I am so Excited...................

........he said as he ran, sprinted actually, past me to the bus. First day of school, senior year, 12th grade. "I get to see my friends, and go to program and be with my brothers Isaiah and Kaleb. I can't wait!" He spoke at the speed of light but fortunately his father and I are used to speed hearing. We smiled, waived until the bus was out of site and went back inside the house. I love that he loves school, and has friends. I love that he loves his teachers. And they love him! Great stuff. It seems like a million years ago that he started pre-school at the Foundation for Blind Children. A small, reluctant........better 'resistant' student. He liked everything about school then ......except noise, people, therapy, activities and staying awake. Then he entered public school.

This was an enormous stretch for us after they booted us from the foundation. Well, booted is strong, forced departure seem too strong? Ok, there are rules, he was five, but really, would one year hurt? What I am implying is we had to leave and we did not want to. It took us two years to learn to trust the strangers who had charge of our son. And now that we did trust FBC we had to start all over. And instead of 100 students there were 800. And there were bigger kids, and stereos, and truants. UGH! We were fairly excited once we went through the process. And it is quite a process when you have a special child......not that they are not all special, but one that needs a bit more. There is the testing where they determine what the IQ is and they sit in a circle to tell you what all is wrong with your child. I was devastated that first meeting. I was told my son was slightly more intelligent than a stone, had sub-performance in 100% of the assessments and he might benefit from medications. I am serious, this was the summary with smiles and happy tones from all. Did I say I screamed? Hmmmm, I know I wanted to. Oh wait, it was silent in the room, tears in the car and anger when I got home. Then it was OK. You see I knew he was able to much more than he did that day, he simply did not want to do it for THEM. And I knew he did not need any medication, but I could make recommendations for medication and social skills training for THEM. We finally got to meet the teachers. They seemed good. The class we wanted him in turned out to be the wrong place. NOTE TO SELF: Make sure the 'special ed' teacher really wants to work with developmentally disabled children, not just slow readers. By the end of week two of school, ten straight days of crying (both of us), we called a meeting and moved him to a different class. Wonderful choice.

Not only did he do better in the second class but he made friends that he still has today. He is still in school and activities with several of them. This was a great boon as when he moved up to the next grades and then to a second school, familiar people ........."friends" were with him. His extended family stayed with him. Then there came high school "You have got to be kidding me!" I said as they told me there would be 2000 students more or less. No. That is not going to happen. Hmmmmmmm. I didn't really care who had gone there before, not my boy. Faste Forward Three Years! .......Well, here it is. A senior, 12th grade, graduating with a world looming that is bigger than 2000. Questions from the freaked out mom include; Can God really keep an eye on him in the world? Will God still be able to bring the right people to care for him? Will God protect him and be there always? Is there really enough Xanax to keep me calm for the next 20 to 30 years?

We have been blessed with wonderful friends, a supportive community and great memories. As he turns 17, starts the last leg of high school we celebrated the joy that is Cody.