Galumph - Poetry Night

November is a time to be thankful, so here's something I'm thankful for.

He is always there, including and especially when I'm peeing.
He's my best guy,
Moose.
He never lets me forget he loves me,
when I want to be alone,
80 lbs in my lap,
wet face full of slobber kisses.

I have a disability but I have to have light exercise or I get sick,
puking dying sick,
I hate walking.
Must walk the puppy or the puppy eats things,
galloping galumphing frolicky goodness,
flopping ears of an un-graceful gazelle,
I can't help laughing through the pain

Free because nobody wanted him,
Labelled as crazy,
uncontrollable,
psychotic,
his name was Nuts.  Not even kidding.
Well, I've heard all of that about me too.

How can I pay for the best dog in the world?
How can you buy a child a best friend?
How can you buy a boyfriend a lapmonkey?
We thought he was temporary,
We thought we were saving him,

Our lives are complete thanks to Moosey Wolfson Cline

Good Dog.

He is not responding

"He isn't responding to our behavioral plan."
"Did you try making it actually positive reinforcement based, rather than punishing him randomly and saying its positive reinforcement?"
... Cricket noise.

Back to the school saga with Tristyn. We finally were able to switch schools after the principal decided to suspend my son for a week every time he was involved in any kind of an incident.  I hope she burns in hell of face-herpes.  Anyhoo, the new school was a source of hope.  At the suggestion of the school counsler we started testing for all kinds of things.  Weeks of testing over the summer paid off, we now had most of a diagnosis (it was added to) of SPD, ADHD,and a couple of other related things, including mild autism.  Now we had somewhere to go from here!  I was put in touch with our district's parent resource center, and Ms. Mueller who is a complete dream to work with.  She's very up-front and no bullshit, which I really appreciate.  I'm freaking out, not knowing what to do or what the hell is going on.  I kept thinking that I was going to have to home-school Tristyn but then he would get almost no social interaction.  Great.  Then he would have no social skills and god knows that will just get worse.  I don't want that for him, social interaction is what human societies are based on, so he would miss out on one of the basics of the human experiance.  I worry waaaaayyyyyy too much.  There was a lot of me falling apart, and my little man wondering why he was always being treated differently than the other kids.  He wasn't allowed to play with other kids at recess, he always had an adult right next to him.  He was only going to school for half days, when all of his peers had been doing full days for over a year.  It was mind-numbing and crazy.  It drove me completely crazy.  Suddenly, my madre appeared at my door.  Ok, that isn't that strange, we have a close relationship.  Not creepy close but I talk to her once a day usually.  The amazing thing was what she had in her hand.  This book!  Go check it out, I'll wait.  That book seriously saved my ass.  I asked for an IEP (individualized education plan) and got one!  Tristyn was evaluated, and it was deemed that he really did need special services.  Imagine that. 

To be continued...