Valentines & Friendship Parties!

Well it has been party time at school lately! Melea & Adrian's were Thursday. I helped in the resource room and their party also on Thursday and Colin & Devon's were Friday.

Party days are always a depressing time for me. I wish I could go into them more upbeat, and excited but I always get to be smacked in the face that there is something different about my "chromosomally enhanced" children now when I attend their parties in their integrated rooms than I was we were in preschool or just go to their resource room celebrations.

It was one of the reasons I was so looking forward to Adrian going to school this year! It is nice that I can go and see her interacting and participating and not hiding under the table or trying to run away.

And valentines (oh our school calls them friendship parties) Day celebrations are even more difficult...... cause they have required the signing of valentines, and of course each class has a different rule so Melea and Adrian are just supposed to put their name on them.....no other stuff, but Adrian fights me because she wants to give specific people specific ones. Melea can't really write all her name in such a small space and it takes three nights to get all 22 of hers signed. Devon only needs four, but he just scribbles so Miss Lynn writes his name and lets him scribble all over them, same for Eliza and Miranda.

However this year Colin's teacher wants them to put the other children's name on them...... what a nightmare....time consuming thing. Thank heaven for Miss Lynn and her helping me cause with all the hospital visits I just didn't have time to give Colin the time he deserved to complete this task (It took 3+ hours to get 17 valentines written on) with their name and his and of course he had to stop and draw one of his famous pictures on each one!

So Valentines day requires a lot of work from mom (Gosh I love Halloween....show up and watch them eat candy!) a head of time. Dad did try.... but he just doesn't get it, so thank heave for Miss Lynn!

Well I managed to make it to Adrian's party on time (I was waiting for a consult with the doctor) and it was fun, but I had to run back and forth between the preschool room and hers (thank heavens they are next to each other).....

Afterwards I take Adrian out to lunch for our special date. She loves Mexican and so off we went to our favorite Mexican place. She was so excited to go there and to eat lunch! I just love watching her enthusiasm! She is just so happy and excited and usually fun to spend time with!

We run back to school, I pump in the parking lot...making two bottles for Emerson. Adrian and I listen to the Wiggles while waiting! Then I go to our next party. In the resource room for Colin and Melea. I bring the crafts and the candy and the food. The kids were wonderful! All four of the little ones in the room (ironically two of them ARE NOT mine), we made candy necklaces, made a photo collage for our parents, while working on scissor skills and other fine motor craft skills and then the funnest activity was making the "Fruit and cheese kabob's" and eating them!

I think they all enjoyed this activity and we didn't leave them on a sugar high for their afternoon classes.

Melea's party was in the late afternoon and for a change..... she was not the worst behaved child in the class. She actually wanted to participate (I think it was the promise of ice cream sundaes at the end).

Colin & Devon's parties were Friday!

Colin's party was actually pretty fun. Maybe because his room parents don't plan too many activities, maybe cause it doesn't have the "one upmanship" that the other room parties seem to have! I really am not sure what makes it different, cause Colin is so much below his typical peers in so many areas (though these children all seem to love having him there) but this class he seems to really enjoy being in and sharing things with them when I watch him.

Colin makes me a necklace (which I am still wearing) after reading a wonderful story as a group and then they get a few cookies and capri sun. Simple and sweet.....it was just a special way to finish off what usually have been things that I dread going too.

Devon's school just had a small celebration and parents were not invited, but I know he enjoyed it cause I asked him how it went and he smiled and laid down on the floor and made his happy noise! (or maybe he was just happy to see me) It just made me smile and realize how loved I am and how much my kids need me!