A Work of Art

My cousin, Jenny, is an incredible artist. Not only for beautifully accurate depictions of the subjects, but for an incredible imagination that really makes you wonder and think. I love that she has chosen to paint Samantha, too. It's such a neat feeling to see that little face in a work of art. Check out some of Jenny's other paintings here: http://jennifermajeske.com/
Now on to preschool evaluations. Samantha had her first round last week at Claremont Elementary School with the teacher of the 2-3 year olds program and two physical therapists. As we had anticipated, Samantha just sat there and stared at the floor, trying as hard as possible not to acknowledge anybody in the room. She got very floppy, too. The PT kept trying to get her up to do things, but she was like a little sack of sand. It's funny--as much as we want to get her into the 5-hour-per-day program, and need them to see how much she needs it (the fear is that if she does too well they won't accept her for the full 5 hours, and just have her there for 1 hour for speech and PT in a group, which would be pointless) we felt this overwhelming need for them to see who our daughter really is, and to see her shine for them. So after a lot of encouragement, she finally decided that playing with new toys was much more interesting than doing her very best imitation of a footstool. She was up and playing and chit-chatting away! The teacher asked lots of questions, and both he and the PTs scribbled lots of notes. Next, we have a few more evaluations, then they'll inform us of their decisions.
Someone from the Child Neurology Foundation contacted me after seeing Samantha's photos on Flickr, and wants to use a photo or two of her for their website! The woman said that the website, as it exists now, is a bit depressing and lifeless, and that she wants to update it with more joyful photos! Samantha is definitely joyful!