Friends, Chili, IEP Meeting

Last Friday was another day that we watched the kids after school. We played games downstairs. While we were down there, two of Nico's neighbor friends came over to see if Nico could play. Rylan's brother Merek, and his sister Madilyn. So they joined us downstairs for a little while, and then they went upstairs with Nico to play. Jeff got home at 5:45, so we said goodbye to the main house and I started dinner. Merek and Madilyn stayed for dinner, we had rice and ground beef, and cheese and cut veggies. They devoured the veggies, I was very impressed with that! And everyone loved the rice and ground beef.

They stayed over until about 7pm, when I sent them home. As soon as they were gone, I started shivering, and quickly realized that my fever was back and that I needed to lie down. I got into bed around 7:30 and didn't get out until the following morning at about 10AM. Except for bathroom breaks, which were very difficult, I could barely lift my body off the bed. Nico was just about asleep around 9:30pm when I asked him if he could get up and get me my water bottle, which he did instantly and then told me that he could be my servant and whatever I needed I could just tell him. What a boy!

Guy took care of everything the next day and I mostly stayed in bed. I loved lying down in the bed and hearing them have fun playing games.

They went and got pizza supplies so I wouldn't have to make crust, and Guy made the best pizza ever. I chose an animated movie called Epic to watch, which we enjoyed.

I stayed home from church on Sunday, it was another slow day. We played Robot Wars on the bed. Guy won.

Monday came and went, Nico didn't have school that day and I don't think we left the house. 

Tuesday was the Blue and Gold banquet at Cub Scouts. This is a banquet that the Bear Den plans and implements. They decided on a cowboy theme. Guy had signed up to bring chili, so he made a huge pot of chili and brought it with him with some toppings. 

Apparently it was a big hit. He was going to make a double batch but he didn't think it would all fit in our crockpot, so he made half the batch for Tuesday night, and half the batch on Wednesday! (more on that later)

Wednesday we woke up to snow - walking to school early for Chess.

Wednesday was also the day that we had Nico's IEP meeting. 

All the testing has been completed and this was the results and eligibility meeting to see if he met criteria to continue receiving speech services. Since his teachers brought up the issue of his struggle with inattention, he was also tested for attention issues to see if he needed services for that. Receiving services for that requires an educational diagnosis (vs medical diagnosis) of attention issues by the school psychologist, which she did not give him based on results. Inconsistent results is what showed up based on testing and questionnaires filled out by us and his teacher.

They also did an IQ test, but did we really question his smartness? He showed up in the 97th percentile for IQ (which qualifies him for GATE program in the future if we're interested). The piece he did the best on, 99th percentile, was the Visual Spatial portion. "High scores in this area indicate a well-developed capacity to apply spatial reasoning and analyze visual details."

One of the points that was made is that the inattention piece, though not "diagnosed", is getting in the way of Nico being able to use his smartness. The school psychologist recommended a book, which I've ordered and should arrive tomorrow, called "Smart but Scattered", and then the possibility of a vibrating watch that vibrates every 5 minutes or however long we want, to remind him to take an inventory of where his attention is. Was he paying attention? Was he making clicking noises? Was he humming? Just to help him stay aware of what he's doing. What they don't want is for him to always be on the receiving end of, "Nico, stop that.", so they're wanting to help him become more aware of what he's doing so he can understand himself and control impulses better on his own. His teacher has already given him a few measures to help with his need to move - a special cushion that allows him to move around, and a "band", I'm not sure what that is but she said that the combination of the two seem to really help him. The Audiologist also gave the input that taking breaks with a snack seems to revive Nico's ability to focus, so we might work that into his day somehow too. Even though there's no diagnosis, they can still accommodate all these things to a reasonable degree.

Based on speech testing, Nico is still eligible for speech services.

A few other tidbits I found entertaining - Nico was asked what he wanted to be when he grew up and he said he wanted to be a builder or a landscaper. They also did a classroom observation, and the psychologist was quietly observing him in class when Nico turned around and looked at her, never having met her before, and asked, "Do you know when Mrs. Williams [his speech therapist] is going to pick me up?"

Wednesday evening everyone gathered in the Clubhouse for some chili! Everyone loved it. Guy did a great job. He got the recipe from one of his coworkers, it took some convincing, because it was a special recipe, and Guy had to swear to never enter the chili into a competition before he would hand it over. Hehe.. it's a kid-friendly one with no beans and small vegetables and not too hot.

Allicia made cornbread for everyone. 

Thursday, Nico's World Edition of Little Passports arrived. He had been waiting for it. The country this time was Japan, and it came with instructions on how to fold origami plus a few sheets of origami to practice with. Nico made a balloon, and a jumping frog, and a few others. He's really enjoying it!

Nico and Evelyn decided that they aren't going to walk home together anymore. Evelyn expressed her dislike of waiting for Nico after school, and so they agreed to walk separately and they are actually both very excited about doing it. The first day they walked separately was on Wednesday. On his way home he ran into Madilyn and walked home with her. They are still walking to school together, though! 

A few snippets from the banquet and origami

IEP Meeting, GG

Last Friday was Nico's annual review for his IEP (Individualized Education Program). Every 3 years he goes through testing again to see if he still needs the speech services, that is happening next year in 2019.

His SLP (Speech & Language Pathologist) says that Nico is improving and has come a long way in some areas. He has stopped puffing his cheeks out when he says "S" or "SH" sounds. At home we are just supposed to have him try again if he says a word wrong, she also gave us exercises we can do with him if we are ever inspired. We were able to meet the new principle, Jason Adams, and he was very nice. The principle sits in on the meetings and takes notes. The notes then have to be read through and signed by all of us at the end of the meeting. Ms Lung, his teacher, says that it is getting harder for her to understand Nico even since the beginning of the year. We think this is because he has started talking faster.

Guy and I walked home from the meeting and then Guy actually got to work from home that day. Every month his boss lets him take an at-home work day, because he can super-focus and get a lot more stuff done.

Saturday was the laziest day ever. We did force Nico to go for a walk with us. He always tries to get out of it by saying that Jeff or Allicia could watch him while Guy and I go for a walk. But we always need the exercise on a lazy Saturday!

We also restarted our weekly Family Meetings. I'm hoping we remember to continue doing these. This is where Nico gets his allowance, we also exchange compliments and appreciations for each other, and we go over any new family business. I added one chore to Nico's daily routine, and during the family meeting we practiced it. When he gets home from school he now has to unload his backpack and lunch bag before he can have his snack. Also at the family meeting we go through the next week's calendar, and then we play a game. We couldn't agree on one until I found the dice game we had bought Nico for Christmas and hadn't yet played. It's called QWIXX and it is VERY fun. It's a quick game requiring a bit of strategy and I really love it.

Then because our toaster oven is broken, we made pita pizzas in our smaller borrowed toaster oven. I forgot to take a picture. We are having them again this Saturday so I will try to remember! They were tasty. We watched Lego Ninjago while eating pizza.

On Monday we all had eye appointments. Guy and I had ours right before lunch. So afterward, we went to lunch! We went to Boise Fry Company. I had purple potato fries. Nico had his eye appointment after school so I went back there with him. His eyes are fine! We will recheck them every year.

On Tuesday I went over to Pa & Ma's house for lunch then after Nico got out of school we went to see G.G. and Aunt Pat.

I told Nico that the next time we come visit them we'll get Jimmy John's afterward. He asked me to print out a tiny calendar that he could take to school to X out the days as they go by, until we reach March 20th. He told me to circle the 20th and write "JJ" (Jimmy Johns) and "GG" on the day.

On Wednesday Ma and I went out shopping and had lunch together. It was a wonderful day!! We went to Thai Basil for lunch.

Sorry I didn't get more than one of this shot, and caught Ma with her eyes closed. Doh!

Thanks Mom!!

Today Evelyn had dinner with us again!

Nico was mentioned in the student-led video announcements at the school. For being an All-Star! 

And.. hmm.. I think that's it. Here's a video of Nico and Evelyn playing in the clubhouse tonight!

IEP, Spring Break Plans

I forgot a few pictures last week! On the Friday that Nico had off, Guy came home from work early and we attempted to hike the Table Rock trail but when we arrived there there were signs saying the trail was closed due to mud. Nico was very sad about it, he was looking forward to hiking and spying out birds with our binoculars. He had packed his fanny pack with a Lara bar, sunflower seeds, and pistachios.

Guy looking up the trail report after we saw the signs

We got back in the car and drove instead to the library where we played two board games. One of them was called "Secret Code 13+4" where you are trying to pass through lasers to get to the end of the game, and each laser has a number. You roll 6 dice and try in some way to get that number by adding, multiplying, subtracting, whatever it takes. We all enjoyed that one.

Ok now on to this past week!

Whenever I see birds, I take a picture, even if it's a goose, so that I can show Nico and ask him "What kind of bird is this?"

We sold our car on Saturday. We posted it on craigslist and 30 minutes later had a call about it. Then he came over and bought it right then. It was so rushed we didn't have much time to think and plan about what we needed to do to actually sign the title over to him. We signed the title over right but forgot two things - to remove the license plates and to detach the release of liability from the title so we could mail it in. We were very anxious over the next few days as we tried to get it all sorted out. But, it is all sorted out now.. phew!

On Tuesday was Nico's yearly IEP meeting. Guy and I arrived a bit early so we sat on chairs in the hallway that just happened to have a straight shot to where Nico was sitting in his class. He never saw us so I had to take a picture.

The IEP meeting went well, Nico will continue to receive speech therapy in 2nd grade. His speech therapist said that Nico has come a long way since starting in Kindergarten, and even in this last year. He is very polite, has a sense of humor, and is always looking out for his friends and helping them. It was nice to hear all the good things they had to say about him. 

I tried a new recipe this week, a quiche with sweet potato crust. Nico liked it. That is a great thing. Honestly, a lot of the recipes I try are flops!

We made the hard decision to cancel our trip to Arlington over Spring Break. Due to our car situation we think it's best. We will really miss being able to hang with the Grandparents Russell at their house and also just being in Arlington. We may try to take a trip in June, we will see how things go!

Over Spring break we plan instead to find some places around Boise to visit. We are thinking Birds of Prey and perhaps the Bruneau Sand Dunes. 

Nico was reading "Heidi Heckelbeck Makes a Wish" to Sammy and Aadam today, Tiffanie took a picture for me. They were laughing and laughing.

That's it for this week!

Easter, IEP Meeting

Nico got to do 2 Easter egg hunts on Easter! The first one was at church. Every egg he picked up he had to open first. I think he was remembering preschool egg hunt where all the eggs were empty! (Empty tomb, you see).

The second one was at the cabin that afternoon. We ate a yummy dinner and then Grandma brought the kids upstairs while all the parents hid the eggs. Grandma had Bruce read a story to the kids. When I went up to listen, Nico was sitting in the same armchair as Bruce, squished in next to him.

Then the kids were released! We told Nico that all the eggs had something in them so that he didn't have to open any of them first. When all the eggs were found, we counted them and then traded until each kid had 46 eggs. There were just 4 kids, a smaller gathering than usual. Bruce, Rory, Lexie, and Nico.

There were toys and candies in the eggs. The candies that Nico couldn't eat, he tried to give away. There were also notes in the eggs that you could redeem for $5 cash. Each time you redeemed a note you had to do whatever the banker asked you to do. We all took turns being the banker. Nico got 4 such notes so he made $20. He was asked once to jump on the trampoline as high as he could go in order to receive his $5. He really enjoyed that one.

Snuggled up outside while the grown ups finished eating

Guy talking to my brother David

Trying to find the last few eggs

Then we said our goodbyes, loaded with leftovers (Thanks Pa & Ma!).

On Monday we went to the bank and opened Nico a ShareBear savings account. We want to start giving him a small allowance so that he can save up for all the toys that he asks for. He was able to buy a lego he's been eyeing with his $20 from Easter. We had fun tonight because we finally finished putting it together. The age range for this one started at 7 years old, I think because it was one of those technics legos that requires a bit more strength and spatial orientation than a 4 year old would have. So I helped him with it, and it took us a few days of 10 minutes here, 10 minutes there, before it was finished. It's a RACE CAR WITH A TOWING HOOK!

Monday was also our IEP meeting. We went over how Nico is doing and we went over the IEP goals for next year. There is one goal in relation to him being defiant, saying "No!" and sitting down in the middle of class during transition periods when they're moving from one activity to the next. Could be just exerting his independence, we've certainly been seeing that at home, too. Anyway, the goal for next year is to help him transition better between activities. A lot of times the goals just state common sense type stuff but it's good to have it in writing. To help him meet this goal, there will be someone who comes into his Kindergarten class every day for 15 minutes to help him however he needs it. If there is a certain time of day that he has the most trouble, she will come in during that time. Since the class will have more kids than he's used to, they thought this would be good, to get his some one on one time.

No goals next year for academics, he is right on target. Miss Erica says that Nico is very precise, and she points to the wall where there is art hanging and says "I could probably pick out which one is Nico's, it's the one where everything is right in its place."

The only other goals are speech related. His biggest issue right now is articulation. He will get there. He has come so far in every other area!

I talked to the SLP about the Calico Learning Center possibility this summer, and she said she wasn't too sure about the place. When someone else joined us a few minutes later, she said the same thing. Something about how most of the kids enrolled there are not native English speakers, and Nico would benefit more from being around typical peers. Miss Erica mentioned that BSU has a summer language program that enrolls Nico's age, and that might be something better to look into. So, we're looking into.

Next Monday I have the transition meeting at Adam's Elementary school so I can meet his teacher and SLP for next year.

Nico has had tummy aches two nights in a row. There was a time about a month ago that he was telling me every night that he had a tummy ache, but I was pretty sure it was just a ploy to get out of bed. This is different. He LOOKS sick. He goes to bed, asks for water, then a few minutes later will get out of bed and say "Mommy, there's something wrong with me." I ask him what's wrong and he eventually will tell me it's his tummy. I rub oils on his feet and often times that just puts him to sleep. I asked him if the foot massage felt good and he sleepily nods yes, and then ZONK, he's out. Then he sleeps the whole night and wakes up happy in the morning. I feel so bad for him. I know what those tummy aches feel like. I have a guess as to the food culprit, so I'm hoping that tomorrow is better.

Last night he felt so terrible, he was rolling around on my bed saying he had a tummy ache, then he'd whimper, and then he'd roll some more, and then "Mommy, mommy, there's something wrong with me." Then he'd whimper and roll over again :(

Also this past week, we received a package from the Grandparents Russell! Nico just happened to be with me when we went to the PO Box to check the mail, and he was so psyched to find a package in there with his name on it. Waiting until we came home to open it was hard, because we had a few more stops before home: The library, and the zoo. In the package he got some books, including his favorite Pigeon book that we have checked out twice from the library, and now we won't have to do that any more! Also a game and a deck of cards, from Grandma Dee's stash, plus some stickers. All good things. Thank you Gma and Gpa! 

Saturday Market!!! Last Saturday was the first one of the season. Nico got a dragon balloon and a cucumber. Then we headed over to the movie theater for a sensory-friendly movie (lights stay on, volume is down, doors stay open, and you can bring your own food). Paddington Bear. Nico sat through the whole thing and it was a lot of fun. They do these movies every month. I'm looking forward to the next one!

One night this past week, Nico and Evie and I went to the park before bed, and they didn't even play on the equipment, they spent the whole time riding in circles on their bikes on the basketball court. It was pretty cute. 

Back at It

Before I start in on this week, here is a picture from last week that I didn't post.

I took Nico to Fred Meyer so he could spend his last two dollars, and I gave him the wallet that G.G. made for Guy when he was little. We bought 2 Hot Wheels with the money.

Now on to the update!

Nico was looking forward very much to going back to school. He asked about school at least a few times a day as we were nearing the end of spring break. We counted down the days.

Saturday was Nico's cousin Lily's birthday party. And I just remembered that I took pictures with my Mom's iPhone. I just called her to have her send the pictures to me. Thanks Mom!! The party was up at the cabin and it was so much fun! Lily chose first to have an owl sound contest, so everyone made owl sounds. Nico said "Who who whoo" when it was his turn. Then we played hide and seek. Me and Nico were on the same team. We hid behind the bed, in a closet, and under a blanket. Then when it was his turn to count, we counted to thirty together and then went and found his hiding cousins. We ate cupcakes after this! Lily is trialing a gluten free diet, so we had gluten free cupcakes that Nico was able to eat, and he ate TWO of them. And by two I mean that he ate just the tops. The frosting is the most exciting part, you see.

Then there was a piñata! It was one where you pull the strings from it and one of them opens the piñata. Unfortunately NONE of the strings opened the piñata, so Papa came to the rescue and opened it for us. It was filled with small toys, stamps, some cars, and a bit of candy. Any candy that Nico got we traded with his cousins for more toys. Nico was so happy to have his own little gift basket full of squishy owls and bendy bunnies and owl stamps and cars. After he filled up his bag with the goodies, he turned to walk down the stairs, looked back at me and said "Go-a home, Mommy!" heehee! That made us all laugh.

Sunday we went to church. I just happened to have my camera with me without even planning for it (when does that ever happen?) and got a very cute picture of Nico with Papa. Papa takes Nico to the Sunday School room and always picks him up, too.

Nico went back to school on Tuesday. He came home with the 3rd quarter progress report. They send home a progress report every quarter to update us on how he's doing as far as reaching his IEP goals is concerned. As time passes I'm becoming more familiar with this whole IEP deal (Individualized Education Program). We are having our IEP meeting for the 2014 school year in a few weeks. At that time we will write out the goals for next year. He has come so incredibly far since starting preschool last fall, but I know we still have a ways to go before he is prepared for kindergarten.

But, progress report, he has met two of his five goals already! Woohoo!!

One of my favorite notes on the report says:

"Nico's attention span is increasing which is making it possible for him to engage in more cooperative play with his peers. He has really enjoyed the building, computer and dollhouse centers this quarter. He still needs adult help to take turns and share toys. He has played really nice with a particular peer on the computer taking turns using the mouse and laughing and singing together."

I love to hear stuff like that! Seeing him interact and laugh with other kids just makes me so happy. 

Regarding speech:

"Nico has made such good progress on saying the final consonants of words. We have worked on saying the last sound in two syllable words and in two word phrases. He continues to need reminders to not add a vowel after the final "t" or "k" sounds. He is also doing well with saying the "t" in the middle of words (ex: water - he used to say wa-er). It's great to hear him correctly pronounce his name!"

On Tuesday Nico and Guy hung out at home while I went out with my friend Jennifer to a dōTERRA event called Healthy From the Inside Out. It was so much fun, great information, then we went to Solid Bar & Grill afterward. It was great to see her and get caught up.

Today we went to Camel's Back Park. It had been rainy for a few days, so being in the sun was so nice!

Family adventure on Monday.

Nico: Pick-a take-a Mommy

Me: You want me to take a picture of you?

Nico: Um Yes

Me: Okay, here we go. 1, 2, 3!

Nico: See, Mommy!

Me: You want to see the picture?

Nico: Yes.

Grandpa and Grandma Russell are coming for a visit on Saturday!! Nico grabbed a picture of Grandpa off the fridge and said "Grandma and Grandpa come to Nico's house!" Nico has been waiting for this day since the day they left to go back home at Christmas.