3 years 6 months 23 days

Day 1302. After an intense weekend and an early morning it was yet another early morning today. The alarm went off at 7:30 am. It was time for breakfast, then getting dressed, and at 8:30 we all left the house together.

We walked to the subway and rode it for just two stops, then it was a short walk to the kindergarten specializing on kids with special needs but that also has a good number of healthy children there. It was a brandnew building that they only moved into at the beginning of this academic year. We had already visited their previously only location at the other end of town a few weeks ago, I and Sammy even twice, and it had not been a great experience. I had always had my eyes on this location close to us, and thank God, I was not disappointed. Even Randy liked much of what he saw today.

We reached the kindergarten a little early. We found the office and waited there for the lady in charge of this one kindergarten that I had communicated with. She then took us to the group that Sammy would be in. There were only 5 of 8 kids present today. It was a beautiful room and the teachers were all very nice. We were warmly welcomed into the group. Sammy stayed in his wheelchair at first, sitting right by the table like the other kids in the group. The lady in charge of both kindergartens that I had met before then joined us and sat down with us. She's really sweet and started explaining everything - in English, so Randy could understand it too. She had not met Randy before. Ta mmy and Emmy were exploring all the toys, while we were talking. The teachers then went on to other activites and had Sammy join them for them all. I wished I would have been allowed to take pictures. There were some physical group activities, and there was some play time, and Sammy had one teacher with him exclusively for most of the time. And he was clearly enjoying himself. It was great to see.

They told us that there was also the option of Tammy and Emmy going to that kindergarten. They would be in another group that had 15 healthy and 5 kids with challenges. We were invited to check that group out, and so we went over there. They were just doing an activity with everyone sitting in a circle on the floor. Emmy didn't want to watch and listen but wanted to check out the toys again. He had found a firefighter helmet in the other group that he had really liked and didn't want to let go off any more. Sammy wasn't too keen on sitting there and listening either. I was told that the lady in charge of the kindergarten was waiting for me in the office to talk about some of the administrative details, and so I left them to see her. Sammy was crying for me, when I left, and so Randy took him back to the first group. After a while he left him there by himself to check on the other two he had left by themselves, but Sammy didn't like being left alone at all. They then all reunited and were gonna go outside with the group. That's when I returned from the office, looking for them and finally finding them there. We had not visited the school group yet, so together we then went to that room.

The school kids were just on break but slowly returning. It was only a handful of kids, all unable to go to a regular school because of their special needs. They were sweet and very open towards us. After a few minutes there, it was time to go. We had heard and seen everything we needed. Now we had one week to decide whether we wanted Sammy to attend that kindergarten. In my opinion, he would get all the therapies and training from professionals that he needs there to learn the maximum during these important early years in life to prepare him for the rest of his life.

It was 11 am, when we left there. Emmy didn't even want to leave but to play some more. They said they'd like to also attend kindergarten there, but while they have exactly two spots that they could have, we had planned not to put them into kindergarten, and I was not that impressed with the regular kindergarten group.

By 11:15 we were back home. I was dead tired and fell face-down onto my bed where I stayed motionless for a few minutes. The kids were hungry, so I soon went to the kitchen to get started on making lunch. Since Randy had not gone shopping yet, there was very little food left to work with. I then made one of the quick meals we have for the days, when there is not much time to cook, and just after noon we sat down to eat. Emmy ate everything, while Tammy wanted to be fed and did not. Sammy got close. They then continued watching the videos they had started before lunch. All I wanted was to lie down and sleep, but I had to wait to put the kids to bed first, which I did at 1:15. I used the time until then to get my afternoon classes ready. Thankfully the kids fell asleep quickly, and by 1:30 I was able to lie down myself.

Randy left for the grocery store and was not back, when Sammy was the first one to wake up, and it was only 2:20! I guess he had slept for  about an hour, but it sure was early. I was not ready to get up, but had no choice with Randy not home. I got him up and put him on the floor with the headset that plays songs that he likes. Then Emmy was up as well, but Randy returned already at 2:30. I was able to fall back asleep. When I woke up again, it was 3:25, which was shockingly late, as I had to start teaching at 3:30. I quickly got up and got ready and then taught two students, until 5:20 pm. I could hear Randy and the kids come back upstairs over half an hour before I had finished. He was getting them ready to leave, so we could leave as soon as I was done teaching, which is what we did.

We walked to the subway and then on to the train platform to catch the 5:32 train. In fact, it rarely happens but tonight the train was a few minutes late. We already knew that it was gonna be an old train, but together it was not a problem to carry Sammy in his wheelchair over the steps and into the train. After we got off again, Sammy asked for chestnuts, and so Tammy and Emmy ran to the guy to place the order. It's a shame that it's such a weird guy selling them this year. Last year it was a really sweet guy. We ate the chestnuts while walking to the school that was a bit of a walk away.

Once we reached the school and went inside, we first had to get the wheelchair up a staircase then down an even longer staircase, then up just a few steps to get to the locker room for the gym. We were the first ones in there, but not for long. 6 pm came, and the teacher was still not there. However, kids and parents went inside the gym, and so we did too. Everyone just got whatever equipment they wanted, mainly hoops and balls, and started playing and running, and so did we. The kids wanted to catch me, and then I turned it around and pushed Sammy, running with him, for him to catch his siblings. I also got some balls out for the kids, and Emmy started playing ball with an older girl. He then kept saying that she was his new friend, and he was clearly proud of it. Tammy wanted to play with the big ball, and I let her jump on it and pulled her around while she was lying on it.

At 6:15 pm the teacher finally arrived and started his class. And it was the same as every other week. Every kid got a hoop to be a horse, and we all ran to the other end of the gym and back. I had Sammy, while Randy had the other two. We did three rounds of that, then they lay down on the floor for us to pull them there and back. Sammy just loves that part, and we did it quite a few times. Tammy and Emmy turned onto their backs and did it that way, liking it more, and of course Sammy wanted to try that too and he did it just as well.

Then the teacher was setting up the usual stuff for them to jump down off, and he lowered the rings that the kids love so much. All three got to swing sitting in the rings. Emmy proudly showed me that he could jump off the high box without needing anyone's help. A big step as he had been scared to go up there without holding our hand.

Sammy was really upset, when I got him out of the rings, and Randy took him and sat down with him and got a cone that he entertained him with. Then Sammy started crawling towards the set up, determined to get there.

And then the class was already over. We put our shoes and coats back on and made our way up and down the stairs again to leave the building. We walked back to the train station, where we still had around 10 minutes to wait for our train. The kids started watching videos. We then had to lift the wheelchair into an old train again, and by 7:30 we were back home.

I've been teaching online since last July, but going through a company, I only earn half of what I would earn if I had private students. For that reason I've been trying to put out there that I teach and am looking for students. A while back I was contacted by a student, and today I saw that teenager had sent me a message asking for lessons before an exam on Wednesday. I hesitated given my full schedule but then wrote back, and so we scheduled a lesson tonight at 8 pm. Given how late we had come home, I asked to start at 8:10. I quickly made dinner for the kids and then put them into the bathtub to shower off, but then I was gone. While I was teaching my new student, Randy had to get them out of the bathtub one after another, get their pj's on, and put them to bed. I had told them I'd pray for them after I was done teaching.

I had a good time with my new student, and after I was done at 9 pm, only Emmy was still awake. I prayed for him, and soon he was asleep as well. I continued working on my computer for some time, then moved to a more comfortable position to continue working. Randy went to bed at midnight, and so I moved to the kitchen to continue working. Now it's 1 am, and I still have to clean up the kitchen.