4 schools, 3 addresses, 2 tribunals, 1 large debt..........

[StarlightMcKenzie]

We did it!

Final Statement arrived this morning, naming the independent special school ds needs.

And to top it off ds asked dd this morning 'Why do you like to make friends?' and then 'How do you make friends?' which is both heart-wrenching but also very very positive.

Congrats Star.

Very Well Done Star!!
Now enjoy life - you might have to remember how! Seriously do give yourself a chance to slow down and adjust to your new life.

very happy for you :)

YAY! HONK HONK! DOUBLE YAY!

I am so so so sooooooooooo pleased for you!

You did it girl!

Congratulations xxx

I'm so glad you have what you want-finally.
Thinking of you here in the depths of Western Virginia on my way to the Big Apple!

[cheerleaders]

About bloody time!

I'm almost tempted to suggest that you won't know what to do with yourself, now, but i have a feeling that you have lots of plans!

It's not quite everything I wanted Moondog, but ds is safe and progressing and there is a lot I can do myself to supplement where I think the deficits are.

School have agreed to implement an interactive diary for ds. They're not stupid though, they made up a mock for us to 'trial' during the holidays. Obviously ensuring parental committment before they themselves bust their guts

Thanks Oureyve, I'm planning to apply for the ABA Masters course next Sept amongst other things and seeing if I can support Appropriately's cause by making my own similar complaint to hers and seeing if the LGO have learned their lessons. Might pick up the NAS tribunal support course where I left off if they'll have me back too.

But I do need to enroll my dd and ds into swimming classes, music or dance thingies too. Now we know we are going to live here for some time we can establish a life. I might actually enjoy this baby rather than hoping he will sleep long enough for me to jump through a bureaucratic hoop!

Excellent news Star.

You can now enjoy the asteroid.

I expect you'll feel quite hollow for a while, wondering why you have all this spare time on your hands and on edge for the next onslaught - I was (and still am to some extent years later).

I am sure that experiences like we've been through leave you with a form of PTSD.

Anyway, enjoy the breather. I am so very pleased that you now have the best support available.

Thank you Wet,

tbh DD starts nursery in Sept so there is the whole getting into a new routine and plan some extra-curricular activities for them both with the logistics involved that include a baby etc.

I'm imagining that I'm more likely to begin relaxing round about 3-4 months time and then a week later baby will start crawling and that will be the end of that -

Baby crawling? velcro pads on the knees he will still have fun x

Still smiling here for you :)

yay!!

I was tearful this morning, but now I just feel old and exhausted and fat!

Star, congratulations. Your DS asking about friends is lovely!

Congrats that is amazing, now relax and celebrate with one of these;

And have some of these to say congratulations! (rather than thanks )

Well done star. Really hope the school works out well for ds.

A big well done. XXXX

And a Partridge in a Pear tree! (sorry feeling silly and frivolous today!)
Star, so, so pleased to read such good news. You so deserve it! And what a lucky family to have you as their advocate.
Your DS at last has the opportunity to learn that parents with NT children just take for granted, but that parents of SN children so often have to fight "the system" tooth and nail for to obtain.

Now you can relax and enjoy your new addition to the family.

That's great news Starlight. One major battle won, hopefully only minor skirmishes in the future.

Thanks all! Just ordered ds' school uniform and filled in the transport form!

DS2 so cute! Found at least one of his arms and keeps staring at it and wiggling his fingers!

Staring at hands... lovely, but one of those milestones that DS2 never seemed to do. So maybe a good sign?

Ah I dunno Ellen. Fairly sure DS1 did that.

Not sure I'm bothered though. SN or not, I'm wiser to the whole education and 'support' thing. Have sent HV packing already and refused to sign up to any surestart centre programmes of any kind.

I know with DS3 I spent an unholy amount of time analysing his every developmental stage. And he is very quirky, but so, so different to DS2. It's hard not to spoil that baby time by worrying, but I sure did lots of positive interaction! TBH, whatever will be etc, but all the stuff I learnt with DS2 had become second nature and I reckon it didn't hurt.

You have a great attitude, though, Star. And a very cute sounding Asteroid.

I hear ya LOUD & CLEAR re the support & HV "thang"

From here on in I'm doing what I think needs to be done for my family - they've had their pound of flesh from us.

coff I REALLY couldn't have done it without so much support from MN. And by that I don't mean being egged on, I mean the critical analysis and the blunt opinion. With that I could keep a finger in reality when i thought I was losing my mind and also make sure my arguments were concrete and robust at every step.

And of course, eventually, the ultimate uprooting was never my idea until enough MNers showed me it was a proactive move, not a running-away one iyswim.