New school.

Hi all! So A LOT has been going on with Gregory at school. I've been a little too overwhelmed to do a post . . . and new things keep happening. I will try and give you the readers digest version. 

Its been a little over a month now . . . Gregory has always struggled with some behavioral issues at school . . . they have just really escalated. After several meetings with his teachers and thearpists . . . trying new things . . . changing his IEP . . . a couple more meetings . . . we have decided he needs a more self contained classroom. His current school does not have something like this. Only 2 other schools in the district offer something like this for Gregory. One just happens to be right down the street from my house and its actually where I went to school K-6th grade. :) 

He will be in a classroom with one teacher and two aids. There will only be 10 other kids. It seems like a very contained, positive, strict, structured, fun classroom. They can deal with and accommodate all the things Gregory struggles with. The whole goal is to get them back into a main stream classroom. They get the behaviors under control first and when they are ready they let them back into a mainstream classroom little bits at a time. They also join another kindergarten class to go to specials and lunch with. One of his neighborhood friends is in this classroom. So, he already has a friend. :)

I think it will be really great. I'll keep you guys posted. Thanks for listening!

Kindergarten Update

All in all the school year has been going good . . . until last week that is. It was just an overall rough week. 

I need to think of a name for when Gregory acts "crazy". I often refer to it as "crazy" Gregory but thats not nice. I dunno . . . its his alter ego  . . . maybe instead of Gregory he is being, "Senor Loco"???? I'm game for any suggestions. 

Anways, what does "Senor Loco" look like? I can't even describe it . . . its just off, weird, intense, agressive, sensitive, snotty, disrespectful, not obedient, hard, difficult, cranky. 

Sounds fun, huh? 

Whats going on? 

I"m not really sure .  . . . mommy brain of mine cannot figure it out. I think its one or many of the following . . . daddy being out of town, school being hard, not having OT, friends not being nice at school, the heat, his lack of vocabulary . . . 

I don't know. 

I do know at school (so at home too) they are working on the following goals for Gregory:

~Write his name

~Hold a pencil the right way

~Respond appropriately to situations

~Two way conversations

~Articulation

~Colors

~Count to 20 (he can now do 25)

~Shapes

~Identify 15 of the 26 letters

~Self awareness

~Math language

Gregory

Gregory is a very active 3 year old little boy who his daddy and mommy love so much! Gregory was a little angel the first year of his life and since then has kept mommy and daddy on their toes. He is now "strong willed", "spirited", has "sensory processing disorder", has had speech therapy and some occupational therapy. All of these things are hard to deal with now but will make him such an amazing person later.

My question is . . . which of these things and things to come has to do with Galactosemia?

I hope to use this blog for other galactosemia parents to share our experiences and give each other support with this very "unknown" disease. That might be the worse thing about galactosemia . . . the unknowns. :(

My hope it to also use this blog as a communication tool between parents to share our knowledge. I have yet to find anything like this on the web. I will share my knowledge and hope to learn more from others.

There are many other things that define Gregory at this moment that are not related to Galactosemia . . . his love of cars, sponge bob, books, trucks, running out side, fishing, bass, music (both playing and listening), dancing, imitating, acting, being funny, and many others. He is such a special boy in every sense of the word. We love you Gregory!