Friday, May 14, 2010

We're on Hold



Thank you for your thoughts and prayers and dances! The IEP went well -- it's not signed, yet, which means there are unresolved issues, but we were able to "transition" Sophie to her new school relatively easily. I smiled through the haze of bureaucracy and kept my mouth shut for the most part when it was tempting to open it but appropriate not to. I realize a lot of this sounds cryptic to those of you who don't navigate the special education system, but if you'd like an inkling of what it's generally like I'd compare it to a visit to the DMV in a big city, waiting for someone to answer your question at an understaffed Kmart, putting together an enormous swing set with an enormous color-coded instruction sheet and 6pt. type, navigating the parking lot of the Costco on a Saturday afternoon in the Valley of Los Angeles, boarding the ferry from Naples to the island of Capri with no ropes to separate those getting on and those getting off, going through a Statement of Benefits from one's insurance company for an overnight EEG telemetry hospital visit, finding the one small round Lego in an enormous bin of Legos, and winding up twine to create the world's largest ball of twine, ALL TOGETHER.


Afterward, I went and had lunch on a friend: a cup of white bean soup and an open-faced sandwich of ricotta cheese, bits of chopped figs and a drizzle of honey. I'm a lucky, blessed person, I think.

12 comments:

  1. i am so so happy to read your words. such a feat, BEHIND YOU now. it is so hard rolling gargantuan boulders up
    Mt. Everest. i know. walking around in my body feels just like that every waking moment.

    if i could dance for you, oh YES i would!
    and lunch sounded great too!

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  2. hugs,
    to you,
    and Sophie. just awesome

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  3. I am glad to hear you conquered this in your hopeful and inimitable way. Sophie is very blessed too.

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  4. What can I say? You are my hero.

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  5. That's such great news. Congratulations to you and Sophie.
    And your lunch sounds fabulous. Larder?

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  6. This makes me very, very happy. New beginnings are always full of possibilities for good, and for exciting things to happen. (You may think you have enough "excitement" in your life with Sophie's medical and educational needs, but I mean it in the hopeful, positive sense.) Looking forward to reading more about it as it evolves!

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  7. This is great news!! I'm so glad you've gotten what you want and what you need for Sophie.

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  8. I'm getting caught up on your blog. That was a very quirkily funny post. And Whew!

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  9. That is, hands-down, THE BEST description I've ever read of an IEP. I want to rip it off your blog and plaster it to the cinderblock walls of IEP meetings everywhere!!!!!

    And so GLAD to hear that it all turned out well for Sophie.

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