I have long dreaded this week.
For as long as we have been working with Early Intervention, I have taken great comfort in our services. The routine of therapy visits, the work to help Tessa move and speak correctly, the comforting relationships that we developed with each of her therapists… as I have said before, EI has been a lifeline for us.
Admittedly, balancing this summer’s therapies with our family’s on-the-go nature was tough. We skipped a lot of zoo/pool/friend time to fit in her sessions. We grew tired of the daily interruption.
And this week, as therapy fades away to nothing, we prepare for the transition to school.
Probably, the school transition is what has caught me so off guard. Transitions have always been hard for me. We have been prepared – and are eternally grateful to our local group, UPS for DownS, for helping us to be so, and still today I cried because my baby is going to have to carry a backpack that is as big as she is. She is so excited about that and like many other times in motherhood, I just have to be excited for her new adventure.
Our evaluation and IEP meeting with the school district could not have gone better. We worked as a team and they gave us choices and input into her services. They listened to what we know about our girl and created a plan with us that will play to her strengths and support her areas of need. When we again mentioned our plans to enroll her in Dual Language kindergarten, there was an audible murmur of excitement.
We are in the right place.
Yo soy La Lay 
Did you notice that, the way this shot turned out, Tessa’s shirt reads “YES T CAN!” Love the irony of it! All of her Therapists were so sad to say good-bye to this little girl. They all said that she had exceeded their expectations and they believed she would continue to do so. Ready or not, TURN!