The first day of the last year of my oldest daughter's school year...

Today marks the start of my oldest daughter's last year of being part of the Michigan education system....she has been a student at the Mecosta-Osceola Intermediate School District since she was 4 months old.  In Michgan, as part of the Early On Education program, she started first through Gratiot-Isabella for less than a month, then we transferred the to MOISD.  At that age she rec'd physical therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy-all on limited basis, at home and the school.  At the age of 3, she began riding to school in a car seat, being picked up by a bus driver in a school mini van.  She is now an Adult Disabled Child, 25 years old.  At age 26, having recieved some type of transitional living skills and work skills, they are released into the world.  OR, kicked out of school with a certificate, saying she's completed her schooling.  Her disabilities are obvious and complicated.  Her entire medical history is complicated; as are the attempts at education and work.   I hope to elaborate on all of them at a later date, because they are worth noting and learning about, IMHO.

The alarm awoke us to the local top 40 radio station.  She was still sleepy.  But I let the music play, took the dogs out for their morning constitutional, then came back inside to start rousing her for her day.  She finally made it to the potty, wanted lots of hugs, and was happy to start her day at 6:30am.  She hadn't wore her KAFOs in 3 weeks, so we had a bit of a struggle to get them on, stretching her heel cords, aductors and flexors to get the thigh-foot orthotics on correctly.  But we finished just as the bus pulled in.  New Bus Driver, his name is Robert; same aide: Marianne.  Warmer outside than in the house, we were surprised about that.  OOPS-no time for breakfast today....need Frozen Waffles, they are easy to smear with peanut butter and send on the bus (less crumbs than toast we've found).

Will anxiously await her arrival back home, sometime around 4pm this afternoon...until then, I will happily run to town to do errands, as I have not had such an opportunity to do this during the weekdays in 3, yes 3, weeks.  It's time for school to resume.....