Muscles and Messes

Addison started another new class this week called Muscles and Messes. Of course I couldn't attend the class with her (maybe one of these days!) so my mother-in-law, Debbie, was gracious enough to take her. That was after first taking her to the dentist for me where she got a clean bill of health and Debbie was able to feast her eyes on Dr. Jake. Ooooh la la! :)

Anyway, Debbie said that Addison had a great time at class and even came home with some pictures for me to live through vicariously!

This is a platform that swings and the bin contained beans and such with containers to scoop them.


Smearing shaving cream on the windows. I hope she doesn't start to think this is going to be allowed at home!

I guess she really liked this sit and spin type of contraption.

Now this looks like fun. I wouldn't mind doing it myself! You swing on the pendulum and drop into the balls!

Teeter-Tottering with one of her instructors.

Trampoline

The grocery cart had water bottles with colored water and sparkles in them.

This class and the music and art class are offered by the county as part of their Early Intervention Program. Because of Addison's prematurity, but more specifically because of her diagnosis of RDS (Respiratory Distress Syndrome) at birth, we are eligible to participate in three of these specialty classes each year....at no cost to us! I haven't ever enrolled Addison in any of the classes because since before she was a year old, she was completely caught up to her age group and has since advanced beyond many children her age who were born full-term. (Brag, brag, I know. I'm her mother..it's my right!)

So I've felt that enrolling Addison in these classes would take away from a child who could really benefit from them and to be honest, I was a little embarrassed to have my developed and completely "typical" child attending a class where there would be children with disabilities. I didn't want people to look at us and wonder what the heck we were doing in a specialty group and not accept us because of it. (dumb, dumb, dumb mommy. how could you ever be so naive and ignorant?) Now don't you go judging me! Honesty is a virtue!

A few months ago, Addison's EIS asked why I have never enrolled Addison in the specialty classes and when I gave her my reason, she encouraged me to not focus on the fact that Addison doesn't "need" these classes but rather what she could gain from the experience and just as importantly, what some of the other children could gain from having Addison in class with them! At that point, there were no ifs ands or buts. Addison was enrolled.

In these classes are children who seem just as typical as Addison, children with speech delays, children with gross motor and/or fine motor and/or sensory delays, and children with Downs Syndrome (as a matter of fact one of Addison's new friends, Grace, whom she met in Art and Music and has really taken a liking to has DS), to name a few. I think it's a wonderful environment for Addison to be in and I am proud of the different learning aspects that she will benefit from in class. I regret ever being so close-minded and wish I would have started her in these amazing classes a long time ago! Lesson learned....