5 years 5 months 25 days

Day 2004. Today was not a typical day. This morning both Tammy and Emmy were next to me, when I woke up. Emmy is always up quickly, while it's hard to get Tammy out of bed - except on Sunday, when she COULD sleep longer, of course. This morning she refused to get up and said she didn't want to eat or go to kindergarten. It took me a while before I got her on her feet, and then she found her way back to bed again. I fought to get her dressed and to get her to put her coat and shoes on. At least I had to get up myself and get myself ready to leave the house. Randy left much later than he should have with Tammy and Emmy. I was already close to leaving the house with Sammy myself. I put him into his chair and put his coat on, then got my stuff, and we left the house at about 8:40 pm. I had a 9 am appointment at Sammy's future school which is right where his kindergarten is, so I was the one taking him to kindergarten today.

When we reached the subway platform, Randy and the other two were still right there and about to get on the subway. They were waving at us. Sammy and I got on the next subway going the opposite direction. We rode it for two stops, then walked to his kindergarten. I took him to his group, where they welcomed him warmly, then rolled his wheelchair to where they are all parked. Then I walked to the offices to meet with the school director.

She was a really nice lady. She had already sent me dozens of documents to fill out and sign, and I had emailed them to her. She had printed them out and started going through them with me to check whether she had everything and whether anything needed to be corrected. As expected, that took some time. Once we were done, she still took me to the class that Sammy is going to be a part of. The room was right next to the kindergarten, only meters away from Sammy's door. I had already been there once before on Open Door Day. Two students came to me right away. The one girl goes up to everyone, right into their faces, and talks to them. I can already see how she'd become a good friend of Sammy's. The teacher is also really nice. We exchanged a few words, then I left again. They have 4 different groups in their school; kids are put into groups according to the degree of their handicap. Sammy is going to be in the group where the least affected kids go. I feel really good about this and am very happy. All the people in that classroom already knew Sammy, as he walks around everywhere talking to everyone.

It was about 9:45 am, when I left there. Back home, I sat down at the computer to work. I then taught from 11 to 12:15 pm. Then I went to the kitchen to make lunch. When Randy came home with Sammy at 12:45 pm, his food was ready. Sammy had already eaten in kindergarten. I sat down to eat as well. I was extremely tired and wanted to get some sleep before having to leave the house again. I set my timer and closed my eyes. At first Sammy was still pretty loud, but then Randy went downstairs with him. I was actually able to sleep a little.

Then my timer went off. I got up and got ready and left the house at 2:15 pm. I walked to the bus stop and took the bus, then another one, and got to Tammy's and Emmy's kindergarten at 2:50 pm. The timing was perfect, as our appointment was at 3 pm. I picked them up from kindergarten and hung my coat with theirs, then we walked over to their future school. We walked upstairs and saw the chairs lined up against the wall. Some parents were sitting there and waiting for their kids to be done. We sat down as well, waiting for our turn. Soon one door opened, the child left the room, and Emmy went in, as he was up first.

The doors were made of glass so that I could look in and take pictures. Tammy also looked inside a couple of times, while we were waiting. After about 15 minutes Emmy was done. He left the room and went to the next room, where there was another teacher plus another child. Emmy had to do some drawing there. Tammy went into the room that Emmy had just left. After about 15 minutes she was done and went to the room Emmy was in. They both stayed in there for a while. Then Emmy called me and together we went into the last room, which was the room the school director was in. I was allowed to watch the last part of the test.

And it was what Emmy can do best. He had to count to 30 - no problem at all - and count down from 10, which was also no problem. He had to be able to say what the numer on the side of a die was and how many fingers she held up without counting them. She also gave him little stones and asked how many he had, then took a few away, added some, always asking how many there where.

Then they got up and played a ball back and forth a few times. Emmy is very good at that. Then Emmy had to walk down a line - foreward and backward - and had to stand and jump on one foot. That was it. They then sat back down, and she gave me the results of Emmy's test. He had done very well. I was impressed, when I saw how well he had colored the drawing and followed the lines. It was as good as Tammy's, if not even better. And so he had done well everywhere.

Emmy returned to the teacher, where he had done the drawing, and Tammy joined us. She had to complete the same tasks. She counted to 19 but didn't know what 20 was. And she was unable to count down from 10. She was also not able to say how many fingers were held up or on the side of a die without counting them. She was supposed to be able to do all that. When the teacher gave me the results, I was shocked, as I had not expected her to do so badly. She'd had more issues language-wise as well. She asked me whether she had had any speech therapy (no) and recommended she'd play board games with dice or memory. And the teacher noted how she couldn't sit still but got up, going around the room, and she interrupted me several times, while I was talking to the director. It wasn't really like her. She also did this playing she was a baby that she does sometimes. The teacher said that some kids do that, when they're nervous. She said that Tammy could start school in September, but that she'd have to be assessed after a while to see whether she was up for school yet or whether it was all too much for her. I was honestly shocked to hear that. When I had met with the kindergarten teacher a few months ago, it was Emmy who was not doing so well, while everything was perfect with Tammy. Now it was the other way around. I had definitely not expected that and it shook me a little.

It was much later than expected, when we left there at 4:20 pm. We walked to the tram, took the tram to the subway, and rode the subway home, where we arrived at 5 pm. Tammy was crying the whole way home. I just couldn't console her. She said that she didn't want to go to school. I told her that she can do anything together with Jesus and that I believed in her. But nothing I said made a difference. When we got home, she ran to Daddy and continued crying for a while.

I wanted to do piano practice with them before teaching at 5:30 pm. I made sandwiches for them, then went downstairs with Emmy and did it with him. Then it was Tammy's turn. But she was not up for it. I told her if she didn't practice, there'd be no tablet tonight. She cried and cried but couldn't do the piano practice. She had quite the fit, but it was pointless, and so I went upstairs without having practiced with her.

I then taught from 5:30 to 6:05 pm, as the student had to leave early. When I was done, I was shocked to find Tammy fast asleep. I guess the long day at kindergarten, plus the 45 minute-test and extended time of crying had done her in. I carried her to her own bed from Sammy's, where she continued sleeping until midnight. At midnight she came to me, and I helped her put her pj's on, then she went back to bed.

I went to the kitchen to cut fruit that they boys then ate and continued eating in the bathtub. Then I put Sammy to bed, then read a story to only Emmanuel before putting him to bed. I was so proud of Emmy. He had done so well today, and behaved so well, like a really big, reasonable boy.

Just after 8 pm Randy left to pick up some bread for the third of the price. Thankfully Sammy was already asleep, and Emmy was close. I was very tired, but sat down to work. I had moved my 8 pm student to tomorrow given that Randy wasn't home. At some point I got hungry and went to the kitchen to make myself something to eat. Randy returned home just after 9 pm. After having eaten, I went back to work.