When we first met with Finn's new teacher, Eamonn was positive it would be a good move for Finn. I was more cautiously optimistic--afraid to be too excited after getting our hopes up several times with Finn's former teacher (did I mention Eamonn loves me for my positive attitude?).
All last week I wanted to write to you and say, "YAY! This is it! It's perfect!" But I didn't want to eat crow yet again.
But now, after a week and one day, I feel like I can say, "YAY! This is it! It's perfect!" Finn is like a different kid from the person he's been since about the second week of September. No complaints about not liking school. No crying. No timeouts (except for that hitting incident the first day).
And, truth be told, it's still early days yet. My Mom, who taught kindergarten for 30 years, reminded me that there will still be bumps in the road. But, I have a happy heart for the first time in a long time. Because I know Finn is going somewhere he not only doesn't hate, but actually enjoys each day, I have been able to settle down and get some work done. No, my house still isn't clean, but at least I'm making my deadlines and getting myself back on some sort of track.
I want to say a huge thank you to all of you who have posted or e-mailed with your support through all of this. It was a hard time. Certainly not as hard a time as when Finn was in treatment, but hard in a different way. I spent a lot of time feeling sick to my stomach, wandering aimlessly around the house and worrying. I'm an excellent worrier. But hearing from all of you was great and kept me going. Some of you even have sensory kids and sent tons of advice. Amanda--thank you for the sensory diet! You all have helped me more than you'll ever know.
So it was interesting to me to hear from all of you and I'd love to know more about where you are and how you came to find us. Of course, don't feel like you need to breech any Internet security like saying, "My name is Ann Smith and I live at 555 Park Lane in Oxford, Ohio. Come and get me cyberstalkers!" No, I certainly don't want you to reveal anything that would identify you. But, I would love to know general info like: My name is Natalie, I live in Colorado, and I found you because you commented on Pioneer Woman's site. . .or something like that. Or whatever you're comfortable with. I'm just so curious about all of you.
Or maybe I'm just nosy. I guess I should just call it what it is.
Let's set a record for the number of comments! Who are you? Where are you? How did you find me? I'm dying to know!
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42 comments:
My name is Cindy and I live in Virginia. I'm a SAHM of two girls, 13 and 8. My husband works for a non-profit children's organization. I've followed you for so long I don't remember exactly how I found your site - amybe through Kendrie's???
Hi, I am Amber. I am in Ohio and I found your CaringBridge site a little over 4 years ago and have been a faithful follower ever since. I work a few hours a week as a computer teacher for 3rd - 6th grade and my husband is a computer geek as well. I have 3 kids (2 girls, 1 boy) ages 6, 4, and 2. I would love to meet up with you the next time you are in Ohio!!!
Amber
My name is Kristie and I'm a chocoholic. Oh, wait. Wrong site. :)
I met you through All-Kids ... enjoyed getting to know you through Caringbridge .... and REALLY liked you after you came to my house in Georgia!! :)
Now I live in Oklahoma and am trying to figure out ways to get to Colorado for a visit.
Hi, I'm Meg. I live in Connecticut. I found your site via Kendrie's Caringbridge page site many years ago. I will never forget the day I saw Finn's picture. I felt I knew him...I have a red, curly headed boy as well.
I have 5 children...I know, some days I think I am crazy too! (Ages 14,13,11,8 and 8 months!! No, I couldn't BELIEVE I was pregnant either!! But, now we can't imagine life without her!)
So glad that Finn is happy and you all have some peace.
Meg
My name is Kim and I live in Baltimore, MD. I found your caringbridge site through Kendrie's site several years ago. I followed you for a long time and then my computer crashed and I lost all of my favorite sites. I recently found you again on Kristie's site. I have five kids(16,14, 12 and 7 year old twins)
It's good to be back!
My name is Pam and I found Finn's CB page from Kendrie's CB page. I run a small day care from my home and have four children(14,12,7&5).My youngest boy is also a red head(he used to have curls but seems to have lost them).
My name is Kelley and I live in Arlington, TX. I have a 7 year old son. I work full time for a Texas state agency in HR. I found Finn's CB site through Kendrie's CB site. I read all of your updates, but I don't think I have ever commented. Shame on me. I am so glad that school is better for Finn. What a relief for everyone!
Long time lurker here. I am Laura from Louisiana. I originally found you through Kristie's Caringbridge (I had found hers through another random CB site). It felt like a small world when you posted about Kami some months ago, she had attended summer camp with my best friends daughter who is a fellow St.Jude patient. I commend you on your efforts to make Finn's world a better place, Bravo!!!
Good morning! I'm Lynne and I hail from Las Vegas, Nevada. I have 3 kids (20, 15 and 7) and have been married for 23 years. I found your site thru Kendrie's caringbridge and lost track for a bit until your blog was posted on the "Not Quite What I had Planned" website. Your story about Finn's struggles in school have really touched my heart!
I'm Dianne, from Rancho Santa Margarita, CA. I found you through Kendrie/Kristie's site, too. I have 4 kids, and it's raining! RAINING! in Southern California today. I don't think we've had rain here since 2006, lol. Well, maybe not really, but it feels like it.
I'm glad to hear things are working out so much better for Finn.
My name is Jean and I live in OH. I've been stalking you for about 40 years - don't remember how I found you - probably ran into you (literally!). :-)
Glad to hear that Finn is doing better!
Hi. I'm Laurie.
I'm not telling.
:-)
I'm Heidi and I'm from Georgia. I have 2 boys, 7 and 4 and am expecting a little girl in March '09. I found your site a long time ago, I think I linked to Finn's from Kendrie and have since followed you to your new blog.
My name is Heidi and I live in Seatte. I have two boys, age 4 and 1. I found your site through "not quite what I had panned". I am thrilled to hear that things are going better for Finn in kindergarten...
Hi! My name is Mary and I live in Iowa. I was lucky the day I found you through Kendrie's site. I check on you and your family every day. Your witty look at life brightens my day!
I'm coming out of the woodwork on this one :) My name is Melenie and I live in Estacada, Oregon (in the foothills of the Cascades). I am a part time student, a full time wife and mom, a homeschool mom and aspiring grant writer. I found you via Kristie's site.
www.igotsomethingmore.blogspot.com
Hi, I'm Robin, in San Clemente, CA, and yes, it is (or was) raining-- weird! I met you through Mel on CCC, and I'll never forget the first news of Finn's illness. It struck terror in my heart because my daughter is so close to his age. I am THRILLED that things have taken a turn for the better at school. So what if there are bumps in the road? They will be NORMAL bumps, instead of some weird conspiracy to pick on Finn.
My name is Alisa and I live in a small town in Minnesota, outside of Duluth. I found Finn's site through Kendrie's CaringBridge page. I have 3 boys, ages 5, 3 and 15 months with boy #4 due in January. I used to be a nurse, but now stay home with the kids. I really enjoy reading your blog!
i'm Shauna, I live in the suburbs of San Francisco. I have 3 girls (13, 10 and 7 and a baby boy (4 months), surprise babies seem to be a theme here. I think I also found you through Kendrie's site.
Hi.
I'm Ashley.
Wouldn't you like to know?!
:)
I am Bridget. I am 44 but feel 30. I have six wonderful children, one of whom is in Heaven, and one fabulous husband.
I live in Minnesota and am fortunate to be a mom who gets to stay at home.
I began following Finn's CB site years ago and am hanging on for the rest of the ride!
So happy to hear that Finn has found himself a great teacher and a fun place to spend his school hours!
Hi - I'm Maryanne and I'm the NEW 45 (or something - you know if 60's
the new 40....). I'm in Texas and I've had the pleasure of actually working with you and getting to know the boys at birth...AND I love your Blog - am upset when you don't post. Love you!
My name is Leslie. I live in Tennessee and I found you via Kendrie's site.
Hi,
I am Kathy and I live in Illinois. I have known you since the day you were born. A real cutie then and still one.
Love you
My name is Tracy and I, too, linked to you from Kendrie's page. (Looking through these comments, you might owe Kristie a finder's fee!) Exactly how I got to Kendrie's CB page, I'm not sure, but I know all the Caring Bridge sites, and then all the blogs I now follow, all started with a little boy here in Minnesota who lost his battle with ATRT in February 2003. I'm so glad Finn is doing better -- both physically and in school. It's so hard if they don't enjoy school at this young age.
Hi Natalie,
I first came to Finn's CB site from Noah H's a long time ago. I live in northern MN & have 3 boys, one with ALL.
I'm so glad that the new classroom is working for Finn. Hope that things get better for him each day.
Take care,
Kelly (Abe's mom)
My name is Rosemary and I live in upstate New York.. I read a guestbook message that you left on Kendries CB site many many years ago that made me laugh.. so I followed your link to Finn's site and have read your writing ever since!! I love your posts, they make me laugh -- Kristie makes me laugh, too!!
So glad to hear that the new classroom is working well for Finn.
Hi, I'm Sarah. I found your CB site via Kendrie's. I currently live in Philadelphia and went back to school to become a pediatric oncology nurse.
My name is Jenny, I live in Denham Springs, LA by way of Atlanta, GA, when I first started reading Finn's caringbridge site. I believe I found your link from Kendrie's as well. I love your witty sense of humor and your boys are too cute!!! I have a daughter, Addison, who is 2 almost 3, and as I type this, she has some how climbed to the top of the closet by using a suitcase I should have unpacked days ago!! So I better go..........
Hi, I'm Louise and I believe I've know you since 1972. Not that we could be old enough to have been around back then! I check your site every day and now your sisters too. Love you all!
I'm Frannie from Grove City OH. I found you through someone's Caringbridge site, but not sure who's. Maybe Katia? Or perhaps JakeBear? Or maybe Kendrie's after all? It's been awhile now, anyway.
So happy Finn is enjoying school now.
My name is Jeri and I live in Hawaii. I found you via Kristie's blog. I think I might have checked in on Finn's Caring Bridge site a long time ago (from Kendrie's CB site) but I found you again when Kristie posted links to her favorite blogs.
I love reading about your little cutie and I am so very glad that the school situation seems to have a happy ending.
It is sooooo great to hear about Finn - I know what it's like to have a happy heart for the first time in a long time -- I'm glad you're finally there. I'm getting there, too.
It's funny, as I was reading this post and the description of how you've felt with Finn and the school situation, I realized I share a lot of those same feelings about what we're going through with my mom. Ahh, the seasons of life.
My name is Jill/Mom on the Run. I live in MD. I found you through Kristie's Caringbridge page. I am a SAHM to 2 girls, 10 and 12, and a boy, 5. Pondering going back to work. Wondering if there are any part-time jobs out there. Thinking about and actually doing some writing that is at this point not paid, but may be some day...
I've been following you all from the CaringBridge site - but I can't tell you how I originally got "hooked" on Finn... I 'blame' it all on Terry - Julianna Banana's Dad... I follow about 30 kiddos from the Monster Pages and beyond (one of which is Kendrie)... and celebrated triumphs of far too few and mourned the losses of far too many. But through it all - I remain steadfast in my faith... and continue to check in on the families...
I have enjoyed your blog and don't always post - but always you are all in my thoughts and prayers.
When you all decided to move west... I was pleased to watch you settle into the Rockies... Having lived in CO for the better part of 40 years... it is always nice to see things from a new perspective.
I work at an elementary school here on the Front Range - and have been frustrated to read of Finn's struggles to find a good fit with a teacher. I am glad that things have worked out - but sad that it has taken so long for you to find some satisfaction.
Every child should have advocates like you and Eamonn - stay vigilant.
I'm Jane in Minnesota. I found Finn's CaringBridge site when I was living with chronic leukemia and moving toward transplant. He's fine now and so am I. Best of best wishes!
Hi Natalie,
I am a day or too late on the response (Madison is in the hospital right now for testing so I am running around crazy). We found your caringbridge blog so long ago I am not sure where we found it from. I followed both Finn and Kendrie. Just feel that connection to both kiddos and their families. I am thrilled to hear that things are getting better for Finn with school.
Amanda
Southern CA
My name is Kim and I live in Seattle. I work full time as a receptionist at a non-profit neuromuscular center-(speech therapy, OT and PT). I have four children--a 25 year old married daughter who is a speech therapist at the same place I work, a 23 year old senior in college son, a 16 year old high school junior son, and a 13 year old 7th grade son.
I found you through Kristie/Kendrie's site a few years ago, and have followed you for quite a while---I just never commented!
Glad things have worked out so well for Finn and he is on his way to a positive school experience.
*smiles*
Kim
My name is Cate. I live in Oregon. I found your site through Kristie, but I don't for the life of me know how I found her site. I'm single. No kids. Yet.
SO GLAD that Finn is doing so well! He deserves nothing less.
I found you several years back through CaringBridge and have been following your lives ever since..and made a friend in the process! Yay me!
I am also astounded and happy for you that you got so many responses. Folks read my blog but when I asked them who they are, you could practically HEAR the crickets chirping... lol!!!!!
xoxox,
Leeann
Is it too late to delurk? It has been a crazy week! I want to join in on the fun! My name is Haley, and I have 137 twelve and thirteen year olds. Just kidding, I am a twenty-six year old science teacher from the suburbs of Chicago. I grew up on the coast of Georgia, but have lived here for a year and a half.
I also found your page via Kristie's page. :)
My name is Beth, and I live in Virginia. I found you through Kendrie's CB site years ago. I can't even remember how I got to Kendrie's site. Or maybe it was Juliana's site. I don't know! I am a SAHM, but only really have one child left. My two older kids are in college. My youngest has Down syndrome and has had plenty of medical issues (sensory issues too!). She is ridiculously fun.
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