Paying it forward




Surprise caroling treats

Monday night, we had a pleasant surprise when our doorbell rang several times around 7:30PM, and there were knocks on the door.  We came out of the kids' bedrooms and saw one of Paige's classmates standing there, singing Christmas carols to us.  This sweet family of seven brought us treats and inspired us to pay it forward.  We decided to go out on Wednesday night (it was almost 70 degrees!).  Paige and Hunter each picked 2-3 friends for us to stop by their houses and drop off treats with a Christmas song.  They were SO excited.  They were counting down the minutes until Daddy got home so we could head out the door and start the planned route for eight families.  The first two houses were fine for Hunter- he grabbed tight on my neck and didn't sing (even though we practiced), and the third house we were only able to leave a treat bag.  However, by the time we got to the next few houses, the singing became a little more difficult, the hair pulling became more severe, and he actually bolted at the last house.  Here are a few pictures before it became disastrous...





Today we had the kids' Christmas parties.  I had to work this morning, so I told his therapist that I would be a little late to the party.  When I arrived at Hunter's school, they were just finishing their pizza and about to start cookie decorating.  He started crying when I walked in, but he gave me a hug and his therapist told me it had been a hard day in music (he said, "They were too loud (jinglebells in the music room)!").  His teacher, Ms. Gina, was also out sick with a stomach bug.  So many changes, but he handled them all extremely well.  He sat with the class for story time.  During the art project, I was helping a student open the glitter glue and somehow, with all of my luck, it shot me straight in the eye.  Now that I know I am not going to be blind in one eye, I can laugh about it and ask again, Who else does this kind of stuff happen to?????  I had to leave the party and make an emergency visit at a local eye doctor who scanned my eye and gave me a prescription to avoid any infection, since my eye was scratched in multiple places due to me blinking the glitter out.  What a mess.  I wanted to share those details just to impress again how wonderful Hunter did with the situation.  I was late to pick him up, so he was in the office with his therapist, and then we had to run and make it to Paige's Christmas party, which we were late to.  After checking in the office, we went to her room and her teacher allowed Hunter to sit next to her and decorate another cookie.  He even got to have a juice box with the class and didn't bat an eye at anything going on in the classroom.  I could almost picture him as a regular ed student among the rest of the kindergartners at that moment- and I loved it. 



Paige's sweet teacher



Making and eating cookies



juice boxes!



Paige and one of her sweet friends (one of the carolers:))

Paige's stuffed animal had a sleepover at school last night and left her footprint

Here's a picture of the gluten free treats we made- GF pretzels, melted hershey kisses, and M&M's.  YUM!

Just a side note to brag on my daughter and her sweet disposition.  One parent came up to me at her party, and said, "My daughter told me that EVERYONE will give a "Candygram" to Paige tomorrow (a cute little note sent interschool mail), because EVERYONE likes Paige and EVERYONE wants to play with Paige."  She told me it was something she would want to know as a mom, and I thanked her and told her, "Paige has the biggest heart."  She really does- she would rather have Hunter join the class than worry about socializing with her friends.  She would rather give Hunter some of her cookie decorations than eat them all for herself.  Her teacher told us in an email that Paige was a smart child and "more so, one of the most sensitive and caring kids (she has) ever had the opportunity to work with.  Her insight and wisdom are beyond her age, and she's so aware of the needs and feelings of her peers.  She's the first to volunteer to help a friend when they need it, always checks on the kid who falls on the playground, and rushes to help pick up lunch trays when they are dropped by a classmate."  Besides being a proud mommy while reading these words, it warms my heart and makes me confident that Paige will continue to make Hunter feel accepted throughout his entire life.  What a blessing she is to our family, and especially, as a big sister to Hunter.