Loving Middle School

By Sandy on August 29, 2013

So maybe there is no need for me to hide out in Josiah’s new classroom after all. The first few days of 6th grade have gone remarkably well. Day one, we received this note, Josiah had a GREAT FIRST DAY! He was happy and cooperative. Huge relief for me. Day two, the note said, Josiah was happy and tired. He slept for an hour and twenty minutes. Day three, he was back to happy and cooperative.

Since Josiah is non verbal, it’s necessary to have some form of communication between home and school. We use a one page document for all the information. Basically, it’s a check list to give us some insight about Josiah while he is not with us.

Sunday Afternoon

By Sandy on April 29, 2013

Getting out and about with Josiah is rather challenging. This boy loves to ride in vehicles of most any kind, but he does not enjoy walking. Getting anywhere with him involves getting out of those vehicles and walking.

IF we are able to coerce Josiah out of a vehicle, he plops on the ground. There is something about the texture of concrete that fascinates him. So, while we attempt to get Josiah to stand, he happily rubs his hands across the concrete. Lately, we haven’t been venturing out much with Josiah.

Church hasn’t been going well either. In fact, we now drive 2 cars to church.Yesterday, 10 minutes after we arrived, Josiah was loud and bouncy and ready to go. I led him out of the sanctuary. Chandler followed.

Monkey Feet

By Sandy on March 28, 2013

I’ve often thought Josiah would make an excellent Yoga instructor. This boy is so flexible. He can literally slide down into a split position on the floor and fall sleep. How can that possibly be comfortable?

Josiah has very low tone. He is able to put both feet behind his head at the same time. I’ve seen him do it. It always amazes me he is able to contort his body the way he does. Lately, he has started something new. He uses his feet to hold things.

Leaving Him Behind

By Sandy on January 13, 2013

Recently, I was away from home for 8 days. Only Chandler was with me. Josiah was not. Though he was in great hands with his dad, I was concerned about leaving him. I really wanted to take Josiah with us. (I think it’s a mom thing, feeling like he needs me to be with him all the time.) I considered various ways to make that happen. One involved leaving in the wee hours of the morning and driving 21 hours, each way.

As the only driver I wasn’t sure I was up for that much adventure. Attempting to navigate through an airport with Josiah didn’t sound any easier. In the end, it just made more sense to hop on a plane and leave Josiah at home.

An Adventurous Spirit

By Sandy on September 17, 2012

What an amazing summer we had this year. It was packed full of activity and excitement. Through it all, Josiah was pretty incredible. I’m not sure how that happened. But, I’m very grateful that it did. I think our little guy is becoming quite the adventurer.

Here’s how I know. In July, Josiah watched his family and some friends speed around a track in go-carts. It was loud. It was dark. Josiah had never been in a go-cart before. Ever. We didn’t think he’d enjoy the experience so we took turns keeping an eye on him.

And then, Josiah surprised us all. He marched up to the entrance gate and waited for a turn. He just stood there. No one else was in line. Just Josiah. He ended up loving it. I think he rode 3 times.