Countdown to Preschool

Silly Blake before Church..his first day as a Sunbeam. He refused to go. Apparently, he just needed another week to think about it because week 2 went just fine!

So, for those that don't know, our Blake will be starting preschool through the City of Manassas next Wednesday. I noticed his speech just wasn't like other kids his age. It was hard to describe, but while he talks a lot, he is missing a section of speech. He doesn't describe abstract things, talk about imaginary things, or understand imaginative play. He can't recall things from the past very well, and can't describe what he has done during the day. He loves other kids and doesn't really have any social problems, so he'll run around with them, but if they are playing an imaginary game, he doesn't understand the concepts behind what they are doing. He's just happy to run around with them. This is fine for now, but soon the kids will pass him up I'm afraid.

After worrying and comparing him to other kids for a few months, I finally decided to put my fears to rest and take him in for testing. Thankfully, the panel saw the same things that I did. They noticed that his comprehension and expression were very high, but he was missing pragmatic speech. We got the test results right before Christmas and had another meeting in January. The cut-off to qualify for preschool is a 77 on the test. He got a 76 in personal-social and 78 in two of the other areas. It was close enough to get him into the 5 day a week morning preschool. His IEP will be next Tuesday and he'll start on Wednesday.

We're excited for him. Of course, I restrained myself from doing cartwheels down the hallways at his school when they let me know. I mean, come on, only one kid at home!? Woo-hoo! It's a bummer that he has some challenges, but I'm confident that the school will be the best thing for him. I can't wait to see him grow. He will also love the four other kids there and enjoy having someone to play with all morning. The teacher seems really nice, and everyone else knows us from Grant's experiences there. Now we'll just have to get used to the new routine of having Blake ready for school by 8, Grant by 8:30, and freedom for four hours!! So anyway, pictures will come on Wednesday and of course I got him the cutest little shirt for his first day of school.