*Gasp!* So Soon...??

I know we haven't even gotten back from vacation yet, and I still have a mental drawer full of blog posts about our week away, but something much more important, much more urgent, much more...imminent is upon us.  Earth-shattering, if you will.  Something I've been dreading for 5 years, right along with the wiggly teeth (more about that later).

Kindergarten.  I know we're not alone in this - I've seen numerous blog and Facebook posts from other terrified parents of children with special needs who have been preparing the backpacks and steeling their nerves, willing themselves to take one breath after another, feeling each heartbeat as if their hearts are threatening to escape the confines of their chests right up through their mouths...  And don't get me started on how brains are racing, considering every possible scenario of how the day/week/year will go for our children. 

Alarmist that I am, I am also quietly confident that it's all going to be just fine.  Her new teacher sounds patient and nurturing, and Sammi's IEP contains exactly what we want, obtained without too much fanfare.  Actually, after all of the drama and dread leading up to it, most of what's on the IEP was suggested by the other IEP team members and we were very happy with their outline and accepted it enthusiastically.  So we're feeling that Samantha is set up with the tools and supports for success this year. 

But that still doesn't minimize the fact that my sweet, little baby girl is actually going into Kindy.  This is the Big Time.  Seriously.  Preschool is now behind us.  School rules now need to be followed to the letter (oh, how will I remember not to send her to school in spaghetti straps?).  I may even have to (*gasp*) join...the PTA...  I'm seriously not the Stepford Mom that so many others in our town seem to be - far from it.  But as the parents of one bright, beautiful little girl with special needs, I feel that we may need to get involved in a way that's completely foreign to us, to ensure Sammi's acceptance and painless integration into the school community.  Not sure what that involvement is going to look like yet, but I feel certain that on the first day (Monday) Samantha will be coming home with a backpack chock-full of flyers, sign-up forms and other scintillating reading material.  Can't wait!  *insert rolling-of-eyes here*

We're now about to head back towards home, leaving our idyllic holiday haven to outrun a hurricane as it barrels towards the coast.  We'll be driving a slightly longer route, more inland, making an overnight stop on the way.  Just had to squeeze a quick post in, though, of course. 

Worrying about Kindy can wait until Monday morning, as we walk the 100 yards beyond the house with Samantha, bringing her into her new classroom  full of strangers, loud and chaotic as first days always are.  Oh dear, yes, I will definitely worry then...