Lets begin with September... M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E! Thats right, your dream came true and you had a private meeting with Mickey Mouse! We had a wonderful vacation with family in California and of course part of that trip was spending time in Disney and California Adventure. To see your face light up when Mickey walked into the room was absolutely priceless and a moment we will never forget.
It was so nice to be able to spend time with family and allow them to get to know you a little better. It is one thing to hear about you through the blog or phone calls but it is a whole other adventure to spend a week with you running around...
Also in September we had to continue to look towards the future and I had to make a very difficult decision. You were thriving in the home school environment academically but you were not getting the social interaction you so desperately wanted and you needed. I had to weight the pro's and con's of your academic success, social success, and behavioral control. Since the beginning of summer you had been the most stable I had ever seen you. You had limited self-injury, were using your communication device, continuing to expand your expressive language, and overall just content with the world around you. As much as it killed me to rock this boat I honestly felt it was the best decision for you.
After much research, prayer, and thought, you started in a new school at the end of September. You are now attending a very small district (Grandview Heights) that has one school at each level and only 1,000 students total. Basically we have a private school feel in a public district. I continue to hold my breath every day that I drop you off and worry about you daily. I know you are capable of succeeding in this environment but it is requiring a great deal of patience for everyone involved. You have already had many great moments and more success in this school then we have seen in the past and we could not have asked for a better community! The peers are wonderful and want to engage with you, they are curious, and they are understanding. I see so many opportunities in your future. To see you with your peers at school and when they come over shows me we made the right decision and you are right where you are supposed to be at this time. 
Of course you still work hard to find your place in the community also. You have continued with hockey this year and I could not be more proud watching you on the ice. Slow and steady wins the race but you try so hard. You played in your first tournament in November in Pittsburg and we have many more to come. On top of this you also joined Cub Scouts. I am not sure I am up for the camping that we will be doing but for you I will step out of my comfort zone and try.... You will owe me big time for this when you get a little older!
I am so proud of you and all that you do. You continue to put yourself out there everyday and work hard to step up to the challenges that are put in front of you. You great each day with a new smile on your face and even though at times you get a little feisty and have your moments you have come so far in such a short period of time. I love the adventure of raising you and cannot wait to see what is around the next turn.
Keep on Truckin'
Love
Mom
