Second archery competition

Last night Maria had her second archery competition.  She was excited to use her new bow (of course it is pink).  I wasn't sure how she would do.  The first competition she only scored 66 points out of 300.  She was disappointed since she is quite the perfectionist, but I was quick to remind her that this was her first year and she hadn't been able to go to all the practices because of basketball and my work schedule.  I ended up talking with one of the coaches and we figured out a way for her to attend more practices now.  

First let me tell ou archery competitions are kinda long and not the best for active 3 yr olds.  As a result Ella and I spent most of the time in the hallway where she could run around, be loud and hopefully not get in the way of any flying arrows.  Ella did really well waiting in the hallway.  She made friends with a little 11 month old girl (who was slightly smaller than Ella is).  Ella also was able to get a little iPad time.....I normally don't allow her technology time, but she was getting bored and needed something to do.  She isn't quite ready for unsupervised technology time yet, but she did like Elmo's Monster Maker app.  

Finally it was time for Maria to shoot.  At first she didn't seem to be doing very well.  She made a few adjustments and improved.  In the end Maria ended up with a score of 134.  More than double what she shot in her first competition.  Ella was quick to tell Maria bravo.  

For those who don't know we had a Paralympic archer within our area of the state during the last summer Paralympics.  This with the area being full of hunters (we have an extremely healthy deer population), archery has become quite popular among the kids.  Although I highly doubt Maria will ever go out hunting.

Ella update

Throughout the month of October I became more and more worried about Ella's childcare arrangements.  The adults who were suppose to be taking care of her seemed to be sabotaging things frequently.  At the end of October I finally hit the brick wall and found a new place for Ella to receive childcare while I work.  Best decision ever!  Ella is finally being treated like a 3 yr old not a baby.  She is playing and getting dirty.  She is having the structure she needs and being taught pre-academic items too.  I couldn't be happier with where she currently is at!  Not only have those things changed, but Ella has reduced several behaviors she picked up and was getting in trouble for at home.  She is a stubborn child, but the testing has dramatically reduced since she has a similar structure across settings.

Ella has finally decided that grandma is a lot of fun and ok to spend the day with.  It took her some time to realize that it is ok to like more than just mom and Maria.  She loves her big sister and looks up to her all the time.  Maria handles things well and enjoys Ella too (as long as she isn't crying).  We really saw this when we went to see Santa.....Ella was great until the big guy started coming towards her and then, wham full on ugly crying face ready to release the banshee scream (yes, it is that loud).  Maria stepped up to the plate and held Ella while the picture was taken.  As long as Ella was in Maria's arms she was fine.  

Ella is also our protector of the Christmas tree.  She is bound and determined that the cats should not be under the tree.  When they go under it, she will stomp over to them and give them a firm talking to, while trying to shoo them out from under the tree.  Needless to say this is very entertaining to everyone except the cats.  

I'm sure there is much more, but I'm tired and will try to do a better job of keeping things updated.

Maria update

Life has been too busy lately!  I have obviously not kept up with blogging like I should have.

The end of October brought Maria's IEP meeting.  The meeting went well overall with the exception of one teacher who means well, but doesn't quite understand how Maria and most other kids learn.  Her method is the kids read or watch a video and take notes.....for someone who is an English Language Learner this isn't usually the best approach.  We are still working through the issue and it seems like it is starting to get better.  Everything else with school has been great.  Maria is getting all A's with really little to no help at all in her classes.  According to the PE teacher (who comes and stays through the whole meeting, this is unheard of) she works harder in PE than most students.  Even the basketball coach and Athletic Director were at her meeting.  

Maria did basketball again this year.  It was a much different experience than last year.  Maria actually participated in practices with her peers.  She had no associate assigned to her or was placed out in a hallway to work on skills by herself.  She was given a game day jersey to wear and even warmed up with the team on game days.  She was included in the team photo....not stuck off to the side, but actually front and center holding the ball with her teammates and friends around her.  Her coaches actually allowed her to take part in a scrimmage in her wheelchair too.  I cannot tell you the number of times during the season that Maria asked me why things were so different this year, why her old school wouldn't do these same things for her.  Those were hard questions, but also reaffirmed that Maria is in a school district that is going to give her more opportunities.  

At the end of October Maria and her friend Suz also decided (with some pushing from their parents) to race in their first 5k.  Both girls had fun, it was a good learning experience.  Maria learned that she needs to work on her endurance and stamina.  So we have been trying to get her to do that when she is working out in PE and at the local YMCA.  The girls are talking about a half marathon in June.....we will see if they are ready for that one.

November brought Maria's birthday.  She is officially 15!   Hard to believe she is so grown up already!  We have been talking about her trying to get her drivers permit.  She is nervous about driving and getting into an accident, but we have agreed that she needs to take drivers ed prior to finishing high school.  She has been taking practice tests on her kindle and learning rules while I drive and talk her through what I'm doing.  When I think about how little experience she has had in cars compared to her peers, it does make sense why she is uncertain about the thought of driving.

Last Saturday brought Maria's first archery competition.  Yes, she is really getting involved this year!  She wasn't able to attend many practices due to my work schedule, but has worked hard when she could to improve.  The first competition she didn't do great at.....she wasn't the worse, she will improve I have no doubt.  She got done shooting and we waited for the results.  As we were waiting we saw a boy who also has a physical disability waiting around for his turn to shoot.  I suggested that Maria go talk to him.  She did and had a wonderful time connecting with someone else who understands.  She was thrilled she wasn't the only one who had a physical disability at the competition!  Hopefully we will see him and his family again.

Middle school dances.....the dread of every parent.  Maria has gone to two this year.  She has had a blast to be honest.  It has been nice just dropping her off and letting her be a normal kid.  We do use glow sticks on her wheelchair for fun on dance nights (plus it helps other drivers picking up their kids to see her).