Reflecting on the First Week

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." -Lao Tzu

 

 

 

Colin finished his very first week of Kindergarten yesterday (2 days) and we are thrilled at the way it went.  We are optimistic about the coming days ahead but know that the first 2 days were a transition for everyone.  As the students learn routines and get used to their new environment, a lot of change is taking place for everyone.  However, for a child who can have difficulties with transitions and change, he did really well.  We didn't receive a lot of feedback in terms of specifics from his teacher or para just yet, but we know that as they get into the more specific academic stuff next week and include pull outs with his therapists, we will start to receive more information.  The positives for us were that we had two really good notes and he came home happy each day (although he was also quite exhausted).  As expected though, the ONE thing he talked about (other than telling us the names of his teachers) was gym class (which makes me laugh).  

 

We have a long road ahead but will take things one step and one day at a time...

Last night, we had a much requested activity of riding bikes in the driveway on their "road".  Picture a 40+ week pregnant lady drawing a road in sidewalk chalk with the hopes of inducing labor (it obviously didn't work) and you can imagine what I must have looked like.  The kids had fun and it was a nice way to end the week. 

One thing about our little boy is that he WILL pick himself up and keep on going...

IMG 5919 from Kelli Tobin on Vimeo.

Colin's First Day of Kindergarten

Today was Colin's first day of Kindergarten at Herbertsville Elementary School and the excitement and anxieties for this day have been building for a really long time now.  Ever since we had the opportunity to take Colin to visit his school and meet some of the people he would be working with, we have spent a lot of time talking about it.  The excitement started to build even more when Kailey started at her school on Tuesday and Colin wanted to do the same.  

 

 

For Chris and I, this was a really big moment.  While I was laying in bed last night thinking about today, my mind also wandered back to those moments after Colin was born when the diagnosis of Down Syndrome was confirmed.  I thought about how Chris and I felt and all of the tears that came those few days while we wondered what the future would bring for Colin.  However, at that time we made a choice; we decided that we wanted what everyone else wants for their children and chose to raise him just like anyone else would raise their children.  We believed that Colin had a very important place in this world and believed that he deserved the same things that everyone else did, even if it was a little bit more difficult for him.  

 

 

We have been pushing Colin every day since to do the very best that he can do and have found that there are so many possibilities and that he is capable of many things.  He has even proved us wrong at times when we thought that maybe he wasn't ready for something or wasn't able to accomplish it at that time. 

 

The road to get to this day hasn't been easy and we've faced a good amount of resistance along the way but we believe that Colin is where he belongs and we are looking at all of the ways we will see him grow and flourish this year.  I couldn't help but break down and cry as I watched my independent little boy get on the bus all by himself, very happily, and head off to his new adventures at his new school.  

 

 

There were some fears and trepidations as well but I know that as each challenge presents itself, we will find ways to overcome them. 

 

For now, we are going to bask in the fact we had a really good first day (he even came home in the same underwear!) and hope for many more to come.  We are SO PROUD of our little boy and will continue to push him to be the very best he can be.  

 

 

We love you Colin!

  



Our 2014 Summer

This summer was really a fantastic summer for all of us.  In a lot of ways it was different with me being pregnant because I didn't go to the beach quite as often as I have in the past but it also opened up other opportunities for us to try.  We are still anxiously waiting for the newest Tobin to get here but overall, we had a really great few months together...

Looking forward to the newest adventures as a family of 5!

Kailey's First Day of School

Today was Kailey's first day of school and she couldn't have been more excited.  

 

She has been talking about school and walking around the house with a backpack filled with random stuff (I dumped out pretend kitchen food, blocks, papers, Toy Story 2 DVD, books, and various other items) and a pretend lunch box for weeks now.  She has been asking about it, telling us what she was going to do, and talking about how excited she is. 

 

We weren't sure how this week was going to play out because of the fact my due date was yesterday, but I'm glad in the end I was able to be here to see my big (little) girl head off to school today.  She seemed far older than her 3 year old self really is and was just so excited this morning. 

 

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The only down side is that in being here for her first day I may be missing Colin's first day of Kindergarten (which I will be a wreck over).  It's also been hard explaining to Colin that he's not going until Thursday when we are getting Kailey ready and excited for her.  We've been talking about school so much with him to lessen the potential transition difficulties, but he's been excited talking about it that I think he will be ok. 

After an adorable goodbye between Colin and Kailey, and then Kailey and Daddy, we were off for Kailey's first day.  The whole way over there she kept asking where her school was and telling me all of the things she was going to be doing while she was there. 

 

My big (little) girl carried her stuff in, went right into her classroom, and was ready to start her day.  Until I sought her out, she wasn't even going to say goodbye to me!  (I'll take that over a clinging, crying child any day which I've definitely had in the past!)

 

 

I am so proud of her and can't wait to hear all about her day.  Our little girl is growing up!

 

Kindergarten Orientation

Last night, Colin had his official Kindergarten orientation where he had the opportunity to meet some other kids from his class and sit at the tables with the other students.  It was nice for us that we had already been there because even after one previous visit, he already knew the names of some of the staff members (we've been practicing) and the school wasn't a surprise to him.  It made me laugh because when we walked in, he was already greeted by name and he went right up to everyone to shake hands to say hi.  

 

The orientation was geared more towards the parents in that the principal spoke about the school for about 30 minutes and then the teacher spoke to the parents in the classroom for the second 30 minutes.  Colin was on his best behavior and sat quietly and listened while the principal spoke.  I was also excited because there are two boys who are twins that live on our street that also attend our church and are in Colin's Sunday school class (which is interesting as it is because we don't go to church in the town that we live in) so he is already familiar with them.  While he isn't always understood, he IS trying to communicate with the staff when asked questions and while he needed a little bit of guidance from me at his table, was able to ask the other students for the crayons and for specific colors.  I really feel that as the staff and students get to know Colin a little bit better, they will be able to understand him better when he communicates with them. 

While listening to the teacher speak, I also had the opportunity to observe Colin while he sat at the table with the other students.  She had put some drawing papers on the desk with crayons and other supplies and I watched him see what the other kids were doing and then do it as well.  I was even impressed because typically he's all over the place but last night, he was more deliberate in coloring specific things.  He sat at the table the entire time and only got a little bit antsy at the end (in his defense it was already his bedtime and he hadn't had a nap after a busy day).  I think it will definitely be a change for him in terms of the demeanor of this year's teacher versus last year but just like anyone, he will need to adjust to a different personality.  She spoke about having high expectations for all of her students, which we do as well, so I am looking forward to what will *hopefully*, *fingers crossed*, be a great year for him.

 

Mommy Anxieties

It's hard to believe that in just over a week, Colin is going to be starting Kindergarten.  We have been talking about it and preparing for it for so long now that there are some anxieties as the time nears and we get ready to send Colin to a typical classroom (yay for inclusion) for a full day with new teachers, aides, and friends all in a new school.  There will be new routines and lots of "rigor" (we all know Kindergarten just isn't what it used to be when we were in school) and what I am guaranteeing to be an adjustment period for him. 

 

 

If I look back over our whole summer, it has actually been pretty great in terms of Colin's behavior and in all of the ways he has changed.  It has been a work in progress and some areas have been easier than others, but overall his compliance to complete non-preferred tasks has been far better than it had been.  It takes some strategies to get him to do this, but we have worked through (even though it felt like we repeated ourselves 50 million times) and found some results.  

 

 

As I have watched Colin this summer, I am reminded why our decision to place him in a typical Kindergarten classroom is the best one, even before he actually gets there.  There are far too many examples of how he has modeled things Kailey says and does daily that makes me believe that when he sees his fellow peers doing things, he will model them as well.  When we met with his new teachers and the principal last week, we reminded them that he is an observer and there are many times where it seems like he's just sitting there not doing anything, but his is ALWAYS learning.  There are many times that I have been in situations with him where I have to remind myself to be patient as he sits back and watches other kids not doing anything, only to need to give it time before he follows through with the same task in the same way.  He WILL do all of the same things the other kids are doing, it just might take him a little bit longer to complete.

 

My anxieties start to come in now as I see all of these posts of parents sending their kids back to school and all of the great things they post that their kids have accomplished over the summer.  Potty trained! Knows how to read! Tells stories! Knows all of their upper and lower case letters! Memorized ___ sight words! While I am happy for their accomplishments, my worry starts to creep in as I wonder if I did enough to get Colin ready for this next step.  On top of that, I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of our 3rd baby and worry how much it will disrupt Colin and Kailey's lives at the wrong time (my due date is on labor day and they start school that week).  We have noticed a little bit of a dip in behavior (for BOTH) and a regression on Colin's part when it comes to the potty (wailing Mommy here) that I am sure can be attributed to the fact it's the end of the summer, we need routines again and they are anticipating change happening. While I can justify the reasons, it doesn't help with the timing of it all. 

I know that the anticipation is always the worst part of any change so I am sure once we get into it all, things will be fine.  I honestly just worry the most right now about the potty because that was one thing the school was not as open to.  Unfortunately, despite the fact Colin was pretty much schedule trained, he stopped telling me when he had to go and I have noticed an increase in accidents.  I am TRYING to keep my patience with him, but it's really hard knowing that in just over a week, he's expected to be trained and having no issues at school.  Let's hope for a quick turnaround in the next week!

I know we will get there, especially with the potty, but I honestly never thought when we started potty training Colin well over 2 years ago, we would STILL be at it...

Here's to the kickoff of the 2014-2015 school year!

Pool Water Bugs

The majority of our time in the summer is spent at the beach, but it is nice once in awhile to spend the day at family and friend's pools.  The kids love the water so much and while Colin has much confidence no matter if he is in the ocean or pool, Kailey still has some fears with the ocean and shows her confidence when in the pool.  We've had quite a few fun days recently in the pool, one of which was in Uncle Matt's pool.  

 

Colin has no fears in the water and loves the thrill of jumping in all by himself.   He especially loves copying what everyone else is doing!

While there are things that make him nervous, he is definitely our thrill seeker!

Kailey on the other hand is a little bit more hesitant, but still loves jumping in independently as well.

Like father...

Like son...

Last weekend, the kids spent some time in the pool at our friend's birthday party...

...and had a blast as always!

IMG 5426 from Kelli Tobin on Vimeo.

IMG 5428 from Kelli Tobin on Vimeo.