Pictures from the last few days- catching up

catching up with pictures and the update from Kindergarten testing will follow below.

First- we mailed out our first shipment with medrano to Guatemala.  This is he 12x12 box (the smallest).  I put the cupcakes beside it so you could get an idea od the size.  It weighs 15 pounds.  Medrano ships by size, not weight which is different then how we shipped with King Express.  I was not thinking of the size as we original got things to send down, so in order to fill the box, we had to go shopping again.  We got the box filled and we can not wait to hear that the box has arrived. 

Yesterday we headed over to the library.  Hijo had a great time reading the book with the clock in the book- it was a family's day, so the hands move to help kids learn time.  Hijo could set the correct time every time I told him the time- for example, in the story, at 8 am the family wakes up.  So Hijo would set the clock to 8  o' clock without my help.  He is so smart.

Hijo now has his own library card and he loves checking out his books on his card.  He is learning his pin number to enter.  And at the end, he loves printing out the list of books he checked out.

After work today, I picked Hijo up from Mam and Pap's and we all headed out to dinner (my way of paying them for watching him).  Hijo picked Big Boy's for dinner.  He likes the soup and salad bar- bean soup and lots of fruit.  Mam is helping him pick fruit.  In the summer, hijo would live on the salad bar and the watermelon. 

And after a big, stressful day of testing, Hijo fell asleep in the car.  I love these times seeing him in the mirror, sleeping.  He slept for 10 minutes- the drive home.

Testing:

We arrived at school about 10 minues before he was due.  We signed in and the teacher's aide brought us to the class room.  they asked Hijo to stand by the door so they could take his picture (not sure why).  he refused to let go of me, so my leg is in the picture.

The first teacher then asked him to sit down and indicated that I coould step out- hijo was having none of that, but he did not have a melt down.  So she pulled up a chair for me and I sat and read my book while the teacher tried to get hijo to talk.  He was not having any of that.  It was hard to be quiet and not prompt him to speak up.  She got him to answer her questions on the colors of the crayons, and what he likes to do "play" and who he plays with "Y".  He colored a circle for her and he cut it out (perfectly on the lines), he wrote his name for her and that was it for her testing, but he still had more.  Another teacher came and took him in the next room- I could see him and he could turn around and see me.  While he was in there, the first teacher asked me if always was so non verbal.  I responded that he is only non verbal with strangers, but he talks all the time at home.  She is in for a surprise once school starts and hijo feels more comfortable.  She might regret thinking that he is non verbal.

After he completed the second teacher's testing- it was letter recognition and sounds, the school nurse came to take him across the hall for a hearing and vision test.  I had no idea that these would be part of the testing.  I now have hearing results- no problems - although there must be since he does not hear me lots of times (that was joke, I know he ignores me whenever it suits me). for Vision, he has 20/20 in one eye and 20/25 in the otehr eye- so his vision is perfect. Although again, you would never know that when he is asked to picked up toys and he can't even see the one right at his feet.

When the school nurse took him for testing, the first teacher indicatded that they were going to try to see if he would continue without me.  I was not too sure about this- he was in another room and when he came back, he would expect to see me.  If I was not there, I was worried that it would be all over and he would feak out.  Ok, I admit, I was wrong, he is more resilent then I thought he would be.  I did tell the teacher that  she needed to tell him that I was not leaving him, that I would be back to pick him up and Momma will never leave him.  I hope she said those words and I think she did becuase he made it through all the other testing.

While he was finishing up testing, I was asked to go downstairs to the teachers lunch room and wait with the other parents.  There were 2 other parents.  I sat and read my book- yes I did read it.  And I listened for a crying boy on the stairs- which never came.  after about 30 minutes, I heard 3 kids on the stairs.  The last teacher brought all 3 kids back to the parents and we were done.

I asked hijo how he felt when he came back to the first room and I was not there- he said scared and he looked like he might cry.  I asked him if the teacher told him that I was with the other parents and that I was not leaving him.  he said yes.  So I feel good that she listened to me and reassured him and he accepted it. 

We had lunch and then he wanted to go to Mam and Pap's- previously prearranged that he would go there if he felt OK after the testing.  I dropped him off and then I headed back home to finish working for the day.

I don't know how they assessed him, but I am hoping that I get some indication- either by getting the assessment results or by getting suggestions on things to work with him on over the summer.  We'll see. 

When I was talking with one of the other parents- she indicated that the absentee policy at the school is very restrictive.  I am going to have to talk to them about that.  I had to cancel our vacation this summer due to work deadlines and now our vacation is scheduled for November- the week of Thanksgiving.  Then in 2011, we are going back to Guatemala.  I tried to plan it for Spring Break- assuming that at a catholic sschool, Spring Break would be Holy week- but it is the week after, so hijo will miss 4 days of school (school is out for Good Friday).  So that is at least 7 days that hijo will miss due to family things.  But I feel like it is just Kindergarten and as a single parent, I have to balance work and family.  Time with family is good and trumps some schooling- not all.  Also, I am willing to do school work while we are on vacation and even make photo journals with hijo of his vacations and do educational items with him so that it is not all fun and games, but it is a vacation that incorperates learning and fun activities.

So that is it.  I am done stressing over school testing.

Love and hugs,

Momma