabella). Kame (Game)."

He still snuggles with us every night to fall asleep.

Preschool Thanksgiving Feast. He actually touched a green bean.

 
Isaac gets so excited to see Isabella each morning. He shouts, "Hi Beda (Isabella)! Hi! Yo (show), Beda!" (she gets to pick a show each morning and our little TV addict can't wait to find out what she will choose to watch)

My preschool goal for Isaac was for him to simply play and engage with other children his age, and most importantly, to have fun. Without a doubt, each of those goals has been met and we are so thankful for his wonderful preschool teachers and the safe and encouraging environment they have provided for all of their students.