Week one of school is in the books for both Gage and Caleb. I’ve been so pleasantly surprised with how smooth our first weeks have gone! Last week, I was thinking about all the meetings or trips I made to Gage’s school, before class even started. We delivered medication, equipment, food, drinks and more, all just to meet his basic needs throughout his school day. Separate meetings were scheduled to share instructions on how Gage’s talker and gait trainer worked. It felt like a lot, but it was worth it.
I have such a sense of trust in the people who help care for Gage during his time at school. His teacher is uh-ma-zing, which I knew from the first time I met her. But seeing her demonstrate it in the first few days in the classroom has been wonderful. There were a few things in Gage’s IEP that was drafted last spring that I wished were different, but thought I should wait and see how the first quarter in the new school goes before demanding changes. Long before I ever mentioned my thoughts, Gage’s teacher picked up on what will work best for him and has already started including him with his kindergarten peers for things like music and art class. She’s a step ahead of me, but we’re also seeing completely eye to eye and on the same page. It’s such a great feeling.
In Gage’s classroom, there are three awesome paras, helping all the kids get through the day. I feel like they, along with Gage’s sweet, sweet classmates, shower him with attention all day and I know he loves it. One thing I love is that the para who spends the most time with him shares lots of updates with me throughout each day. She greets him as he gets off the bus each morning and has him loaded up and ready to go when I pick him up. I get lots of pictures and even some videos that all make it abundantly clear that Gage is having a great time during his school days.
The school nurse is awesome and so proactive to make sure Gage gets his meds, even brainstorming and troubleshooting after day one to come up with the best way that works for everyone. Yesterday she told me that they’ve got their routine down now, and she even plays music for Gage while he takes his dose. Finding a way to make taking medicine fun is not an easy task and I’m thrilled that she cares enough to try and do just that.
I told Evan one night this week, that even though I know the numerous people who are involved in Gage’s care each day are there for all the kids, they make it feel like they’re there just for Gage. That’s an incredible accomplishment to me and I can’t help getting emotional when I think about it and how grateful I am for it. Truly, the first week of school has been better than I could have hoped for or imagined. I’m looking forward to everything that’s still to come. I know that as Gage adjusts, learns and grows while he’s at school, I will too. As we need to make changes and continually figure out what works best, I hope I’ll always feel as thankful for “Team Gage” as I do today.
“I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:17-21
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
Oh so wonderful and true!!! Thank you thank you Lord!!!