school days

Tomorrow is the last day of summer for us.
Today we have open house.
Thursday is the first day of school.

I am sad. I have SO loved sleeping in…well, as much as one can sleep in with a baby who nurses in the night. Somehow it doesn’t balance out real well. But getting up early once more will surely be a hit where it hurts. Sigh.

I am sad because this has been the best summer with Little B ever. He has changed and matured and has fewer meltdowns and the stress on me is far, far less. We also made a decision this summer that drastically affected him: we explained why he has spent the past two and a half years in therapy. We’ve talked about what Sensory Processing Disorder means in his life and what therapy has done for him. Since he is an advanced reader, we checked a book out of the library called The Goodenoughs Get In Sync and he absorbed it in a few days’ time.

This book is about a family of five called the Goodenoughs and each family member (plus their dog) has various sensory processing issues. It talks in detail about what those issues are as well as how they cope and help themselves “get in sync”. I was only a bit into the first chapter when my son whisked it away and delved into it.

Then suddenly he began finding me to tell me bits of information about himself: “Hey mom, when I get a back rub right here [lower back, on either side of the spine], it feels so good!” “Can I have that really big ball to bounce on again? I love it!” (That would be my pilates ball that I never, ever (ahem) use but he used to abuse, so we stuck it in the attic…he did get it back and will roll on it while reading, playing Legos, etc, as well as just bouncing on it, but it still gets dangerous when he and Miss C find overly active games to play with it!). Little B has learned so, so much this summer. Now he understands why we want him to shower every single day (it still meets with resistance sometimes when there are more fun things to be doing), before he can do anything else, even eat breakfast: the sensory input gives him a much better start to his day. The list goes on, but suffice it to say he has really stepped it up. I am so proud of him. More proud than words can begin to express.

However, second grade was one of my most favorite grades ever, so I am also looking forward to seeing what this year holds for my little boy. We have been so blessed that his entire class is looping with the same teacher—so the only new thing will be the classroom and the school since our school system has one school that houses K-1, then another for 2-5 (second grade is moving up this year since there is so much growth -- it used to be K-2 and 3-5). At least he’ll be in the brand new part of the school.

I'm also excited because I’ve always loved the smell of school with its freshly sharpened pencils and new paper (except the inside of textbooks…anyone else notice those smell like puke??). Shopping for school supplies is one of those things I still love doing. Even before I had kids in school, I was addicted to the notebooks so cheap, the pencils and erasers, crayons, markers, pens and book-bags. . .