Evie the Extraordinary and Her Mommy: The Journey As We Go

Dear Evie, I can not believe you’re 3 years old today! You have brought joy and so much life (and less sleep) to Mommy and Daddy. In the past year, you have become so animated and curious about your environment. Calling you “my little troublemaker” has made me so happy, because it means you are getting stronger and able to explore on your own. You love horsing around with Daddy. Your infectious laughter when we put something on our heads to be silly turns a hectic day into the best day.  When we read "Daddy Hugs," the last page of "Goodnight, Dada" sets off a long monologue about Dadadadada and how much you love Dada.   I think you know how loved you are, Evie.  Mommy and Daddy can’t stop kissing and hugging you, and sometimes you surprise us by spontaneously giving us open mouthed kisses to show your love.  You have definite reading preferences and want to put on your own socks...on the same foot. You like purses, even when they belong to ladi...

Today was the big day--the IEP meeting.  I've been primed to dread this day for years--pretty much once my baby was born and I started joining special needs' forums online and heard about this mysterious IEP when your child turns 3.  I hope that I can share our experience to help someone, knowing that every child's experience is different, and every town is different.  I will say that we have had a wonderfully smooth and informative experience! Here is a timeline of how things went down for Evie's entrance to preschool. 1.  6 months before she turned 2, we started hearing scary phrases like "when she turns 3" and "IEP" and "transition planning meeting." 2. Transition planning meeting : Evie's entire EI team congregated in our living room and talked about her skills and goals.  In my mind, this is probably when I made the transition from "coddle-the-NICU-baby" to "treat-my-daughter-like-a-big-girl." 3.  In the l...