New Places and Faces

We are one week into our new schedule... which means all new schools, caregivers, and teachers for Samuel.  What a great week it has been!  I mentioned my anxiety a few posts ago, and this week has gone even better than I could have hoped.  Samuel has handled these huge transitions so well!

A few photos pieced together to show you Samuel's new days :)

 First day at the local program just for kids like Samuel... and he loved it!

He was smiling from almost the second we set foot in the classroom until he left, with brief pauses for things like me taking this photo and when I left.  But they were brief!

 On his way to the lunchroom for morning snack with his class.  It's so wonderful, the three women who teach these kiddos are so good at what they do.  There is also a lot of time when they break into really small groups, because the ages and abilities are so varied.  For the most part, Samuel's group consists of two girls and one other boy.  The four of them are just begging to be squeezed :)

This program is from 8-11 Monday - Friday.  On Monday Rachel picks him up after school and heads off to PT, ST, then OT.  Whew.  Tuesday - Friday Samuel heads from his school to George and Olivia's school!  I wanted to cry the first day, and every day since then, knowing they are together!

 The bus brings him from one school to the next, and Samuel is like a celebrity :)  All activity ceases on the playground for garbage trucks, fire trucks, and of course school buses.  Samuel practically runs from the bus to the gate!

GREAT group photo to insert here, but wasn't sure other parents would be okay with it... boo.

Samuel gets there just in time for lunch... luckily everyone was looking away from the camera so I could post a photo :)   For now, he has a shadow who stays with him at George and Olivia's school.  She has been wonderful at both taking care of him and helping him to stay on task!  What I mean by taking care of him, is she does the gtube feed, gets him settled in for nap (even though he never sleeps), and makes sure he's getting what he needs.  While the school has a wonderful mentality that Samuel being there is good for everyone (very research based, I love it), we also wanted to be sure that he was getting what he needs and getting used to his new school without taking up all of the time of one of the teachers.  After a month, we will re-evaluate to see if a shadow is necessary :)    

 Getting to this school right before lunch is perfect timing!  Samuel gets to sit with a group of other children who are all eaters, and practicing family-style dining and serving themselves for the most part.  What a great learning experience for him!  Who knows, maybe he will be eating cake next year :)

How sweet was this, the school waited to celebrate their birthday until all three kiddos were there!  The class made great cards with hand prints and names, I completely see them framed in the kids room.  Cupcakes were included in this celebration, hence the sitting outside - so smart!

Off to the classroom!

From there comes nap time and then free play, including lots of time outside.  It is a great time for Samuel to both play with his new classmates and gain independence :)  His new friends have been so good to Samuel - they're excited that he's there, they help him, and they include him.  He is grinning from the time I drop his off until the time I pick him up, we couldn't be happier!  Another big step for my guy!