[New House] Mason's Little Man Cave.

I'm super excited to share some photos with you today of Mason's room at our new house. His room was the first that I started decorating after we moved and is one of the first that we have fully finished. I did this purposely because we wanted him to feel at home right away. Sometimes kids with autism do well with change... and sometimes they don't, so we wanted to be prepared in case the latter happened. Thankfully for us, Mason has done well with both of our moves. I made sure to make sure his room was the first one complete at our apartment when we moved at the end of May last year and I even bought a little "welcome home" gift for him. That transition went well, so I had high hopes for this one too, but being the second move in 6 months, I was worried he would be confused on where "home" was and that this would throw him off. I talked it up for DAYS and luckily he went to school the morning we moved, daycare after school, and then ABA therapy after that, so we kept things normal for him, and when he came home, we really talked up how exciting it was that he had this cool new room. If you follow me on Instagram, you may remember how excited he was when he came home and he even said "thank you, mommy, thank you!" to me when I showed him his room. While I didn't feel like I did anything special, I was super happy that he was so excited about his room, enough so to thank me, completely unprompted.

All that being said, Mason is still in love with his room (and our new house) and I often find him playing in there by himself because he's so excited about everything he has in there. We finally finished his room this weekend (last minute decorating), so I thought I'd share it with you today. It's far from Pinterest worthy, but it's cute and functional and I love how it turned out!

Side note: sorry for the bad lighting. It's either super bright or not bright at all. Opening the blinds made it too bright, the lamp made it awkward colored light, and well, I just went with what I had ;)

Welcome!

from the hallway, looking in.

on his wall right when you walk in.

welcome to his little man cave!

if you walk straight in, this is what you'll see, his bookshelf of sorts.

bookself is the old EXPEDIT from IKEA (I don't know what they call them now?)

the rug is a new addition and from IKEA.

we updated the bins in the bookshelf to green for a pop of color from the black that they used to be.

the DIY art gallery wall moved from the living room to Mason's room and is decorated for Valentine's Day right now.

as you turn, you see his little reading nook.

picture ledges are from IKEA.

M-A-S-O-N letters are from Anthropologie.

next to his reading nook is his bed.

bedding is from PBK.

AWESOME pillow is from PBK.

dinosaur pillow is from Land of Nod.

dinosaur picture is from Target.

next to his bed is his dresser.

next to his dresser is his closet.

next to the closet, we hung his M hook.

he keeps his backpack for school here.

backpack is from PBK.

M hook is from Pottery Barn.

view to the rest of the house.

And there you have it! It's pretty simple yet functional. I don't know if this is how it will stay forever, I'm sure we will change things as he grows up (like add a desk for school work), but for now it has somewhat of a dinosaur theme (with some decor and his bedding), but is just kind of all around "boy" themed mainly, if that can be a theme. He also has some stuff stored in his closet, like board games and such, that don't fit on the bookshelf and we have more toys out in the living room on another EXPEDIT that the TV sits on (seriously, toys EVERYWHERE).

I tried to reference where we got most things, in case anyone was interested, but if you'd like a direct link or have a question about where we got anything that I didn't mention, leave a comment below and I'll be sure to tell you!

K/1 Combo ----> Kindergarten Only [Week 3]

When I last left you, I left you with the uncertainty of if Mason would remain in the kindergarten/1st grade combo class or if he would be moved to a kindergarten only class and I'm happy to say that he got moved!

Tuesday, September 5th was Mason's first day in his new class. We prepped him all weekend and explained to him that he'd be going in to a new class come Tuesday and while I think he is still a bit confused (when we ask him who his teacher is, he sometimes still says his old teacher's name), I think he is also excited because a couple of the kids from his after school care are also in that class.

Day 1 and Day 2 at his new class went well! He was super excited to finally be able to hang his backpack outside the classroom on the hooks that we see all the other kids hanging their backpacks on (he used to have to take his in with him and hang them on the other side outside his classroom in the 1st grade wing). He stood in line by himself, with his new classmates, and then teacher came out to walk the kids in to the classroom. I was standing off to the side and he said "bye mommy!" and walked right in like a pro. I stopped to just introduce myself and say hi and point Mason out to her before she went back inside and saw him sitting there with his classmates on the rug waiting for the teacher to come back.

All in all, I think this was the right move and the best move for him. We are very happy about it and can't wait to see how the rest of the school year goes in his new class.

***

Without getting in to too much detail, the IEP meeting on Friday went WELL. Or in my opinion, it went well. It started out with the principal saying that they thought Mason would do well in the combo class due to his scores on his evaluation last Fall, but due to the fact that table work is not his strong suit and he needs a little extra help and re-direction, they wanted to move him to a kindergarten only class. We fully agreed.

I mentioned that I'd like to get him evaluated for OT (occupational therapy) to help with some fine motor skills delays and they fully agreed. His now 'old teacher' brought in some writing samples and I had his evaluation from his old OT place for reference so they had a good starting point to base the evaluation on.

His now 'old teacher' also mentioned a couple behavioral things that he was doing in class that she wanted noted. During circle time she mentioned that she will ask a question and Mason is always very quick to answer. She said he is very smart and always knows the right answer, but he blurts out the answer, loudly, and doesn't let other kids have a chance to answer. She doesn't want to crush his spirit and his love for learning, but she also needs to let the other kids have a chance to answer also. And then she mentioned something that we'd never experienced before... he's been taking off some clothes in class. Apparently he is either VERY comfortable in her classroom or is seeking some sort of sensory stimulation and takes off his shoes, sometimes socks, and lifts up his shirt. With a simple "Mason, we need to keep all our clothes on in class", he seems to be able to put his shoes back on and be fine with it, but she wanted to have it noted. In addition to that, apparently he got completely undressed at his after school care the other day when he thought he needed to change his clothes because he was wet (an accident or some sort of water spilling). They appreciated the effort, but right next to his cubby is not the best place to change... the bathroom is. One other kid noticed what was going on and alerted the teacher who helped Mason change in an appropriate location. I, personally, think it's just because everything is so new to him. I'm sure it is very overwhelming and over stimulating for him to be in all these new environments, so considering, I think he's doing great. I repeated to him over and over about the appropriate place to get changed and to let his teachers know, so hopefully as time goes on, things settle down and he starts to know more what to do.

I also mentioned that he used to have an ABA therapist with him a couple days week in preschool, but otherwise he was mostly alone. However, there were three teachers there vs just one and a lot less kids, so who knows how much they were re-directing him then. This new class will have an aid, not specifically for Mason, but for some of the other kids, so while they can't focus their attention on him, they can help. The IEP team is also going to be looking in to a behavioral assessment of sorts to see how he is in the classroom and if he needs extra help specific to him.

Again, all things considered, I think Mason has done AMAZING with the transition to kindergarten. There are all new kids, all new teachers, all new school, all new rules, everything is... all new. He didn't cry when he dropped him off on Day 1 (VERY different than Day 1 of preschool or even Month 1 of preschool) and he just exudes this confidence, excitement, and happiness. Starting a new school where you know nobody is overwhelming and scary for even me to think about but he has taken it in stride.

I probably won't update all that often unless something else happens (I'm sure you don't need a week to week play by play 😉), but we have parent/teacher conferences in October and then his annual IEP meeting in November as well as a 60 day update IEP meeting in November so more updates will probably come then.

Mason Goes to Kindergarten! [Weeks 1 & 2]

Mason started kindergarten on Tuesday, August 22nd and I can still hardly believe it. On one hand, I am so, SO proud of my big boy because this is a huge step for him. But on the other hand, I still don't feel old enough and responsible enough to have a child, let alone a kindergartener! Really it is a bittersweet time. But before we get to the first day of school, let's back up one day and start with kindergarten orientation (and a little background).

A little background... when Mason was evaluated last Fall to start services through the school district, they deemed him needing speech services but that was all. He did not qualify for the district's special ed preschool, so we kept him where he was and he got ABA therapy at school two days a week for three hours at a time (through our private insurance). We had an end of school year speech IEP meeting that led us to know of the transition to kindergarten still getting speech services. As of the first day of school, the plan was for him to be in mainstream kindergarten, with no aids, and get pulled out twice a week for 30 minutes each time to get speech services.

You also might remember when I talked about how we moved here (our moving announcement). I thought I actually blogged about WHY we moved, but for some reason I can't find the link to the post, so if I can't find it (maybe I didn't share (???)), I'll be sure to update you on that later. Long story short, this is the school we moved to go to!



Kindergarten orientation was Monday, August 21st at 10am. We were all ready and super excited to really get to see Mason's new school. Though we see it every day since we live practically across the street and we'd been to the soccer fields by the playground to watch our niece play soccer, we still hadn't really toured/seen it before. We arrived slightly before 10am and there were tons of people there. We checked in and got some information about the school. Then the principal started talking and introduced all the kindergarten teachers. Everything was going well until she got to Mason's teacher (they emailed us his teacher's name the night before) and she said she was "teaching a kindergarten/1st grade combo class". I'm sorry, WHAT? Mason is in a combo class?

I was already slightly apprehensive about him being in a mainstream class, alone with no aid, but I had confidence that he would do well and was excited that he would be with all the other kids. I mean he was in preschool most of the day with no aid and he was fine (though I guess I didn't really know how much his teachers were doing and how much he just behaved on his own). But then we found this out and I really didn't know what to think. Would he do better because it might be more structured with more table work? But he hates table work and has a very short attention span for it? Would he do better because he would have the older kids to "mentor" him? Is he still going to learn all the things that they learn in kindergarten? Is he going to get the kindergarten experience or is he going to be treated like a 1st grader? TONS of questions went through my mind.

We were then broken off in to groups based on teacher and we had a chance to meet Mason's teacher. She seemed SUPER nice, but... super overwhelmed... because she JUST found out on FRIDAY (3 days before school started) that she was teaching a combo class. Apparently there had been a major influx of students enrolling last minute (there were actually some people asking WHEN did school start and could they enroll on the day we went for orientation) and they had to add some classes. They added a TK class last minute (aka Friday) and split up Mason's teacher's 1st grade only class (what she was prepared for) into a combo class. The poor lady was SO, SO sweet, but so overwhelmed too. So, after meeting her for a few minutes and then taking a tour of the school, we headed to Target to pick up a few extra school supplies that she asked for and then home. I was feeling all the emotions and didn't really know what to think about how school was going to go the next day.

That night also happened to be Back to School Night which I thought we were supposed to go to, but it turns out that it was just for grades 1-5. I had texted a few people, posted about it on Instagram, cried (#justbeinghonest), and ultimately Seth and I decided that he would go back to the school that night to talk to the teacher and just give her a little background on Mason and how he has autism and how while he IS potty trained, he needs some reminders of when to go, etc. We just didn't want her to be blindsided on the first day or think he was acting out. So, Seth went back, I stayed home with Mason, and when he got home, I felt SO much better. The teacher was so thankful that he talked to her and was excited to meet Mason the next day. She also said she would see how Week 1 went and then speak to the other kindergarten teachers, the special education teacher, and the principal and they would decide if her class was the best fit for Mason or if they should move him to a traditional kindergarten classroom.

Day 1! Day 1 Seth and I both took off work so we could be there to walk Mason to school. He was SO excited and happily obliged my picture taking requests :) We got his lunch all packed up, got his back pack ready to go, and we were on our way. All the kids line up in lines outside their teachers classrooms but because Mason's classroom is technically a 1st grade class and on the other side of the hall, he lines up with another class. So when it was our turn, we all got to walk through the kindergarten room and across the hall to his classroom. His name was on the desk and he was sitting at a big table with 3 other kids. We hung his backpack on the hooks outside the classroom, I took some pictures, told him to have a good day, and Seth and I both said goodbye and we walked out of the class. We were going to drop off his lunch at his after school care when I turned around and saw his little head peeking out from behind the hallway. He had gotten out of his classroom! We motioned for him to go back and he did. And then he came out again. And we motioned again. And he came out AGAIN and then I thought I was going to lose it. I hadn't cried yet and was actually ok, but now I was terrified that if we actually left then he would get out and get lost. So I walked back, told him to go to his seat, and told the door monitor that he was ok, but he kept getting up, and to please watch and make sure he didn't get out. I walked away and sure enough, there he was again. I walked back and told the teacher and she said that the door would be closing soon (there was a little boy crying which was why it was still open) and would he be ok then and I said yes. I ended up dropping his lunch off and Seth stayed to watch and make sure Mason didn't come out again. I think he could tell I was on the brink of tears. So I dropped off his lunch and met Seth outside and everything was ok.

Seth and I ended up going to breakfast at this place that we've been wanting to try for FOREVER and had a Bloody Mary (him) and a mimosa (me) and the BEST breakfast I've ever had to celebrate being kid free. We then went to Disneyland for a few hours and then went to pick up Mason. Why did we send him to the after school care if we were both off that day? 1. He would be going on Tuesdays and I wanted him to get used to the routine. 2. We pay for it and 3. Adult day at Disney! But in all seriousness, he had a BLAST that day and didn't want to leave and come home.







All in all, Day 1 was a success! We ended the night with an ice cream date with the cousins and Mason falling asleep on the couch. Kindergarten, I love you!

Day 2 went smoothly. Seth went to work and I walked Mason to school alone. We met a little boy who lives in our complex who is in 5th grade who happened to recognize us from kindergarten orientation on Monday (he and his dad were running one of the booths) and he walked with us until we split off to go our respective ways. Today's drop off was a little different in the fact that the parents didn't get to walk the kids inside. The hall monitor came to meet the kids and then all walked in a line over to their classroom. It was so surreal seeing Mason just walk off, alone, without me, on his way, knowing exactly where to go. I seriously was beaming with pride. He is growing up right before my very eyes and I am so proud of how independent and confident he is. This morning I also happened to start chatting with a couple of the moms and we talked about our feelings on our kids being in a combo class.

Mason's teacher uses this app to stay in contact with the parents, to pass along any messages or reminders, and she uses it to post pictures. I absolutely love this part and LOVE seeing Mason playing and interacting with his peers. She sent a couple photos on the first day of school as well, one of the whole class and one of just his tablemates, and it made me feel so happy and so much more at ease.

The night of Day 3, we got an email from Mason's teacher saying that he was having trouble focusing on his table work. This came as no surprise to us since table work is one of his least preferred activities to do. She asked if he had any preferred books or quiet activities that we could send to try to keep him focused. Since he generally hates table work, I didn't have much to go off of, but I sent some books I knew he liked on Friday and then asked his therapist on Saturday and his old preschool teacher if they had any advice. They each had some advice, which I later passed along.

Day 4 was Friday and Seth's day to pick Mason up at school. (He had been going to the after school care from Tuesday-Thursday and was LOVING IT. He transitioned well and had no problem with one of the after school care workers coming to pick him up when school was over. There are several kids who go there after school and I think he was just happy to be with his friends. They feed him the lunch that I packed and then they play, have a snack, and play some more. What's not to love?) Anyway, Friday was Daddy's day to pick Mason up and while he was excited that Daddy was there, he was less than thrilled that he wasn't going to play with his friends at daycare so he pouted the whole walk home. LOL! It didn't last long though because Seth treated Mason to McDonald's for lunch and he was all smiles again. Once I got home, we ran some errands, and went out to dinner to celebrate a successful first week!

I won't bore you with day to day details of Week 2, but it has gone really well also. Mason is supposed to be getting speech two days a week in elementary school and I didn't think that it had started yet, so I popped in to the office to get the name of the speech teacher to contact her and check in. They left a message for her and we chatted a bit and she said he should start receiving speech last week (Week 2). She also mentioned that she wanted to set up an IEP meeting with me and Seth at the end of the week to go over some stuff. The first IEP meeting I was insanely nervous, but this one I was oddly excited for. I had a couple things I wanted to talk about but I was also excited to hear what they have in store for Mason as well.

And with that, I'll leave you with the anticipation of if Mason is still in a combo class or if he got moved to a regular kindergarten only class... Stay tuned!

Four Things that Never Made the Blog.

I saw Sarah do this the other day and thought it was THE perfect way to catch up. So, thank you, Sarah, for letting me steal your idea. ;)

ONE.
Easter.

I shared about our Egg Hunt at California Adventure, but I never actually shared Easter. The day.

I know this was over two months ago, but for my sake, I wanted to make sure I shared. I won't get too detailed, because really everyone knows what happens on Easter, but I will say this. Easter morning, I wanted to make it special for Mason. I filled a basket with some goodies that he opened right in the morning and then I also filled a bunch of eggs for him and did a little egg hunt outside our house after breakfast. It was nothing fancy, but he loved opening all the eggs to find his favorite treats of fruit snacks and gold fish as well as some coins and some toys.

Later that afternoon, we went over to Seth's mom's house for dinner and another egg hunt with all the cousins. Seth's sister and her family were on vacation, but all the other kids were there.

It was a simple, yet wonderful day. Just how I like to spend my holidays :)


TWO.
My niece's birthday.

I actually think I shared a little bit about it here, but I didn't really get to share the pictures of the party like I wanted.

The Nail Truck

My oldest niece turned ten back in the middle of May, but she had a birthday party the weekend that we went to Palm Springs. So we left early that Sunday morning and headed back home to attend the party. It was THE cutest spa themed party where my sister in law had a nail truck come give manicures and pedicures, the girls made their own foot scrub, and Seth's mom's best friend's daughter, who is a hair stylist, came down from Northern California and was giving up-dos to all the girls. It seriously was a dream party for a little girl (and an adult I might add, but sadly I did not get to partake in the activities so I was just insanely jealous of twelve 10 year olds). I wish I was ten and could have participated!


THREE.
We moved!

If you follow me on any sort of social media, you know we moved. I also think I mentioned it on the blog a time or two. Well, it's official. We are officially in our new place. We are settling in well and things are getting better. I do plan to do a more comprehensive moving post at some point, but for now, the long story short on why we moved (more the short, fact only version for the internet) is that when we moved in to our old place, we didn't really check in to the school around there before we moved. Mason was nine months old and kindergarten and elementary school was not at all on our radar. Fast forward to Mason getting older and we found out that the school wasn't the greatest, but we didn't really think anything of it. We figured we would move (hopefully because of buying a house) or we could just put in a transfer and we'd be fine. Fast forward again and it's this year and we haven't moved or bought a house and it's almost time to think about kindergarten registration, so I put in a transfer. And we waited. And we waited. And we waited some more. I got nervous. Everyone told me things would be fine.

And we were denied. Cue me freaking out.

Long story, still cut short, we decided we didn't want to send him to the home school in our area, so we moved to a better area (not that we lived in a bad area before) with a better school. And I enrolled him. And he's all set for elementary school next year!

Moral of the story. Mama gets what mama wants ;)
(even if it means making some sacrifices)


FOUR.
Mason finished speech class.

Well, there's actually not really that much to that statement besides the fact that Mason finished speech for this school year. Since we transitioned him to getting speech services through the school district in December, they follow the regular school year and since the school year is over in some places and almost over in others, Thursday the 8th was his last speech class for this school year. I must admit that I was a little more sad than I thought I would be, mainly because these boys in this picture have been so wonderful the past six months. While we only saw each other every Tuesday and Thursday, Mason would talk about them constantly and was genuinely excited to go to speech class to see his friends. They all got along so well, and I truly wish we all lived in the same area so the kids could all go to kindergarten together next year. These boys will truly be missed, but hopefully we have have some play dates in the future to fill the void.

Speech is not over for this little dude though and he will continue to get speech help in kindergarten in the fall. He won't be going to a separate school for it though, the speech teacher will just take him out of class twice a week for 30 minutes. It will still be in a group setting but smaller (if you can imagine smaller than four kids). I'm excited to see the progress he continues to make next year!

More on moving, Mother's Day, and Father's Day to come soon!