helicopter mom.

The past month has been tough. When I am overwhelmed with all that's going on I either write a ton on the blog or nothing. This month has been more of a "nothing" kind of month. It started with a phone call from the school telling me I had to pick up Noah. I won't get into the details of it, but it was frustrating for all involved. But most of all, for Noah. He puts his fingers in his mouth to self-regulate and they (an SLP that claims to know what sensory integration is, but clearly does not) don't allow fingers anywhere but on the table. He needs something to chew on. Yes, I mean NEEDS. So one small misunderstanding SNOWBALLED. The next thing you know I am at school very flustered and very, very upset (keep in mind, by upset, I mean ENRAGED). After that there was another incident at school that made me feel like they (teacher, aid) are trying to fit a square peg into a circular hole. He may be smart, but he does things differently. They need to accommodate his needs. Period. Ughhhh....here we go again. She seemed frustrated that Noah won't sit still, hates to glue, etc. Things that seem very trivial to me. Let's talk math, reading and science! She told me he was testing not just above his peers in every area, but way above. She said without a doubt he is leaps and bounds ahead of them. But (isn't there always a but) because he won't sit still and because he hates the ridiculous (meaningless) crafts that she wasn't sure he was a fit for the class. I'm sorry, WHAT??? Did I just hear that correctly? After one month of school you are giving up on him? Really? REALLY??? My heart sank. I know he belongs with his peers and I know he can do the work. But it broke my heart that this person that I believed in gave up on him. She told me he is the smartest kid in the class, but he is easily distracted and can distract others. So I asked one final question-- if you don't think he "fits" here, then where? And she said she didn't know... but he didn't seem to fit there or in his IVE class. He just didn't fit. And that was it. For about 48 hours I sank. I thought about it nonstop. Repeating the conversation. Thinking through every scenario. Contemplating what to do next. Thinking of homeschooling. Special diploma at this point is not a consideration...not even an option. I know what he can do and I won't let him go down that path. So after about two days I picked myself up and got really, really mad. This is not going to happen. Made some calls, set up some meetings. I am now officially the helicopter mom. I am hovering. Hovering in the classroom, monitoring things. Meeting with all therapists and every person that works with him. Setting up an IEP meeting. Calling the principal. Becoming more "involved." Time will tell how this will play out. It has taken so much out of me. I feel like I left Holland to go to school in Italy and I'm not sure Italy is a nice place. :(

Noah was scheduled for an MRI weeks ago. They did oral sedation and it did not work. What it did do was make Noah so tired, unable to walk or clearly talk all day. It was a long day and a waste of time. We had to schedule it again with IV sedation. This time it worked. And we got the results today. Nothing has changed. His cysts, fluid, etc. is all unchanged. This is good news. If the fluid increases or the cysts change it would be cause for alarm. So we are pleased and relieved.

We are waiting on more blood results and I am hopeful to have them tomorrow.

In the meantime I will keep fighting the good fight at school. They are just starting to realize how I operate and I'm sure they don't like it. And thankfully, I don't care.