All Work, All Play, Means Noa Has A Busy Day!

I can't believe September is nearly over! And look at Noa, she already looks like a big kid with her pig-tails. She doesn't usually keep them in for long - as with most of Noa's games it's more about asking you to put them in and then asking you to take them out. She continues to enjoy finger toys, and now we have some rubberbands that have also become finger toys.

In this photo Noa is doing the sign for work, which she learned at school. Noa's transition to Blythedale has been just great - she really loves it there and is already thriving. They always warn you, especially with special needs kids, that they will probably lose some ground in a big transition like this, but that certainly hasn't happened in this case - and it's a big change and a long day. Noa leaves for school at 8am and she doesn't get home until 5pm! But she comes home totally happy. She even seems to like her bus driver and matron, and Noa's teacher Meredith said that some older kids on her bus were asking about Noa's zuzees - the electric toothbrushes she likes to play with - and she introduced Noa to the other kids and showed them how to understand her and they were really into it.

I have to really commend the folks at Blythedale for really taking the time and making the effort to work with Noa on her terms. They are a rehabilation school, but not a school for the blind (though they have other VI students and a wonderful VI teacher, and as it turns out there are other VI kids in her class) - and we were a bit concerned about Noa being in a class with kids who could see, that she would be left out or just sitting bored (or screaming and hitting), but they've done a great job of including Noa and she's made quick and wonderful connections with her teachers and therapists.

In fact, when Ben and I were there for Parents Day Meredith was reading a book to the kids and even though Noa couldn't see the pictures, the teacher and the aids helped her figure out how to do the activities that went with the story, and as a result Noa really seemed to be trying to listen and understand - she got that this story meant something, and seemed to really be trying to figure it out.

I also wanted to share a bit from a wonderful note that Meredith sent home with Noa the other day, it truly brought a tear to my eye because it's such a wonderful testament to how well Noa is doing:

"There are some new students joining us and Noa has taken on a leadership role to demonstrate our activities to them. She was very happy all day!"