IEP Meeting

Todd and I had Jake's IEP meeting on Friday and were talking on the way there about how far Jake has come in the past year. (For those of you who don't know, an IEP is an Individualized Education Plan for kids that need accommodations and modifications at school. Jake was put on one after his stroke.) Last year about this time, Jake had just started going to school full days. His walking had really regressed after out vacation and he was having a very hard time getting around at school. I remember how hard it was seeing him struggle, he had to go back to using the bike at school just to get around and they would even bring it out to the car in the morning to help him get inside.

A year ago, he still fatigued really easily and had both OT and PT a few times a week. I so clearly remember his IEP meeting last April. There were about 12 in attendance since we were talking about his transition from elementary school to middle school. We had a lot of concern about how he would handle a new much larger school, several different teachers and everything else that comes with middle school. It's customary for different people who have worked with Jake give a report on his status, and I remember getting emotional during several of them. It was so hard to hear all the areas he had made improvements but still had so far to go.

Fast forward to this year's IEP meeting...it was the first one where I haven't cried which made me pretty happy. :-) I don't know how much of it was I'm getting more used to these meetings vs. he showed tremendous growth this year. We heard a lot of good things and the list of modifications and accommodations is getting shorter. One big thing we took great pride in was hearing how much he is participating in class with thoughtful and constructive comments, and that he is doing really well. Not "doing well considering he's had a stroke," but just really well. There have been a few bumps this year, but overall, it's been a good transition to middle school. The thing we have to remember is a lot of kids struggle with organization or taking initiative for example. So many of the things we worry about are just normal 6th grade boy stuff, but Jake is under a microscope so things seem like a bigger deal. He still has goals he is working towards, will continue with accommodations like extended time on tests and leaving class a few minutes early to avoid crowded halls. He also has the choice of taking a break during his homeroom when he's tired. But he's getting around the school on his own, keeping up with his classmates academically and overall succeeding. His new leg brace has really helped his walking and stability and he is getting more and more use of his left hand/arm. We are happy he is still making progress and will continue doing whatever we can to support his recovery.

Spring Break

The boys were on Spring Break this past week and we decided to take the opportunity to go visit my grandpa who recently moved from Oregon to Las Vegas due to his declining health. Both my uncles live in Vegas and my parents have been there for the past two months helping him transition to a skilled nursing facility. It's been a pretty bumpy road the past few months so this was a last minute trip and unfortunately Todd had some critical things going on at work so it was just the boys and I.

While the main purpose of our trip was to see my grandpa and my parents, we tried to get in a few fun things for the boys too. The weather was really nice the first few days, so my uncles took us out to Lake Mead for some boating. It was the boys first time on a boat and the loved it.

It's so interesting how different our boys are. They were this way before Jake's stroke, but their differences are just more pronounced now. Luke is much more adventurous and would have jumped in the lake at the dock if I let him. He road in the front of the boat where it was the most windy and wet, he was also the first one to get pulled in the inner tube. Jake on the other hand is far more cautious and needs to really think things through first. He wasn't going to even wear his swimsuit since he had no intention of getting wet, sat in the back of the boat a bit more protected and took a long time (and a little bit of convincing) to decide he wanted to try the tube. I was so afraid if we left the lake and hadn't tried it, he would regret it. The water was pretty cold, but they both ended up having a really good time.

They also got to have a guys night out with my dad, uncle and cousin and went to the Medieval show at the Excalibur. They serve pretty big portions of food with no silverware, then watch a jousting match. Jake had jokingly told me earlier in the day he was going to sneak a fork in his pocket (he gets very concerned about germs), so I was surprised when my dad told me Jake just tore into is food like he hadn't eaten in three days.

It was a pretty quick trip but I am so glad we were able to go. We got to visit with my grandpa every day and even took him and Jake for a walk with both of them in their wheelchairs. I was so proud of how patient and well-behaved the boys were when we were visiting him. They didn't complain about being bored or ask when we were leaving, instead they answered his questions (which were often repeated) and just hung out with him. Luke said to me as we were leaving that "Grandpa is a really nice man, I'm glad we got to visit him." Made my day.