Miracle Grow????

All of a sudden both of my kids seem to have sprouted. I do realize that both of my children are short, but to me they are getting really tall! Today I put an outfit on Ella from last summer, (all of her clothes from last year still fit, they are just a bit shorter!) and there were two things sticking out the bottom of her skirt that weren't there last year..... LEGS. Obviously she had legs last summer, but they were VERY short!!! I tried to find a picture of her in this outfit last year but couldn't. I couldn't help but think about how much Ella has changed in the past year, not just in her appearance (which is quite drastic) but in all that she can do. At this time last year Ella was still not even walking, knew maybe 2 or 3 signs, no words, couldn't eat by herself, no attitude problem : ) and on and on.

Before I post the pics I want to share a few things. First of all, I found out on Wednesday that I did get the job at Ella's school, Spokane Guild's School and Neuromuscular Center, as a team assistant. Meaning, I get to play with kids birth to 3 with disabilities and actually get paid to do it! I am SO excited and can't wait to start work on the 8th. I will be working 18 hours a week, 3 days a week so it is a perfect fit for me.

Also this past week we had Ella's IEP meeting with the school district for this upcoming school year. Seeing as Ella's 3rd b-day is August 30th she will begin the first day of school same as Hunter. The therapists and teacher threw me for a loop. They decided that they were not going to do what we had discussed in the past several meetings and have decided that they want Ella in the General Ed Preschool. WHAT???? She will be in the ECAP (like Headstart) preschool with "typical" kids and be pulled out for her therapies. While I am totally excited that they see how smart she is I am also totally terrified. Ella is such a baby!!!!! She is about half the height of the other kids, essentially non-verbal, and really I don't know that she is able to behave like other 3 year olds. They assured me that if it is too much for her they will put her in a special ed preschool class. It's so funny because my goal obviously is for her to be mainstreamed, it just kind of took me by surprise that it would happen so soon and without a fight! So, my little cutie pie smarty pants is going to big girl school this September!!!

OK now for the pics of Miss Thing today.......

Here is Ella one year ago!

Now for the cutest pic, despite the tongue sticking out....

One last thing.....Does anyone elses kid, that's Ella's age, love to lick things? All of a sudden Ella is obsessed with sticking her Gene Simmons like tongue out (seriously the thing goes down past her chin) and licking stuff, like people, TV's, tables at resteraunts, etc.......so strange!!!! I tell her to put her tongue in her mouth and she either purposefully starts licking more, or says no. *sigh*