Guys! *gets teary* you are all so awesome! Thank you for all the love on my last post. I didn’t realise how many of you were missing my blogs. I’m so glad to be back in my community with you all. My life is so much better with you all in it!
Man! Motherhood goes so quickly. I blinked and already my eldest is 5 years old and at Prep. When?! How! We are officially halfway through the school year. Better get her suitcase ready for when she moves out because that’s probably only around the corner right?
As many of you would know Annabelle started school this year which was a big decision we went through last year, you can read about it here. Having been diagnosed as neurodiverse it’s always a learning curve and is always in need of constant effort/attention.
Basically, we started school this year holding our breath. Having full confidence in Annabelle’s ability but unsure about how much she would be affected by her condition. Having had no previous experience with the schooling system I wasn’t sure what there would be available for her in terms of help/support and how hard we would have to work to get that for her.
We both have been wonderfully surprised and relieved. Not only is Annabelle’s school, staff and principal department amazing, but Annabelle also has the most incredible and supporting teacher/teacher’s aide. They understand her and they are completely committed to helping her succeed. Every time we have a concern, they are ready to listen and creative in their action plan to assist Annabelle. The comfort it brings to know she is in good hands is a parent’s dream and I just don’t think they will ever understand the magnitude of my appreciation.
I know, I know. It’s prep. You might be thinking I’m making a big deal out of this. To me though, this is one of many defining moments in a person’s life. To be told and encouraged at 5 that you are capable, strong, intelligent and possess the ability to achieve is an incredible message to instil in a child. To have more people in Annabelle’s circle doing that, does matter. As a parent of a special needs child, you understand the fight that is in front of you to allow them to shine as they deserve. It’s different when you know you’re starting behind the 8 ball.
So to Annabelle’s teachers….Thank you for changing and shaping my baby in an incredible way. It will be people like you that help her become all she is meant to be.
I wanted to share a little about how Annabelle is going. When she started, she was doing alright. Probably somewhere in the middle. When she started Prep, she could only recognise her name and could only write the letter ‘A’. We would struggle to get out of class and to the car for the first few weeks. Often having meltdowns right in the school walkway and needed assistance from teachers to get her out to the car. This is sort of what I expected. We organised a reward chart with her teacher and implemented a rewards chart at home. This was incredibly helpful and inbuilt some awesome routines and skills. Annabelle moved out of that phase and about halfway through term 1 something unlocked.
She started to get through her work better, she starting colouring in at home and wanting to do more craft/creative projects at home. Watching her attempt to colour in for more than 2minutes was such an accomplishment. As Annabelle learnt for herself what she was capable of she really excelled.
I’m so pleased to share that Annabelle is in the top 3 of her class for reading and sights words knowing almost 200 now (The expectation at the end of prep is to know 100). Her writing has improved so much. This is a letter she wrote for her Aunty. I told her what letters to write and she did it herself.
Annabelle is actually functioning in lots of areas at a year 1 level and her recent report card indicates she is at the highest achievement level for all areas but one (to which only one kid out of 100 got the top spot….it was for PE. So clearly we have a future Olympic champion at our school haha).
We are so proud of her, but really we are proud that she keeps trying even when it is hard. Annabelle loves her teacher so much so will listen to any of her advice. Her teacher has been helping her to keep going when she finds something tricky and that makes a big difference. It wouldn’t matter to us where her results we as long as we knew she was doing her very best. Getting Annabelle to where she is now though hasn’t been easy. It requires a lot of work behind closed doors.
It requires having the most consistent routines and boundaries. There isn’t too much of an opportunity for us to be flexible. While that works with Annabelle it can be really exhausting to have to perfectly execute the plan to keep maintaining the results. It makes for exhausted parents. It requires going to Occupational Therapy appointments at 7:30am about 25mins away from home. This requires having both girls completely ready for school by 7am, while Nathanael has left before then to head to the office.
It requires tears from me when I sit to do her homework which can take 30mins or more for something that could take others 5mins. Watching her brain struggle and knowing she needs to continue to push through it to progress is heartbreaking.
I wish things were easier for her. I wish she didn’t have to fight so hard. This is why I am so determined to be there with her every step of the way. We are in this fight together and I hope she will always know she is not alone.
I share this with you to be real. What things look like on the outside isn’t the full story. I also want to share this so you know that I’ve been on both ends. I’ve been the parent with the child that is really behind (and she still has physical areas in which she is behind) and I’ve also been the parent with a top mark’s kids. What’s most important isn’t how many words she knows but how confident she is that she is capable and loved.
As parents, we love our children and want what is best for them. I encourage you to keep fighting for what your child needs. Your child is so lucky to have you in their life. Help them to know that they have you in their corner and you will do whatever it takes to help pave a way for them to thrive. That’s always been my keyword for Annabelle. I want her to THRIVE. Whatever that means for her and her happiness, as long as she is thriving.
Among all of this crazy school life, Annabelle also celebrated her birthday, by turning 5 and was blessed to have a birthday party where loads of her school friends came. Annabelle has some wonderful friends in her life and we are grateful for all that came and shared in that day with her.
I’m really loving watching Annabelle evolve into the little girl she is. One of the things I love the most is how much she is interested in information. She could watch YouTube clips with her dad allllllllll day!
Some days as a reward we let her watch an educational YouTube clip of her choice.
Here is some of her search history all of which pops out of her mouth at that moment…
Why do clouds have shapes?
Why do cheetahs and leopards look the same?
What are tastebuds?
Why do gecko’s make noises?
Why do we get earwax?
Why are giraffes necks so long?
What is thunder and lightning?
Combine this with her books on dragonology, bunnies that are scientists and how to plant and grow seeds, it’s an ever-revolving door of knowledge going into that brain.
To my darling Annabelle, keep being who you are and learning all you can about the world. It’s a beautiful place and it’s even more special because you are in it.
Sending love to all your children, whatever they are doing, they are amazing!
Love always,
Love, Sarah Kay, xx
