Well...
the election is finally almost over. John McCain has the endorsement of Joe the Plumber but Barack Obama has gotten the much desired endorsement of Bob the Builder, whose catch-phrase "Can we fix it? Yes we can!" has been absorbed almost whole cloth by the Obama campaign. It made me speculate about the other kids characters. Thomas the tank engine is clearly a Democrat (he's the little blue engine, remember?) and in your heart you know who Cruella de Vil is backing.
Ninja Boo
Well the season is Fall now and the trees are still full of beautiful color but past the moment of perfection. Most trees have a "male pattern baldness" feeling.
Halloween was fun. It was the first time I've had Isaac on Halloween and as a result I sweated getting things right. After scanning a catalog of costumes together, I got him his request: A ninja. I'm sure his Mom was less than thrilled but she thoughtfully said nothing. He HAD wanted to be Darth Vader so I thought he was stepping in the right direction. I also wondered which neighborhood to trick or treat. My own neighborhood seems a little disconnected to me, without much community feeling. I know some neighbors enough to wave to but not many. I shoot the breeze with basically nobody because I'm shy. Anyway, I wanted to make it the normal happy thing where you put on your costume and wander out into your own neighborhood so that's what we did. Isaac and I set off in the early darkness and went to every house that looked "Halloweeny" and everyone was so nice! My neighborhood is FILLED with nice people. People were THANKING US for trick or treating. I realized that at all these nice people were hungry for that connection and that memory. Someone told me that most kids were trick or treating at the MALL. It now seems strange to me too that back in the day little kids were dressed in weird costumes and dumped into the streets to wander, begging for candy from strangers. But honestly, people: The Mall?
Here's a gallery of Isaac's Halloween
Waiting for a Label
Isaac is in Kindergarten and has been to see the principal about 30 times since the beginning of the school year. Three times in the first week. He fights, he bites, he doesn't adapt. This isn't quite fair, he gets along and finds a way most times - more times than not - but he fights and has problems more than most. He has the temper of both of his parents, but mainly me. Not a blessing. He is also a professional catastrophist. He showed up in this universe with a strange bias in favor of trouble and strife. If he could have spoken at birth, two months premature, 2 pounds 15 ounces he would have said "I knew this was going to happen".
He is such a constellation of blessings and curses. He is grumpy and difficult but everybody who works with him develops a soft spot for him - with all his problems he has a very lovable nature somehow. I know he can be very rough and harsh. It's very reassuring to see seasoned special needs professionals spend time with Isaac and get what's good about him. At times I feel like I am raising my own Father, Isaac has some of the same challenging traits he did.
 |
| From Magnussen Park |
Isaac has been undergoing a battery of tests, basically everything that can tested on a special needs kid so that we can come up with a clearer picture of what is really up with him.
On Wednesday we are going to meet with all the Isaac evaluators to get a report on their best guess about who Isaac really is and what should be done. It's scary...really scary because we may not be able to stay at his current school anymore. His Mom and I are biting our lips and worrying ourselves just about sick waiting to see what will follow.
In other news: Isaac took part in Track & Field this Fall. If ever there was a BAD CHOICE of a sport for Isaac it was this. Completely absurd. But he picked it himself and by god he stayed with it with the help mainly of his Mom and also me. He was always last and knew that he was always last. And not just a little last...last with a bullet, way last, extra last.
But.
Isaac the grumpy...
Isaac the whiny...
Ran these races - knowing he would be last.
And in the final race of the season with like fifty kids running he came in SECOND to last and he said "Mommy - Daddy...I didn't lose!"
A gallery of Isaac at a track meet.
Love to all.
Hugh
